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Skeleton-based comparison of throwing motion for handball players

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Abstract

The main goal of this work is to design an automated solution based on RGB-D data for quantitative analysis, perceptible evaluation and comparison of handball player’s performance. To that end, we introduced a new RGB-D dataset that can be used for an objective comparison and evaluation of handball player’s performance during throws. We filmed 62 handball players (44 beginners and 18 experts), who performed the same type of action, using a Kinect V2 sensor that provides RGB data, depth data and skeletons. Moreover, using skeleton data simulating 3D joint connections, we examined the main angles responsible for throwing performance in order to analyze individual skills of handball players (beginners against model and experts) relatively to throw actions. The comparison was performed statically (using only one frame) as well as dynamically during the entire throwing action. In particular, given the temporal sequence of 25 joints of each handball player, we adopted the dynamic time warping technique to compare the throwing motion between two athletes. The obtained results were found to be promising. Thus, the suggested markless solution would help handball coaches to optimize beginners’ movements during throwing actions.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our handball coaches and analysts collaborators: Prof. Hafsi Bedhioufi (Head of the Directorate General of Physical Education, Training and Research, Tunisia), Dr. Mourad Fadhloun (Assistant Professor of Applied Biological Sciences at Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education, Tunisia) and Abdessalem Louizi (Handball coach and physical trainer at the Ministry of Youth and Sport Affairs, Tunisia).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Team on Intelligent Systems in Imaging and Artificial Vision (SIIVA), LR16ES06 Laboratoire de recherche en Informatique, Modélisation et Traitement de l’Information et de la Connaissance (LIMTIC), Institut Supérieur d’Informatique, Université de Tunis El Manar, 2 Rue Bayrouni, 2080, Ariana, Tunisia

    Amani Elaoud, Walid Barhoumi & Ezzeddine Zagrouba

  2. Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Carthage, Université de Carthage, 45 Rue des Entrepreneurs, 2035, Tunis-Carthage, Tunisia

    Walid Barhoumi

  3. Institut Supérieur du Sport et de l’Education Physique de Ksar Said, Université de la Manouba, 20 Rue des Travailleurs, 2010, Manouba, Tunisia

    Brahim Agrebi

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  1. Amani Elaoud
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Elaoud, A., Barhoumi, W., Zagrouba, E. et al. Skeleton-based comparison of throwing motion for handball players. J Ambient Intell Human Comput 11, 419–431 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-019-01301-6

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