Visualisation of tennis swings for coaching

Abstract

As a proficient tennis swing is a key element of success in tennis, many amateur tennis players spend a considerable amount of time and effort perfecting their tennis stroke mechanics, hoping to create more accuracy, consistency and power in their swing. In order to achieve these aims effectively a number of independent aspects of technique need to be addressed, including forming a correct racket grip, shot timing, body orientation and precise follow-through. Outside of a one-to-one coaching scenario, where constant professional feedback on technique can be provided, keeping all aspects of technique in mind can overwhelm amateur players. In this work, we have developed a set of visualisation tools to augment the development of amateur tennis players between dedicated one-to-one coaching sessions in the area of technique, timing and body posture. Our approach temporally aligns an amateur player's swing dynamics with that of an elite athlete, allowing direct technique comparison using augmented reality techniques.