TCPR Post Capture Summary

Players participating in a 3D Motion Capture session as either a research project subject or as part of the High-Tech training program will receive a “Post Capture Summary” report via email.

The email will provide links to graphic files that highlight important attributes of the strokes captured.   Three graphic files are created during processing of a session: Visualization Graphic, Template Tennis Graphic, Stroke Mechanics Graphic.

Not all participants will receive links to all graphic files in the report email. The links provided are commensurate with the level of participation (i.e. research participant vs. training participant). The Visualization Graphic is provided to all participants by default. Access to the Template Tennis and Stroke Mechanics must be arranged with Dr. Brian Gordon at the time of capture.

One purpose of this page is to provide more detail about the graphic file options.  The other purpose is to provide more in depth instruction about navigating and interpreting the information presented in the various files.

Common to the graphic files are a 3D viewing window and data display options. The options include visualization aids (such as path trackers) and data or stroke comparison options. This short video will demonstrate basic navigation in the viewing window and basics about the visualization aids.

The Visualization Graphic File presents the most generalized presentation of the 3D capture session results. This file is provided by default to all participants (research and training) due its power in evaluating strokes without getting into “the weeds” of too much detail.

The main purpose of Template Tennis Graphic file is to construct a “stage” to compare the most recent strokes (current) with a previous session to determine changes. It also allows comparison to strokes from other groups of players. The strokes of these groups are combined (averaged) to produce a single Template from that group.

Template Tennis represents the ongoing research of TCPR. That research seeks to acquire large databases (and therefore Templates) from demographics to include similar age and UTR rating. In addition comparison models will be available for high level players (11+ UTR females and 13+ UTR males) and for players exhibiting our Biomechanically Engineered Stroke Technique (BEST) technique.

The Stroke Mechanics graphic file provides more in depth information on the strokes from the current (most recent) capture session. Numerical digitizing of the strokes allows biomechanical computations that dig deep into stroke characteristics. The goal of this file is to display this information in an intuitive manner (no confusing graph interpretation).

Once the strokes are converted to numbers, virtually limitless options exist to describe the mechanics. The Stroke Mechanics file presents only those which are particularly relevant to developing stroke mechanics on the court. In other words, this file computes stroke characteristics which are commonly assessed qualitatively by coaches. Target (or typical) values for computations will be given in the next section.

The following tables contain values that are typical for the Torso Twist and Racquet Speed data options in the Stroke Mechanics Graphic file. The values provided here are only directly applicable to the BEST System strokes. These values are provided just as reference to what values could look like (a ball park starting point). Individuals will deviate from these values based on stroke type, stance and many other factors.