An Evaluation Method of Taekwondo Poomsae Performance

In this study, we formulated a method that evaluates Taekwondo Poomsae performance using a series of choreographed training movements. Despite recent achievements in 3D human pose estimation (HPE) performance, the analysis of human actions remains challenging. In particular, Taekwondo Poomsae action analysis is challenging owing to the absence of time synchronization data and necessity to compare postures, rather than directly relying on joint locations owing to differences in human shapes. To address these challenges, we first decomposed human joint representation into joint rotation (posture) and limb length (body shape), then synchronized a comparison between test and reference pose sequences using DTW (dynamic time warping), and finally compared pose angles for each joint. Experimental results demonstrate that our method successfully synchronizes test action sequences with the reference sequence and reflects a considerable gap in performance between practitioners and professionals. Thus, our method can detect incorrect poses and help practitioners improve accuracy, balance, and speed of movement.