Apparatus and method for analysing a golf swing

• US 8,678,943 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brian Francis Mooney
• Original Assignee: Brian Francis Mooney
• Inventors: Mooney, Brian Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): MYHR, JUSTIN L
• Application Number:
  US12/741,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20100267462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 473/202, 473266-270, 702 41- 44
• US Class Current: 473/269
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/367 Detection of balance between both feet, i.e. weight distribution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/51 Force
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0006 Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 for golf

Abstract

This invention is an apparatus and method for measuring or analyzing a golf swing. Measurement or analysis is made relative to energy generation and transfer through a player'"'"'s body and club. The measurement or analysis data is principally obtained from the player'"'"'s ground-reaction forces. Processed signals are analyzed with an artificial intelligence system. Ground-reaction forces relate to reaction forces which occur between a standing surface and the player'"'"'s feet. The apparatus and method measures or analyses a golf swing in an automatic manner or in an automatic and interactive manner.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a golf swing;

comprising the features of;

(A) obtaining information on a golf swing by measuring information with measurement means where the information allows determination of specific parameters related to energy generation and transmission through the body to the distal end of the club when golf swings are executed, these parameters being referred to as energy-parameters;

where information measured by measurement means includes a selection from ground-reaction force information from the golf swing, measured by force measurement means including force plates and pressure pads, and kinematic information from the golf swing, measured by motion capture means including electromagnetic motion capture systems and optical motion capture systems;

(B) determining energy-parameters of the golf swing by automatically processing the measured information with an electronic processor which is operable to determine energy parameters of the golf swing; and

(C) analyzing the golf swing by automatically evaluating said energy-parameters with an electronic processor which is operable to analyze the swing against predetermined criteria accessible by or provided to the said processor specifying how a swing is influenced by such energy-parameters, these criteria being referred to as optimizing-rules;

where

(D) evaluation of energy-parameters, using the electronic processor which analyzes the golf swing, is automatically performed with the player and club modeled within the processing calculations as a kinetic chain of a selection of segments and sub-segments linked by joints;

where segments, and sub-segments, comprise notionally rigid sections of the player'"'"'s body and club, and include a selection from club segments and player'"'"'s lower body, upper body, upper trunk, lower trunk, pelvis, right arm, right upper arm, right lower arm, right hand, right leg, left arm, left upper arm, left lower arm, left hand, left leg, arms, hands and legs segments;

and where joints include a selection from shoulders, elbows, wrists, right shoulder, right elbow, right wrist, left shoulder, left elbow, left wrist, joints between upper and lower body, between upper trunk and lower trunk, between trunk and pelvis, between lower trunk and pelvis, between pelvis and legs, and between hands and club;

(E) energy-parameters are automatically evaluated by the electronic processor which analyzes the golf swing in relation to a selection from energy generated by muscles associated with a joint between a segment and a proximal segment and energy transferred to a segment from proximal segments, where the club head end of the chain is designated the distal end and the feet-ground connection is designated the proximal end in the processor, and where a segment comprises a selection from a segment and a sub-segment; and

(F) energy-parameters include a selection from;

parameters related to energy generated by muscles associated with a selection from the following joints;

shoulders, elbows, wrists, right shoulder, right elbow, right wrist, left shoulder, left elbow, left wrist, joints between upper and lower body, between upper trunk and lower trunk, between trunk and pelvis, between lower trunk and pelvis, between pelvis and legs, and between hands and club;

and

parameters related to energy transfer including a selection from latch transfer, launch transfer, sling transfer, flail transfer and radius-reduction transfer of kinetic energy, where;

latch transfer of kinetic energy, is defined as a transfer from one segment to another along the chain by latching the segment to an accelerating proximal segment, such that the segment is accelerated along with the proximal segment by energy which is associated with the proximal segment;

launch transfer of kinetic energy to a segment, is defined as a transfer from a proximal segment, where momentum is exchanged and kinetic energy is transferred when the local energy of the segment is used to launch the segment off the proximal segment;

sling transfer of kinetic energy, is defined as a transfer by forces moving the target-side shoulder joint and slinging the distal segments in an arc which accelerates the distal portions;

flail transfer of kinetic energy, is defined as a transfer to the most distal end of the existing kinetic energy in two connected segments which are rotating and translating in the same direction, where the proximal segment and the proximal end of the distal segment are decelerated by centrifugal forces acting on the segments; and

radius-reduction transfer of kinetic energy, is defined where the rotating player reduces the angular moment of inertia of the body by reducing the effective radius of rotation, causing acceleration of the more distal parts.

2. A method according to claim 1, where useful information is measured by the measurement means during the swing to automatically determine a combination of energy-parameters, using the electronic processor which determines energy-parameters of the swing;

a combination of energy-parameters is automatically determined by said electronic processor from said useful information; and

said combination of energy-parameters is automatically evaluated by the electronic processor, which analyzes the swing, to analyze the swing in light of an optimizing-rule.

3. A method according to claim 1, comprising analyzing a golf swing without dependence on the intervention of a human expert.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein analyzing a golf swing relates to improving the golf swing by providing information related to a selection from obtaining maximum club head speed, promoting accuracy, improving control, improving consistency and identifying risks of injury.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein energy-parameters include a selection from the following parameters:

start and completion times of segment and sub-segment local energy/forces ramp-ups;

start and completion times of segment and sub-segment local energy/forces ramp-downs;

magnitudes and durations of segment and sub-segment local energy/forces activations, including average and peak values;

times and transition characteristics of latching between connecting segments;

times and transition characteristics of unlatching between connecting segments;

segment linear and angular kinetic energy levels and times of peak values;

angular positions, velocities and accelerations of body and club segments through the swing, including peak velocities and accelerations, due to displacement by the local muscle group;

linear positions, velocities and accelerations of body and club segments through the swing, including peak velocities and accelerations, due to displacement by the local muscle group;

absolute angular positions, velocities and accelerations of body and club segments through the swing, including peak velocities and accelerations;

absolute linear positions, velocities and accelerations of body and club segments through the swing, including peak velocities and accelerations;

absolute speeds of body and club segments, including club head absolute speed;

angular positions, velocities and accelerations between the trunk and arm segments and between the arm and club segments;

times and transition characteristics of top-of-backswing events for body and club segments;

magnitudes of angles between the various connecting segments at top-of-backswing events;

times of maximum muscle stretch-shortening between the various connecting segments;

magnitudes of angles between the various connecting segments at times of maximum muscle stretch-shortening between those segments;

latch transfer of kinetic energy, defined as a transfer from one segment to another along the chain by latching the instant segment to an accelerating proximal segment, such that the instant segment is accelerated along with the proximal segment by energy which is generated at, or existing at, the proximal segment;

launch transfer of kinetic energy, defined as a transfer from a proximal segment to an instant segment, where momentum is exchanged and kinetic energy is transferred when the local energy of the instant segment is used to launch the instant segment off the proximal segment;

sling transfer of kinetic energy, defined as a transfer by forces translating or rotating the target-side shoulder joint and slinging the distal segments in an arc which accelerates the distal portions;

flail transfer of kinetic energy, defined as a transfer to the most distal end of the existing kinetic energy in two connected segments which are rotating and translating in the same direction, where the proximal segment and the proximal end of the distal segment are decelerated by centrifugal forces acting on the segments;

radius-reduction transfer of kinetic energy, where the rotating player reduces the angular moment of inertia of the body by reducing the effective radius of rotation, causing acceleration of the more distal parts;

development of potential gravitational energy on the backswing and early downswing;

conversion of potential gravitational energy to kinetic energy on the downswing;

development of club shaft potential strain energy on the downswing;

conversion of club shaft potential strain energy to kinetic energy on the downswing;

category of auxiliary frontal plane energy generation and transfer;

characteristics of auxiliary frontal plane energy generation and transfer;

center-of-pressure positions, velocities, accelerations and range of movement in relation to frontal plane energy-parameters.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the optimizing-rules include a selection from the following listed rules, which are presented in the format of criteria which when present or accentuated tend to optimize the swing and when absent or reduced tend to de-optimize the swing:

segments and sub-segments should attain sufficient angular speed and associated kinetic energy in the backswing to tightly wind-up the segments in their top-of-backswing positions, with the segments being wound-up in the time sequence of proximal-to-distal;

the sequenced wind-up of segments and sub-segments should he smooth and coordinated;

the degree of wind-up between connecting segments and sub-segments should be such as to provide optimum stretch-shortening of all local muscle groups, and also optimum elastic stretching of relevant body parts;

as they attain the top-of-backswing positions, each segment and sub-segment should change rapidly from backswing to downswing rotation;

downswing should commence with the most-proximal segment powered by its local muscle group;

the most-proximal segment local muscle group should ramp up to a higher level of activation as rapidly as possible;

all other segments and sub-segments should commence their downswing motions, commencing from their top-of-backswing positions, latched in proximal-to-distai chain formation to the most-proximal segment, with all powered by the most-proximal segment local muscle group;

all segments and sub-segments should commence their downswing motions latched in chain formation to the most-proximal segment, the local muscle groups of these segments and sub-segments, distal to the most-proximal segment, are optimally further stretch-shortened and elastically stretched, this further optimum stretch shortening and elastic stretching being completed when each segment or sub-segment attains the same speed as its proximal neighbor in the chain;

other that where the local muscle group of a segment or sub-segment is significantly more powerful than its distal neighbor, a segment or sub-segment should end its principal local energy generation before the distal segment is launched from it, the distal segment or sub-segment only launching after its proximal neighbor has attained maximum speed;

a segment or sub-segment should unlatch from its proximal neighbor before launching from it;

the local muscle group of each segment and sub-segment should remain at a low level of activation until the instant segment unlatches from and launches off the proximal segment, whereupon it ramps up to and maintains a higher level of activation;

(in the case of the muscle group of the most proximal segment, this commences from the start of the downswing), the higher level of activation is ended and the local muscle ramps back down to a low-level of activation as the distal segment unlatches from and launches off the instant, the rule exception being that the arm segment muscle group continues activation after the club segment unlatches, due to the muscle group of the arm segment being significantly more powerful than that of the club segment;

local muscle groups of segments and sub-segments should ramp-up and ramp-down, between higher and lower activation levels, as rapidly as possible;

when it ramps-up to the higher levels of activation, the muscle group of each segment and sub-segment should maintain the higher optimum level of activation to accelerate the segment to the required maximum velocity as quickly as possible, the muscle group should ramp-down to the lower level as rapidly as possible after the segment attains the required maximum velocity;

the levels of energy activation and required segment velocities should be varied with the requirements of the swing, and should be optimally maximized for swings requiring maximum club head speed, and optimally reduced where lower club head speeds are required;

segment and sub-segment motions should proceed smoothly and with optimum mechanical efficiency, linear motions should be in the optimum mechanically efficient directions and angular motions should occur about optimum mechanically efficient axes;

an optimal latch angle should be set between the arm and club segments at the commencement of the downswing of these segments, which promotes optimal flail energy transfer between these segments when they unlatch later in the downswing, this angle lying between 60° and

70°

;

an optimum latch angle between the arm and club segments should be maintained to the point in the downswing where unlatching causes the club head to subsequently maximize its speed and to attain this maximum speed at impact;

for swings requiring high club head speeds, an optimum latch angle between the arm and club segments should be maintained to the point in the downswing where unlatching causes the club segment to attain maximum angular speed shortly before impact, allowing released strain energy from the deflected club shaft to accelerate the club head to subsequently maximize its speed and to attain this maximum speed at impact;

auxiliary-frontal-plane energy generation and transfer should be categorized as one of several types which do not intermix, there appearing to be one most common type, one moderately common type and at least one other uncommon type, the moderately-uncommon type displaying a reversal in center-of-pressure linear movement away from the target direction after an initial movement towards it, which is absent for the common type;

in the common type of auxiliary-frontal-plane energy generation and transfer, where the center-of-pressure is not reversed after its first movement towards the target, where swings require maximum club head speed, the player should move such that his or her center-of-pressure in the target direction is maximized in its length of linear movement and is maximized in its linear speed;

in the common type of auxiliary-frontal-plane energy generation and transfer, where the center-of-pressure is reversed after its first movement towards the target, where swings require maximum club head speed, the player should move such that his or her center-of-pressure trace is first maximized in linear speed in the target direction, and is then maximized in linear speed away from the target direction.

7. A method according to claim 1, which comprises the steps of:

a) obtaining ground-reaction force information during the swing;

b) processing the information into data which better characterizes the swing; and

c) receiving and processing the processed data by artificial intelligence.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein

ground-reaction force information is obtained as load response information, rather than deformation response information;

some of the information is processed separately from other information; and

information is processed into data which better characterizes the swing, before being received and processed by artificial intelligence, casing a selection from the following techniques;

a) smoothing of the information stream, such as the use of an arithmetic moving average;

b) scaling to ensure comparable information values;

c) temperature stabilizing, to overcome errors from changing temperatures;

d) voltage stabilizing, to overcome errors from changing system voltages;

e) conversion to center-of-pressure X and Y positions on individual feet or across a combination of both feet;

f) conversion to center-of-pressure X and Y velocities on individual feet or across a combination of both feet; and

g) conversion to center-of-pressure X and Y accelerations on individual feet or across a combination of both feet.

9. A method according to claims 7, wherein

the artificial intelligence comprises use of trained artificial neural network methods;

and

separate networks are used to predict different energy-parameters.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein

energy-parameters are automatically analyzed or evaluated by use of a relative noisiness method, where the method relates to analyzing the noise level of a predicted network outputs for a swing, or portion of a swing, and inferring better performance with reducing noise level;

and

analysis includes a selection from the following features;

a) comparison is made to the noisiness level of a reference swing or other reference value;

b) comparison is made to a reference swing based on the play of expert players;

c) levels of noisiness are established as measures of goodness of fit or quality of fit of the raw output data to smoothed output data; and

d) analysis or evaluation is used to highlight relative weaknesses or strengths at different threshold levels across the swing.

11. A method according to claim 7, which includes a selection from the following;

a) information is processed in an interactive manner, and the method is operable to prompt a training element and communicate the training element to the player;

b) interactive training elements are pre-prepared by experts familiar with such energy generation and transfer within the swing, with how they can be improved and how improvement can be effectively communicated to a player; and

c) sensory information is processed;

the artificial intelligence obtains the energy-parameters from the processed information;

the energy-parameters are processed to analyze or evaluate the swing; and

interactive training routines are processed and communicated to a user, such as a player or coach.

12. A method according to claim 7, wherein

ground-reaction forces are separately sensed or measure for the player'"'"'s left and right feet.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein

energy-parameters are automatically analyzed or evaluated using all or a selection from the following techniques:

a) evaluation or analysis in light of the optimization-rules;

b) evaluation or analysis by comparison to the swings of expert players;

d) evaluation or analysis by comparison to other swings by the same player; and

d) evaluation and analysis on a health safety basis.

14. A method according to claim 1 which includes a selection from:

a) the prior step of determining that parameters which are important to analyzing golf swings include those related to energy generation and transmission through the body when swings are executed;

b) the prior step of identifying that parameters which are important to analyzing golf swings include those related to energy generation and transmission through the body when swings are executed;

c) the prior step of determining the energy-parameters;

d) the prior step of identifying the energy-parameters;

e) the prior step of determining the optimizing-rules; and

f) the prior step of identifying the optimizing-rules.

15. An apparatus for analyzing a golf swing comprising:

(A) measurement means which are operable to measure and obtain information on a golf swing, where the information allows determination of specific important parameters related to energy generation and transmission through the body to the distal end of the club when golf swings are executed, these parameters being referred to as energy-parameters;

where measurement means include a selection from force measurement means, including force plates and pressure pads, which are operable to measure ground-reaction force information from the golf swing, and motion capture measurement means, including electromagnetic motion capture systems and optical motion capture systems, which are operable to measure kinematic information from the golf swing;

(B) an electronic processor which is operable to determine energy-parameters of the golf swing by automatically processing the measured information; and

(C) an electronic processor which is operable to analyze the golf swing by automatically evaluating said energy-parameters against predetermined criteria accessible by or provided to the processor specifying how a swing is influenced by such energy-parameters, these criteria being referred to as optimizing-rules;

wherein

(D) evaluation of energy-parameters is operable to be automatically performed by the electronic processor, which analyzes the golf swing, with the player and club modeled. within the processing calculations as a kinetic chain of a selection of segments and sub-segments linked by joints;

where segments and sub-segments comprise notionally rigid sections of the player'"'"'s body and club, and include a selection from club segments and the player'"'"'s lower body, upper body, upper trunk, lower trunk, pelvis, right arm, right upper arm, right lower arm, right hand, right leg, left arm, left upper arm, left lower arm, left hand, left leg, arms, hands and legs segments;

and where joints include a selection from shoulders, elbows, wrists, right shoulder, right elbow, right wrist, left shoulder, left elbow, left wrist, joints between upper and lower body, between upper trunk and lower trunk, between trunk and pelvis, between lower trunk and pelvis, between pelvis and legs, and between hands and club;

(E) the electronic processor, which analyzes the golf swing, is operable to automatically evaluate energy-parameters in relation to a selection from energy generated by muscles associated with a joint between a segment and a proximal segment and energy transferred to a segment from proximal segments, where the club head end of the chain is designated the distal end and the feet-ground connection is designated the proximal end in the processing means, and where a segment comprises a selection from a segment and a sub-segment; and

(F) the electronic processor, which analyzes the swing, is operable to analyze the swing by automatically evaluating energy-parameters related to a selection from;

energy generated by muscles associated with a selection from the following joints;

shoulders, elbows, wrists, right shoulder, right elbow, right wrist, left shoulder, left elbow, left wrist, joints between upper and lower body, between upper trunk and lower trunk, between trunk and pelvis, between lower trunk and pelvis, between pelvis and legs, and between hands and club;

and

energy transfer, including a selection from latch transfer, launch transfer, sling transfer, flail transfer and radius-reduction transfer of kinetic energy;

wherein

latch transfer of kinetic energy, is defined as a transfer from one segment to another along the chain by latching the segment to an accelerating proximal segment, such that the segment is accelerated along with the proximal segment by energy which is associated with the proximal segment;

launch transfer of kinetic energy to a segment, is defined as a transfer from a proximal segment, where momentum is exchanged and kinetic energy is transferred when the local energy of the segment is used to launch the segment off the proximal segment;

sling transfer of kinetic energy, is defined as a transfer by forces moving the target-side shoulder joint and slinging the distal segments in an arc which accelerates the distal portions;

flail transfer of kinetic energy, is defined as a transfer to the most distal end of the existing kinetic energy in two connected segments which are rotating and translating in the same direction, Where the proximal segment and the proximal end of the distal segment are decelerated by centrifugal forces acting on the segments; and

radius-reduction transfer of kinetic energy, is defined where the rotating player reduces the angular moment of inertia of the body by reducing the effective radius of rotation, causing acceleration of the more distal parts.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the measurement means is operable to measure useful information during the swing to automatically determine a combination of energy-parameters, using the electronic processor which determines energy-parameters of the swing;

the electronic processor which determines energy-parameters is operable to automatically determine said combination of energy-parameters from said useful information; and

the electronic processor which analyzes the swing is operable to subsequently automatically evaluate said combination of energy-parameters, to analyze the swing in light of an optimizing-rule.

17. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the apparatus is operable to carry out analysis without dependence on the intervention of a human expert.

18. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

analyzing a golf swing relates to improving the golf swing by providing information related to a selection from obtaining maximum club head speed, promoting accuracy, improving control, improving consistency and identifying risks of injury.

19. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the energy-parameters include a selection from the following parameters:

start and completion times of segment and sub-segment local energy/forces ramp-ups;

start and completion times of segment and sub-segment local energy/forces ramp-downs;

magnitudes and durations of segment and sub-segment local energy/forces activations, including average and peak values;

times and transition characteristics of latching between connecting segments;

times and transition characteristics of unlatching between connecting segments;

segment linear and angular kinetic energy levels and times of peak values;

angular positions, velocities and accelerations of body and club segments through the swing, including peak velocities and accelerations, due to displacement by the local muscle group;

linear positions, velocities and accelerations of body and club segments through the swing, including peak velocities and accelerations, due to displacement by the local muscle group;

absolute angular positions, velocities and accelerations of body and club segments through the swing, including peak velocities and accelerations;

absolute linear positions, velocities and accelerations of body and club segments through the swing, including peak velocities and accelerations;

absolute speeds of body and club segments, including club head absolute speed;

angular positions, velocities and accelerations between the trunk and arm segments and between the arm and club segments;

times and transition characteristics of top-of-backswing events for body and club segments;

magnitudes of angles between the various connecting segments at top-of-backswing events;

times of maximum muscle stretch-shortening between the various connecting segments;

magnitudes of angles between the various connecting segments at times of maximum muscle stretch-shortening between those segments;

latch transfer of kinetic energy, defined as a transfer from one segment to another along the chain by latching the instant segment to an accelerating proximal segment, such that the instant segment is accelerated along with the proximal segment by energy which is generated at, or existing at, the proximal segment;

launch transfer of kinetic energy, defined as a transfer from a proximal segment to an instant segment, where momentum is exchanged and kinetic energy is transferred when the local energy of the instant segment is used to launch the instant segment off the proximal segment;

sling transfer of kinetic energy, defined as a transfer by forces translating or rotating the target-side shoulder joint and slinging the distal segments in an arc which accelerates the distal portions;

flail transfer of kinetic energy, defined as a transfer to the most distal end of the existing kinetic energy in two connected segments which are rotating and translating in the same direction, where the proximal segment and the proximal end of the distal segment are decelerated by centrifugal forces acting on the segments;

radius-reduction transfer of kinetic energy, where the rotating player reduces the angular moment of inertia of the body by reducing the effective radius of rotation, causing acceleration of the more distal parts;

development of potential gravitational energy on the backswing and early downswing;

conversion of potential gravitational energy to kinetic energy on the downswing;

development of club shaft potential strain energy on the downswing;

conversion of club shaft potential strain energy to kinetic energy on the downswing;

category of auxiliary frontal plane energy generation and transfer;

characteristics of auxiliary frontal plane energy generation and transfer;

center-of-pressure positions, velocities, accelerations and range of movement in relation to frontal plane energy-parameters.

20. An apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the optimizing-rules include a selection from the following listed rules, which are presented in the format of criteria which when present or accentuated tend to optimize the swing and when absent or reduced tend to de-optimize the swing;

segments and sub-segments should attain sufficient angular speed and associated kinetic energy in the backswing to tightly wind-up the segments in their top-of-backswing positions, with the segments being wound-up in the time sequence of proximal-to-distal;

the sequenced wind-up of segments and sub-segments should be smooth and coordinated;

the degree of wind-up between connecting segments and sub-segments should be such as to provide optimum stretch-shortening of all local muscle groups, and also optimum elastic stretching of relevant body parts;

as they attain the top-of-backswing positions, each segment and sub-segment should change rapidly from backswing to downswing rotation;

downswing should commence with the most-proximal segment powered by its local muscle group;

the most-proximal segment local muscle group should ramp up to a higher level of activation as rapidly as possible;

all other segments and sub-segments should commence their downswing motions, commencing from their top-of-backswing positions, latched in proximal-to-distal chain formation to the most-proximal segment, with all powered by the most-proximal segment local muscle group;

all segments and sub-segments should commence their downswing motions latched in chain formation to the most-proximal segment, the local muscle groups of these segments and sub-segments, distal to the most-proximal segment, are optimally further stretch-shortened and elastically stretched, this further optimum stretch shortening and elastic stretching being completed when each segment or sub-segment attains the same speed as its proximal neighbor in the chain;

other than where the local muscle group of a segment or sub-segment is significantly more powerful than its distal neighbor, a segment or sub-segment should end its principal local energy generation before the distal segment is launched from it, the distal segment or sub-segment only launching after its proximal neighbor has attained maximum speed;

a segment or sub-segment should unlatch from its proximal neighbor before launching from it;

the local muscle group of each segment and sub-segment should remain at a low-level of activation until the instant segment unlatches from and launches off the proximal segment, whereupon it ramps up to and maintains a higher level of activation, (in the case of the muscle group of the most proximal segment, this commences from the start of downswing) the higher level of activation is ended and the local muscle ramps back down to a low-level of activation as the distal segment unlatches from and launches off the instant, the rule exception being that the arm segment muscle group continues activation after the club segment unlatches, due to the muscle group of the arm segment being significantly more powerful than that of the club segment;

local muscle groups of segments and sub-segments should ramp-up and ramp-down, between higher and lower activation levels, as rapidly as possible;

when it ramps-up to the higher levels of activation, the muscle group of each segment and sub-segment should maintain the higher optimum level of activation to accelerate the segment to the required maximum velocity as quickly as possible the muscle group should ramp-down to the lower level as rapidly as possible after the segment attains the required maximum velocity;

the levels of energy activation and required segment velocities should be varied with the requirements of the swing and should be optimally maximized for swings requiring maximum club head speed, and optimally reduced where lower club head speeds are required;

segment and sub-segment motions should proceed smoothly and with optimum mechanical efficiency, linear motions should be in the optimum mechanically efficient directions and angular motions should occur about optimum mechanically efficient axes;

an optimal latch angle should be set between the arm and club segments at the commencement of downswing of these segments, which promotes optimal flail energy transfer between these segments when they unlatch later in the downswing, this angle being between 60° and

70°

;

an optimum latch angle between the arm and club segments should be maintained to the point in the downswing where unlatching causes the club head to subsequently maximize its speed and to attain this maximum speed at impact;

for swings requiring high club head speeds, an optimum latch angle between the arm and club segments should be maintained to the point in the downswing where unlatching causes the club segment to attain maximum angular speed shortly before impact, allowing released strain energy from the deflected club shaft to accelerate the club head to subsequently maximize its speed and to attain this maximum speed at impact;

auxiliary-frontal-plane energy generation and transfer should be categorized as one of several types which do not intermix, there appearing to be one most common type, one moderately common type and at least one other uncommon type, the moderately-uncommon type displaying a reversal in center-of-pressure linear movement away from the target direction after an initial movement towards it, which is absent for the common type;

in the common type of auxiliary-frontal-plane energy generation and transfer, where the center-of-pressure is not reversed after its first movement towards the target, where swings require maximum club head speed, the player should move such that his or her center-of-pressure in the target direction is maximized in its length of linear movement and is maximized in its linear speed;

in the common type of auxiliary-frontal-plane energy generation and transfer, where the center-of-pressure is reversed after its first movement towards the target, where swings require maximum club head speed, the player Should move such that his or her center-of pressure trace is first maximized in linear speed in the target direction, and is then maximized in linear speed away from the target direction.

21. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the apparatus includes a processing means and a detection means;

the detection means is operable to detect ground-reaction forces, and includes a standing surface and sensor means; and

a) the apparatus includes an artificial intelligence means;

b) the processing means includes an early-processing means, and information from the sensor means or detection means is processable by the early-processing means, into data which better characterizes the swing, before being received by the artificial intelligence means;

c) the artificial intelligence means is operable to receive and process information from the early-processing means.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the sensor means sense load responses, rather than deformation responses, to the standing surface;

the sensor means comprises a plurality of sensors and some information from some sensors is processed separately from some information from other sensors; and

information from the sensor means or detection means is processable by the early-processing means, into data Which better characterizes the swing, before being received by the artificial intelligence means, by a selection from the following techniques;

a) smoothing of the data stream, such as the use of an arithmetic moving average;

b) scaling to ensure comparable reading between different sensors;

c) temperature stabilizing, to overcome errors from changing temperatures;

d) voltage stabilizing, to overcome errors from changing system voltages;

e) conversion to COP X and Y positions on individual feet or across a combination of both feet;

f) conversion to COP X and Y velocities on individual feet or across a combination of both feet; and

g) conversion to COP X and Y accelerations on individual feet or across a combination of both feet.

23. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

the artificial intelligence means comprises one or more trained artificial neural networks;

and

separate networks are used to predict different energy-parameters.

24. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein energy-parameters are automatically analyzed or evaluated by use of a relative noisiness method, where the method relates to analyzing the noise level of a predicted network outputs for a swing, or portion of a swing, and inferring better performance with reducing noise level;

and

analysis includes a selection from the following features;

a) comparison is made to the noisiness level of a reference swing or other reference value;

b) comparison is made to a reference swing based on the play of expert players;

c) levels of noisiness are established as measures of goodness of fit or quality of fit of the raw output data to smoothed output data; and

d) analysis or evaluation is used to highlight relative weaknesses or strengths at different threshold levels across the swing.

25. An apparatus according to claim 22, which comprises an interactive training means and a communication means, and includes a selection from the following:

a) the interactive training means communicates with the processing means to provide automatic interactive training to a player;

the interactive training means is operable to prompt a training element and the communication means is operable to communicate the training element to the player;

b) interactive training elements are pre-prepared by experts familiar with such energy generation and transfer within the swing, with how they can be improved and how improvement can be effectively communicated to a player; and

c) the processing means is operable to process the energy-parameters from sensory information from the detection means, process information from the artificial intelligence means, analyze the results, process the interactive training routines and communicate with the communication means.

26. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

the detection means comprises two platforms or pad sections, which are operable to separately measure ground-reaction forces for the players left and rights feet.

27. An apparatus according claim 15, wherein energy-parameters are automatically analyzed or evaluated using a selection from the following techniques:

a) evaluation or analysis in light of the optimization-rules;

b) evaluation or analysis by comparison to the swings of expert players;

c) evaluation or analysis by comparison to other swings by the same player; and

d) evaluation and analysis on a health safety basis.

28. An apparatus according to claim 15 which includes a selection from:

a) means for determining parameters for analyzing a golf swing, including the prior step of determining that parameters which are important to analyzing golf swings include those related to energy generation and transmission through the body when swings are executed;

b) means for identifying parameters for analyzing a golf swing, including the prior step of identifying that parameters which are important to analyzing golf swings include those related to energy generation and transmission through the body when swings are executed;

c) means which are operable to determine parameters including the prior step of determining the energy-parameters (the means being referred to as the energy-parameter means), the energy-parameter means also being operable to determine measurable parameters from which the energy-parameters can be determined;

d) means which are operable to identify parameters including the prior step of identifying the energy-parameters (the means being referred to as the energy-parameter means), the energy-parameter means also being operable to identify measurable parameters from which the energy-parameters can be determined;

e) analyzing means which are operable to analyze a golf swing including the prior step of determining the optimizing-rules; and

f) analyzing means which are operable to analyze a golf swing including the prior step of identifying the optimizing-rules.