Qualitative analysis of pre-performance routines in throwing using simple brain-wave sensor

Abstract

This paper describes a qualitative analysis of the concentration level required to throw an object at a specific target, such as the free throw in basketball or darts games, using a simple brain-wave sensor that is a type of electroencephalograph. The qualitative analysis does not focus on quantity, but on qualitative changes, such as increasing, decreasing, or stabilizing. The analysis allows us to clarify the essential features of subjects where standards are individually different, such as brain waves or concentration levels. Therefore, we analyze the differences in concentration levels between experts and novices while throwing. Furthermore, we analyze the influence of concentration levels by pre-performance routines (PPRs), which involve performing certain determined motions before throwing, and are often executed in sports for the purpose of removing stress or raising concentration. The analysis reveals a concentration-stabilizing phenomenon where the concentration level becomes stabilized prior to throwing. We also find that the phenomenon appears more conspicuously in the case of experts and PPRs. This means that a type of PPR exists in the case of experts, and removing stress or raising concentration, both of which are the purpose of PPRs, is similar to stabilizing the concentration gained from brain waves. Therefore, because we can train PPRs by checking the concentration levels, we designed a PPR training tool that uses smart glass, one of the wearable computers.