A camera calibration method for a hammer throw analysis tool

The hammer throw in athletics has been the subject of published research since the 1980s. This has focused on case studies of individual athletes or small cohorts and has identified a number of key performance indicators such as the speed profile of the hammer during the wind-up phase. To use these key performance indicators with current athletes a bespoke analysis tool is required for frequent data collection. An unobtrusive two cameras system was proposed and a non-standard planar calibration method that allows the safety cage to remain in place was designed. The performance of the non-standard calibration method was compared to the standard calibration method using simulated data. The non-standard method was found to be suitable when intrinsic camera parameters were not recomputed. The method is a suitable alternative for volumes that cannot easily be accessed with a calibration object or volumes that are too large for practically sized calibration objects © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Centre for Sports Engineering Research, Sheffield Hallam University.