Motion database of disguised and non-disguised team handball penalty throws by novice and expert performers

This article describes the motion database for a large sample (n = 2400) of 7-m penalty throws in team handball that includes 1600 disguised throws. Throws were performed by both novice (n = 5) and expert (n = 5) penalty takers. The article reports the methods and materials used to capture the motion data. The database itself is accessible for download via JLU Web Server and provides all raw files in a three-dimensional motion data format (.c3d). Additional information is given on the marker placement of the penalty taker, goalkeeper, and ball together with details on the skill level and/or playing history of the expert group. The database was first used by Helm et al. (2017) [1] to investigate the kinematic patterns of disguised movements. Results of this analysis are reported and discussed in their article “Kinematic patterns underlying disguised movements: Spatial and temporal dissimilarity compared to genuine movement patterns” (doi:10.1016/j.humov.2017.05.010) [1].


Subject area
Human movement science More specific subject area

Movement analysis of sports performance
Type of data Motion capture data How data was acquired VICON Motion Capture System (Vicon Motion Systems Ltd., Oxford, UK) Data format Raw 3D motion data (.c3d-files), sampled at 240 Hz Experimental factors Expertise, Type of throws Experimental features Ten right-handed expert (n ¼ 5) and novice (n ¼ 5) penalty takers conducted a total of 2400 7-m team handball penalties in two conditions (disguised, non-disguised) with further different variations that included 1600 disguised throws (see Table 1 for more details).

Data source location
Giessen, Germany Data accessibility Data accessible via JLU Web Server (MotionDatabase.zip)

Value of the data
Large database for analyzing and/or synthesizing the kinematic patterns linked to disguised movements.
Particular relevance to the fields of human movement sciences and/or perceptual (anticipation) research.
In their raw data format also relevant for research on developing methods to preprocess motion capture data.

Data
This brief article describes and provides the raw motion data of 2400 7-m handball penalties including 1600 disguised throws performed by novice (n ¼ 5) and expert (n ¼ 5) penalty takers. The data were recorded by means of a VICON motion capture system (Vicon Motion Systems Ltd., Oxford, UK) equipped with 15 CCD high speed cameras. The system tracked three-dimensional (Cartesian) coordinates of retroreflective markers with a spatial accuracy of 1 mm and a sampling rate of 240 Hz. The reconstruction of marker locations was computed in Nexus 1.8.5 (Vicon Motion Systems Ltd., Oxford, UK). Table 1 explains the structure of the data set on the basis of the specifications of the experimental conditions. The data are accessible for download via JLU Web Server (MotionDatabase. zip). Originally, these data were collected for the analysis and synthesis of disguised movement patterns described in Helm et al. [1].

Participants
Ten right-handed male participants volunteered to participate in this study (mean age ¼ 22.1, SD ¼ 3.5 years). They were divided into two different expertise groups: experts (competitive elite team handball field players, according to Swann et al., [2] n ¼ 5) and novices with no other previous experience in team handball other than attending a university class for beginners (n ¼ 5). Participants from the expert group played in one of the four highest national leagues in Germany and were frequent penalty takers for their team. More details on participants' playing history can be found in Table 2.

Materials and experimental design
Four different target locations (1.2 m × 1.2 m in size) were set up in the upper and lower left and right corners of a standard handball goal (3 m × 2 m, as specified in the guidelines of the International Handball Federation). Kinematic data of the penalty takers, the goalkeepers, and the ball were recorded with the above-mentioned motion capture system. A standard full-body 41-marker placement was used for the penalty takers, whereas only 16 markers were attached to the goalkeepers. The goalkeepers' minimized marker set can be used only to define the onsets and target directions of the defensive reactions. Eight markers were placed on the ball. A detailed description of all marker placements is given in Tables 3 and 4 and in Fig. 1. Participants wore tight neoprene shirts and shorts, but most markers were attached directly to the skin. Markers on the head and wrists were attached to elastic bands, and those on the feet (if applicable) were taped to the subjects' shoes.
In general, an in-situational experiment with two expertise groups (novices vs. experts) in two different conditions (disguise, no disguise) was conducted. In line with the in-situational requirements, goalkeepers with the same skill level as the penalty takers volunteered to participate actively in the study to make the situation as realistic as possible.

Throwing procedure
Each participant conducted a total of 240 7-m penalty throws in two conditions with different variations including 160 disguised throws (see Table 1 for more details). When performing the disguised throws, the penalty takers tried to mimic a genuine throw without final ball release (disguised part) toward a specific target location, and then immediately continued the action with a repetition of the throwing movement resulting in a final ball release. The disguised actions were characterized by a deliberate attempt to mask the actual intent to "abort" the first throw. Instructions (type of throw: disguise or no disguise; and target location) were given on a screen in pseudo-randomized order via Presentation software (Neurobehavioral Systems, Albany, NY, USA). Placed on the dorsum of the hand just below the head of the second metacarpal. Placed over the first metatarsal head, on the mid-foot side of the equinus break btw. fore-and mid-foot. Little Toe Placed over the fifth metatarsal head. Heel

Pelvis Markers
Placed on the clacaneous at same height above the plantar surface of the foot as toe marker. Placed on the lateral malleolus along an imaginary line that passes through the transmalleolor axis. Thigh Placed asymmetrically (left vs. right) over the lower lateral 1/2 surface of the thigh.