Method and apparatus for assessing the performances of an athlete that performs a gymnastic exercise

A method of assessing the performances of an athlete that performs a gymnastic exercise, comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a measuring device and removably associating said measuring device to the body of the athlete or to equipment for performing said gymnastic exercise, said measuring device comprising a transducer having at least one accelerometer;
• b) determining, during the gymnastic exercise, a first sequence of values, identifying the acceleration of said body of the athlete or said equipment for performing said gymnastic exercise, along a preset axis;
• c) processing said first sequence of values by integral calculation to obtain a second sequence of values identifying speed;
• d) processing said second sequence of values by calculating the least squares regression coefficients to generate a third sequence of values;
• e) subtracting said third sequence of values from said second sequence of values to obtain a fourth sequence of values identifying the speed at which said body of the athlete or said equipment for performing said gymnastic exercise moves;
• f) informing said athlete, during said gymnastic exercise, about at least one value representative of said performance of said athlete, said at least one value being determined as a function of said fourth sequence of values;
• and
• g) processing said fourth sequence of values by integral calculation to obtain a repetition value identifying the number of repetitions performed during said gymnastic exercise;
• wherein said step g) comprises the steps of:
• i) providing a threshold value;
• ii) processing said fourth sequence of values by integral calculation to obtain a sixth sequence of values;
• iii) selecting a portion of values belonging to said sixth sequence of values;
• iv) processing said portion of the sequence of values by standard deviation calculation to obtain a sequence of processed values;
• v) comparing said threshold value with each value of said sequence of processed values and, if said processed value is higher than said threshold value, generating said repetition value;
• and
• vi) informing said athlete, during said gymnastic exercise, about said repetition value representative of the number of repetitions performed by said athlete during said gymnastic exercise.

An apparatus for assessing the performances of an athlete that performs a gymnastic exercise, comprising:

• a measuring device;
• fastener means for removably fastening said measuring device to the body of the athlete or to equipment for performing said gymnastic exercise;
• said measuring device comprising a transducer having at least one accelerometer, the latter being designed to generate a first sequence of values representative of acceleration along an axis of movement of the body of the athlete or the equipment for performing said gymnastic exercise;
• a display;
• processing means in signal communication with said measuring device and with said display said processing means receiving said first sequence of values and being designed to determine, during said gymnastic exercise, at least one value representative of said performance of said athlete as a function of said first sequence of values, to display said at least one value on said display;
• wherein said apparatus comprises an IT product and said processing means comprise a memory, said IT product being adapted to be directly loaded into the memory of processing means and comprising program code portions which are adapted to carry out method of assessing the performances of an athlete that performs a gymnastic exercise, comprising the steps of:
• a) providing a measuring device and removably associating said measuring device to the body of the athlete or to equipment for performing said gymnastic exercise, said measuring device comprising a transducer having at least one accelerometer;
• b) determining, during the gymnastic exercise, a first sequence of values, identifying the acceleration of said body of the athlete or said equipment for performing said gymnastic exercise, along a preset axis;
• c) processing said first sequence of values by integral calculation to obtain a second sequence of values identifying speed;
• d) processing said second sequence of values by calculating the least squares regression coefficients to generate a third sequence of values;
• e) subtracting said third sequence of values from said second sequence of values to obtain a fourth sequence of values identifying the speed at which said body of the athlete or said equipment for performing said gymnastic exercise moves;
• f) informing said athlete, during said gymnastic exercise, about at least one value representative of said performance of said athlete, said at least one value being determined as a function of said fourth sequence of values;
• and
• g) processing said fourth sequence of values by integral calculation to obtain a repetition value identifying the number of repetitions performed during said gymnastic exercise;
• wherein said step g) comprises the steps of:
• i) providing a threshold value;
• ii) processing said fourth sequence of values by integral calculation to obtain a sixth sequence of values;
• iii) selecting a portion of values belonging to said sixth sequence of values;
• iv) processing said portion of the sequence of values by standard deviation calculation to obtain a sequence of processed values;
• v) comparing said threshold value with each value of said sequence of processed values and, if said processed value is higher than said threshold value, generating said repetition value;
• and
• vi) informing said athlete, during said gymnastic exercise, about said repetition value representative of the number of repetitions performed by said athlete during said gymnastic exercise.