Comparison of Three Normalization Methods for 3D Joint Moment in the Asymmetric Rotational Human Movements in Golf Swing Analysis

Purpose: From the perspective of biomechanics, joint moments quantitatively show a subject's ability to perform actions. In this study, the effect of normalization in the fast and asymmetric motions of a golf swing was investigated by applying three different normalization methods to the raw joint moment. Methods: The study included 13 subjects with no previous history of musculoskeletal diseases. Golf swing analyses were performed with six infrared cameras and two force plates. The majority of the raw peak joint moments showed a significant correlation at p < 0.05. Additionally, the resulting effects after applying body weight (BW), body weight multiplied by height (BWH), and body weight multiplied by leg length (BWL) normalization methods were analyzed through correlation and regression analysis. Results: The BW, BWH, and BWL normalization methods normalized 8, 10, and 11 peak joint moments out of 18, respectively. The best method for normalizing the golf swing was found to be the BWL method, which showed significant statistical differences. Several raw peak joint moments showed no significant correlation with measured anthropometrics, which was considered to be related to the muscle coordination that occurs in the swing of skilled professional golfers. Conclusions: The results of this study show that the BWL normalization method can effectively remove differences due to physical characteristics in the golf swing analysis.