Fencing Tactics Analysis in Broadcast Video: A Point-by-Point Analytical System

In this paper, a system for tactic analysis of fencing video is developed. The proposed system uses three novel views for presenting the tactic and critical distance of fencers in a match point-by-point. Since fencers fight each other directly, identifying the moment of launching an attack is crucial for analyzing fencing tactics. A criterion function in terms of the speed and acceleration of a fencer and the tempo of the fencer’s footwork is proposed for identifying that moment. In addition, a rule-based approach based on the fencer speed and distance is proposed for recognizing the offensive tactic used to score a hit. Three experiments on the video clips for finals and semi-finals of individual events of the World Fencing Championships in 2013–2015 were conducted for evaluating the proposed system. The experiment also included objective and subjective assessments of twelve fencers. The experimental results have demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed approach.