What do Tiger Woods and Francois Rabbath have in common? The golfer and the renowned bass virtuoso, respectively, are the best in the world at what they do. And the same technology that captured Tiger's powerful swing in a video game has been used to record Rabbath's world-renowned bow technique.
 
Capturing the World's Sweetest Swing

Ball State University's School of Music collaborated with the university's Biomechanics Laboratory to create Art of the Bow and Art of the Left Hand, groundbreaking DVDs that have preserved one of the music world's "sweetest swings."

Using motion-tracking technology, Hans Sturm, professor of double bass, and Eric Dugan, director of the Biomechanics Lab, partnered to revolutionize the way the world of music teaches advance techniques. Traditional music publications and videos are limited to illustrations, photographs, or viewpoints from a single camera. Employing high-speed digital cameras, Sturm and Dugan captured Rabbath's technique through 3-D lessons using multiple camera angles and viewing options that isolate the subtle motions of the bassist's fingers, hands, and arms.

"Rabbath is extraordinary in that he pioneered playing such a large instrument with such range, eloquence, and beauty," Sturm says. "The DVDs capture his unique technique and archive it so many generations of musicians will be able to continue to study it."

Searching for the Perfect Swing

The same technology also is being used to help the university's golfers refine their own strokes.

Lab scientists use 3-D analysis, high-speed camera analysis, and Dartfish technology—the same frame-by-frame analysis seen during Olympic diving competition—to break down golfers' swings to their basic elements. Along with the cameras, footpads measure pressure being exerted by the athletes' legs and feet and track how the power is being transferred through the swing. Even the golf balls are wrapped with magnetic tape so trajectory and speed can be measured.

Sarah Windlan, a member of the women's golf team, came to the lab hoping to gain distance while maintaining accuracy. "I'm always tinkering with my swing, always looking to improve," she says. "This has been the most thorough review that my swing has ever undergone. Few other universities offer this service."

Pushing the boundaries of emerging media is a driving force of the university's strategic plan. From music to golf and much more, Ball State has committed itself to be the leader in this burgeoning industry.

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