Player-Centric Shot Maps in Table Tennis

Abstract

Shot maps are popular in many sports as they typically plot events and player positions in the way they are collected, using a pitch or a table as an absolute coordinate system. We introduce a variation of a table tennis shot map that shifts the point of view from the table to the player. This results in a new reference system to plot incoming balls relative to the player's position rather than on the table. This approach aligns with how table tennis tactical analysis is conducted, focusing on identifying empty spaces and weak spots around the players. We describe the motivation behind this work, built through close collaboration with two table tennis experts, and demonstrate how this approach aligns with the way they analyze games to reveal key tactical aspects. We also present the design rationale and the computer vision pipeline used to accurately collect data from broadcast videos. Our findings show that the technique enables capturing insights that were not visible with the absolute coordinate system, particularly in understanding regions that are reachable and those close to the pivot area of the player.