Comparison of Performance and Movement Kinematics of Virtual Reality Practice with Real-World Practice in the Dart-Throwing Skill

Background: Researchers are pursuing the enhancement of sensorimotor skills through the application of virtual reality (VR) in the sports environment. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the performance and kinematics of VR with real-world dart-throwing. Methods: Twenty-four healthy junior high school boy students participated (aged = 13.66, SD = 0.48) in this semi-experimental study in the year of 2017. We examined mean radial and bivariate variable errors as the performance variables. The maximum flexion angle, release time angle, and angular velocity was examined as the kinematic variables. Standard dartboard, the Xbox360, the Kinect, and a high-speed camera (sampling at 240 Hz) were used to measure the performance and kinematics characteristics of upper limb motion. We used Kinovea 0.8.26 and MATLAB R2015b to analyze videos and data smoothing. One-way MANOVA was used to analyze variables. Results: The results revealed (P = 0.211) no significant differences between VR and real world (RW) training in acquisition and retention outcomes, F (4, 19) = 1.618. In addition, kinematic dependent variables (P = 0.414) had no significant difference between groups, F (6, 17) = 1.077. Conclusions: These findings achieved the same results in performance and kinematics of dart-throwing by VR intervention in the RW context. Basic similarities between VR and RW movement patterns in the same task bring motor skills improvement and transfer of learning.