Luanna targets the neck at 2011 Worlds. Photo: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG.com.
The owner of Jiu-Jitsu that itself is quite advanced, Luanna Alzuguir took part in an innovative project at Virada Digital, a technology event held last weekend in Paraty, Rio de Janeiro State. The aim of the experiment was to capture fighters’ movements, which will not only help in training, but to understand how humans move.
The three-time world champion was the subject of an article in “Folha de São Paulo newspaper, and she shared her lessons with the broader audience through the newspaper and in an interview at the event.
“Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art based on leverage. If they’re not getting the right leverage, often the fighter can’t, on their own, understand why,” says Alzuguir. “When we look at the screen, though, it’s much easier to see how the hip wasn’t properly positioned while executing the move, for example. So then you just need to tweak it.”
Luanna was rigged up to 20 sensors on a special outfit imported from Holland that costs somewhere to the tune of 75,000 dollars. First, the sensors capture the athlete’s motion, which is then sent to a computer. The specialists then analyze the technique and determine what can be improved in the athlete’s game.
“What we want is to help Luanna win the next competitions she’s in. After that, I want to broaden the study to include other athletes and sports—especially other martial arts,” said the researcher who came up with the idea for the project, Carla Patricia Guimarães.
