Best software for visually diagramming a series of martial art strategies?

Posted by MadaboutDana
Jan 23, 2023 at 05:49 PM

I think we can safely say that this software is going to demand a lot of time however you do it.

One important point: There’s no way of automatically creating this – you’ll have to set up the pathways manually. And before you can create the visual multi-map, you’ll have to create flowcharts analysing the various positions and how you would flow from one to another.

Exactly how you do this may depend on the way your mind works. For example, I can see that it might be viable to use 3D modelling software to depict the situations (this approach is used in several martial arts app in Apple’s App Store). I guess you’d have to set up your figures to respond to certain movements/situations in specific ways, which would involve an awful lot of programming. On the other hand, once you had programmed in a suitable set of responses, I guess you could then (semi-)automate some at least of the pathways.

The value of this approach remains doubtful, however: Whenever I look at martial arts apps that use software-generated figures, it’s immediately obvious that they’re not a realistic basis for learning, because they’re not constrained by the standard physical issues that limit human movement. Above all, they don’t show you the often very subtle shifts of balance and positioning required to perform certain movements (judo throws, for example, or any number of jiu jitsu holds and counters, or even standard kicking and punching movements. This is why videos of actual human beings performing the movements remain much more effective – the brain is capable of (semi-unconsciously) assessing aspects of balance/speed and angle of movement that simply don’t appear in software-generated avatars.

You could do the whole thing as a series of interlocking videos, maybe? That would actually be pretty cool.

Just my thoughts!

Dellu wrote:
If you have the time learn the ins and outs of it, I am pretty sure
>Tinderbox can do it.
>At some point, I was able to replicate the functions of Genealogy
>softwares with Tinderbox maps.
> >But, you should be ready to invest a large amount of time into it.