Functional Profiling in Paralympic Water Polo Using Deep Learning, Stereo Vision, and Phase-Based Kinematic Analysis: A Pilot Study

Paralympic water polo requires classification systems that reflect sport-specific functional performance under ecologically valid conditions. This pilot study proposes a task-specific kinematic profiling framework for deriving objective, biomechanically interpretable descriptors of residual motor function. Five male national-level water polo athletes—three with eligible motor impairments and two able-bodied reference participants—performed standardized sport-specific tasks comprising upright floating, vertical propulsion, unilateral passing, non-contested shooting, and contested shooting under physical opposition. Stereoscopic video, OpenPose-based three-dimensional reconstruction, and phase-based analysis were used to extract features and composite indices of postural control, propulsion capacity, upper-limb residual function, and resistance to perturbation. Automatic ball-release detection matched manual frame-level verification in all 128 analyzed ball-related trials. Within the task-specific indices, where higher scores indicate greater functional burden, core values ranged from 0.05–0.15 for upright floating, 0.29–0.68 for combined arm-and-leg vertical propulsion, and 0.040–0.148 for contested shooting across the available subject–side combinations. The profiles showed task- and side-specific differences in stabilization, propulsion, and post-contact motor reorganization. The framework uses pose estimation as a quantitative measurement tool and treats visibility interruptions as functionally meaningful events rather than noise. It is not intended to replace official classification procedures, but to provide transparent and interpretable candidate descriptors for future evidence-based classification research in Paralympic water polo.