Ryan O’Keefe’s attire at training this week was more than just a bold fashion statement, with the Swans midfielder taking part in a trial of state of the art biomechanical technology.

O’Keefe tested a MVN Biomech 3D kinematic measurement suit, which tracks movement via a number of strategically placed motion sensors.

The technology, which is often used for gaming and animation, generates data from the attached sensors, which can be analysed to gain further insight into movement and skill development.

Sydney Swans strength coach, Damien Austin, said this week’s trial, which was facilitated by StormFX, specifically focused on kicking technique, with O’Keefe running through a series of shots on goal from a number of angles and distances.

“We got him to do a few kicks and measured which ones were successful and which ones weren’t, and then we get a lot of data from that to try and find the differences in his body,” Austin told SwansTV.

“There are over a dozen sensors placed on different parts of the body and they are very strategic in where they’re measured.

“That data is then sent to the laptop where we can see a 3D image of Ryan O’Keefe in an animated form.

“With that we can add an AFL player or any sort of vision or background and there are so many different things that you can do with that information.”

While kicking was the major focus of the trial, Austin said he was hopeful that the Swans could use the technology to analyse and improve a variety of skill areas.

“We’re just looking at kicking at this point but it could be used to improve gait analysis, for injuries or for any sort of running movement,” he said.

“The accelerometers measure space and time and the g-forces that are applied through different parts of the body.

“We can then grab that data and find out where the forces are applied and whether there are any differences or areas we need to correct.”

Austin added that the Swans’ use of the kinematic suit was not only a first for the AFL, but also a first for Australian sport.

“It’s something very new and I don’t think there has been any sport that has tried it too much in Australia, if at all,” Austin said.

“We think it’s fairly new and is something that can give us some inside data.

“At this point it’s just a bit of a trial and we haven’t seen any other club use it in Australia or know of any clubs in America, so it will be a bit of a first and we’ll see what we can get out of it.”