Introduction to Sports Biomechanics: Analysing Human Movement ...

INTRODUCTION
principal movements in those planes. The functions of the skeleton, the types of bone,
bone fracture and typical surface features of bone will be covered. We will then look
briefly at the tissue structures involved in the joints of the body, joint stability and
mobility, and the identification of the features and classes of synovial joints. The
features and structure of skeletal muscles will be considered along with the ways in
which muscles are structurally and functionally classified, the types and mechanics of
muscular contraction, how tension is produced in muscle and how the total force
exerted by a muscle can be resolved into components depending on the angle of pull.
The use of electromyography (EMG) in the study of muscle activity in sports biomechanics
will be considered, including the equipment and methods used, and the
processing of EMG data. Consideration will be given to why the electromyogram is
important in sports biomechanics and why the recorded EMG differs from the physiological
EMG. We will cover the relevant recommendations of SENIAM and the
equipment used in recording the EMG, along with the main characteristics of an EMG
amplifier. The processing of the raw EMG signal will be considered in terms of its time
domain descriptors and the EMG power spectrum and the measures used to define it.
We will conclude by examining how isokinetic dynamometry can be used to record the
net muscle torque at a joint.
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