Introduction to Sports Biomechanics: Analysing Human Movement ...

QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF SPORTS MOVEMENTS
here mainly on the first of these – gathering knowledge. The identification of critical
features of the performance is so important that I have devoted a large section to this
aspect of the preparation stage later in the chapter.
The gathering of relevant knowledge is dynamic and ongoing. A successful
movement analyst needs knowledge, first and foremost, of the activity or movement,
from which he or she will then develop the critical features of performance. Secondly,
knowledge is needed of the performers; this includes the needs of the performers, and
coaches or therapists, which should be identified in the ‘needs analysis’. Although the
preparation for later stages of the qualitative analysis process takes place, at least in
gathering relevant knowledge, in the preparation stage, these will also be dealt with
later. Developing a systematic observation strategy is covered in the next section, and
developing a feedback strategy is dealt with on pages 56–8. In Chapter 3, we will
discuss which qualitative representations of movement patterns to use in the evaluation
and diagnosis stage, in addition to video analysis.
Your knowledge of the activity, as a movement analyst, should draw on many sport
and exercise science disciplines. For example, as a primary Physical Education teacher,
you would source knowledge mainly from the discipline of motor development: a
secondary Physical Education teacher, by contrast, would focus more on an analysis of
individual skills and techniques using, primarily, biomechanics. As a movement analyst
working with novices, motor learning and practice would be major sources of information
for you. On the other hand, a movement analyst working with good club-standard
performers would probably focus on a biomechanically-derived identification of critical
features, and a movement analyst working with elite performers would concentrate on
the critical features at that standard, and might use a more quantitative approach.
In all of our work as movement analysts, whether qualitative or quantitative, we
should always seek to adhere to ‘evidence-based’ practice, which raises the question as to
what evidence we gather and from where. A movement analyst has, in general, access to
various sources of knowledge about the sports activity being studied. Some issues arise
in using these sources, including the fragmentary nature of some sources and weighing
conflicting evidence from various sources. Experience also influences success in using
source material, and helps to deal with anecdotal evidence and, with care, personal bias.
The gathering of valid knowledge of the activity under consideration is invaluable if
done systematically, and one needs to keep practising developing critical features based
on the knowledge gathered. A warning here is appropriate – although the Internet is a
fruitful source of information, in general there is little, if any, quality control over what
appears there. There are exceptions to this warning, particularly peer-reviewed websites
such as the Coaches’ Information Services site (http://coachesinfo.com/) run by the
International Society of Biomechanics in Sports (ISBS; http://www.isbs.org). Valid
information is best sourced from such expert opinion, which can also be found in
professional journals such as the Sport and Exercise Scientist (British Association of
Sport and Exercise Sciences; http://www.bases.org.uk) and sport-specific coaching
journals (such as Swimming Technique, now an integral part of Swimming World Magazine;
http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com). Many of these sources are accessible
through the Internet. The performers and their support staff included in any
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