Introduction to Sports Biomechanics: Analysing Human Movement ...

INTRODUCTION TO SPORTS BIOMECHANICS
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FURTHER READING
Hay, J.C. (1993) The Biomechanics of Sports Techniques, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Some of the sports chapters (Chapters 8 to 17) contain deterministic models of various
sports activities, which should be of interest to you as further examples of this approach;
some will also help with your study tasks.
Hughes, M.D. and Franks, I.M. (2004) Notational Analysis of Sport, London: Routledge.
Although written mainly from a notational analysis viewpoint, Chapters 1 to 3 contain
valuable information about performance-enhancing augmented feedback.
Knudson, D.V. and Morrison, C.S. (2002) Qualitative Analysis of Human Movement,
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. The first edition of this book was for many years one of
the few real gems in the Human Kinetics list of sports science texts; the second edition
continues that tradition. However, the authors have not yet welcomed a wider interpretation
of qualitative movement analysis and a crucial (perhaps the crucial) ‘critical feature’ of skilled
human movement – coordination – receives only one page reference in the index. The
structured approach to movement analysis outlined in this chapter is covered in far more
detail in Part II of Knudson and Morrison, while Part I sets the scene nicely and Part III
outlines applications of their approach, with many diagrammatic examples. Highly
recommended and well written.
Kreighbaum, E. and Barthels, K.M. (1996) Biomechanics: A Qualitative Approach for Studying
Human Movement, New York: Macmillan. I find the approach taken by these authors overly
mechanics-based; such an approach has turned so many students off sports biomechanics
over the years. However, Chapters 13 to 16 have much to recommend them.
APPENDIX 2.1 UNIVERSAL AND PARTIALLY GENERAL MOVEMENT
(BIOMECHANICAL) PRINCIPLES
Universal principles – these should apply to all (or most) sports tasks
Use of the stretch–shortening cycle of muscle contraction.
Also referred to as the use of pre-stretch; in performing many sports activities, a
body segment often moves initially in the opposite direction from the one intended.
This initial countermovement is often necessary simply to allow the subsequent
movement to occur. Other benefits arise from the increased acceleration path,
initiation of the stretch reflex, storage of elastic energy, and stretching the muscle to
optimal length for forceful contraction – relating to the muscle’s length–tension
curve. This principle appears to be universal for movements requiring force or speed
or to minimise energy consumption.
Minimisation of energy used to perform the task.
Some evidence supports this as an adaptive mechanism in skill acquisition, for
example the reduction in unnecessary movements during the learning of throwing
skills. The many multi-joint muscles in the body support the importance of energy
efficiency as an evolutionary principle. However, little evidence exists to support this
as a universal principle for sports tasks involving speed or force generation.
Control of redundant degrees of freedom in the segmental chain.