FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOMECHANICS

Francis Frimpong
 OBJECTIVES

• Define biomechanics
• Define sport and exercise biomechanics
• Identify the goals of sport and exercise biomechanics
• Describe the methods used to achieve the goals of sport and exercise biomechanics
• Be somewhat familiar with the history and development of sport and exercise
biomechanics
• Define mechanics
• Outline the organization of mechanics
• Define length and the units of measurement for length
• Define time and the units of measurement for time
• Define mass and the units of measurement
 BIOMECHANICS, WHAT IS IT?
Bio- indicates that it has something to do with living or biological systems.

Mechanics indicates that biomechanics has something to do with the analysis of

forces and their effects.
According to Herbert Hatze in 1974: "Biomechanics is the study of the structure and
function of biological systems by means of the methods of mechanics" (p. 189).

Biomechanics is the study of forces and their effects on living systems

Biological/living systems : both plants and animals

 SPORT AND EXERCISE BIOMECHANICS
Biomechanics includes the study of all living things, plant and animal;

• animal biomechanics includes only animals as subjects of study;

• human biomechanics includes only humans; and
• sport and exercise biomechanics includes only humans involved in
exercise and sport.

sport and exercise biomechanics: the study of forces and their effects on
humans in exercise and sport.
GOALS OF SPORT & EXERCISE BIOMECHANICS

• Performance Improvement
• The ultimate goal

• Injury prevention and rehabilitation

• closely related to performance improvement. (all things being equal: an
uninjured athlete will perform better than an injured athlete).
 PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
• Technique Improvement ( in two ways)
• Teachers and coaches may use their knowledge of mechanics to correct actions
of a student or athlete in order to improve the execution of a skill.

• Mainly use qualitative biomechanical analysis

• biomechanics researcher may discover a new and more effective technique for
performing a sport skill.

• quantitative biomechanical analysis methods to discover new or more effective

(refinement) technique for performing a skill.

Can you think of some examples?

• In 1956 retired discus thrower Felix Erasquina (48, Spanish)
experimented with an unconventional (barra vasca) way of throwing the
javelin (112).
• Broke Uwe Hohn’s 1984 Olympics record of 104.80m

• IAAF banned the “spinning throw” and the use of soap

• Moved the center of gravity of the javelin
• Made the tip of the javelin tip modified to be blunt.
Dick Fosbury in 1968 jumped 7 ft 4 1/4 in. (2.24 m). The technique
became
• known as the Fosbury Flop (figure b). Its has a faster approach run and
its easy to learning

(a) (b)
 Equipment Improvement

• From woolen swimsuits, skirts for women to silk and synthetic fibers.

• Most dramatic improvement in recent times is the Speedo LZR Racer (minimizes
muscle vibration and reduce drag with compression panels that streamlined the shape
of the swimmer)

• Within 6 weeks after launch, 13 world records were set by swimmers wearing the
Speedo LZR Racer.

• 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: Speedo suits set 23 world records and won more than
90% of all the gold medals in swimming.

• Frank Held in 1953 used a modified javelin to break existing world record.
FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation)
revised its rules regarding swimsuits in 2009
and again in 2010, and the Speedo LZR
Racer may no longer be worn in FINA-
sanctioned events.
 Training Improvement
• There are several ways in applying biomechanics
to improve training.

• Analysis of the technique deficiencies

• assist the coach or teacher in identifying the type of
training the athlete requires to improve.

• Shoulder extensor strength in for young pole

vaulters.

• Shoulder adductor muscle strength for iron cross

maneuver
• Analysis of results
• Reduction of a sprinter’s speed in curves.
 INJURY PREVENTION AND
REHABILITATION
• Could it be the primary goal of sports and exercise biomechanics?

• Applied biomechanics in sports medicine

• what forces may have caused an injury
• Preventing injury from recurring (or occurring), and
• what exercises may assist with rehabilitation from the injury.
 Techniques To Reduce Injury

• Research discovery of impact forces in landing by gymnast resulted in the

change of rule (penalty for flexing knees)

• Biomechanics research found that lateral epicondylitis (Tennis elbow) resulted

from stress on the extensor carpi radials brevis muscle.
• maintaining a neutral wrist position through ball impact during a backhand stroke reduces
risk in to develop tennis elbow than withflexed wrists.
 Equipment Designs To Reduce Injury

• 1970s boom in biomechanics research on running and running shoes.

• Running shoes were too stiff and caused impact injuries such as shin splints and stress
fractures.

• Nike Sport Research Laboratory - (est. 1980) to study biomechanics, exercise physiology,
and functional anatomy for further the development of athletics and athletic shoes.
 SUMMARY
• Biomechanics is the study of forces and their effects on living systems.

• The ultimate goal of sport and exercise biomechanics is performance improvement in exercise or sport.

• Coaches and teachers use biomechanics to determine what actions may improve performance.

• An analysis of the technique deficiencies of an athlete can assist the coach or teacher in identifying the
type of training the athlete requires to improve.

• Some believe that injury prevention and rehabilitation should be the primary goal of sport and exercise
biomechanics.

• Equipment design for Injury prevention and rehabilitation has been predominant in Athletics.
 HISTORY OF SPORT BIOMECHANICS
• The history of sport biomechanics is partly the history of kinesiology. The roots of the word
kinesiology give its definition as the study of movement, but in its present-day usage, kinesiology is
defined as the study of human movement.

• An individual course in kinesiology was a required part of the undergraduate curriculum in physical
education at many American schools for most of the 20th century.

• The major content of such a course was usually applied anatomy with some mechanics and possibly
physiology thrown in.

• The only course in which a future coach or physical education teacher received any exposure to
mechanics.

• In many instances, with the emphasis on applied anatomy, the amount of mechanics the future
practitioner was exposed to was not enough to be of much practical use.
• Researchers concerned with the biomechanics of human movement were active
throughout the 20th century. The mechanics of human and animal motion have intrigued
scientists since at least the time of Aristotle (see De motu animalium [in Smith and Ross
1912]).

• In the last decades of the 19th century, Etienne Jules Marey wrote Le Mouvement ([1895]
1972), and he described the use of a variety of devices, including cameras and pressure-
sensitive instruments, to measure and record forces and motions produced by man (and
animals) in a variety of activities.

• His well-instrumented "biomechanics" laboratory was the precursor to modern

biomechanics and exercise physiology laboratories.
• Arthur Steindler wrote one of the first "biomechanics" textbooks (1935).
• In 1955, the book Scientific Principles of Coaching by John Bunn was published. One of the
first texts to emphasize the mechanics rather than the anatomical aspects of human
movement in sports.
• Steady increase in research in sport and exercise biomechanics throughout late 20th century
and into the 21st century.
• Presence of modern equipment allow for easier data collection and analysis’ (high-speed
film or video cameras and electronic force-measuring platforms used in biomechanics
research).

• The mechanics of human and animal motion have intrigued scientists since at least the time of
Aristotle.
• In 1967, the First International Seminar on Biomechanics was held in Zurich,
Switzerland.
• In 1968, the Journal of Biomechanics was first published.
• 1960s. several graduate programmes in biomechanics were established within
physical education departments.
• In 1973, the International Society of Biomechanics was formed,
• In 1977 American Society of Biomechanics.
• Early 1980s, the International Society of Biomechanics in Sport was formed
• In 1985, the International Journal of Sports Biomechanics began publication, and in
1992; it changed its name to the Journal of Applied Biomechanics.
• The most recent journal to exclusively feature sport biomechanics articles is Sport
Biomechanics, whose first issue appeared in 2002.
 THE ORGANIZATION OF MECHANICS
• Mechanics is the science concerned with the effects of forces acting on
objects.

Mechanics is divided into several branches

• rigid-body mechanics
• deformable-body mechanics
• fluid mechanics
• relativistic mechanics
• quantum mechanics
 RIGID-BODY MECHANICS

• In rigid-body mechanics, the objects being investigated are assumed to

be perfectly rigid; that is, they do not deform by bending, stretching, or
compressing.

• In describing and explaining the gross movements of the human body

and any implements in sport and exercise, we will consider the segments
of the human body as rigid bodies that are linked together at joints.
 BASIC DIMENSIONS AND UNITS OF
MEASUREMENT IN MECHANICS
• Length: is used to describe the space in which movement occurs.
Measured in meters (m), Longer distances (km)

• Time: (an important dimension of performance in almost all sports).

Measured in seconds (s); minutes, hours are derived from seconds.

The two are the basic dimensions required for motion to occur: space
and time.
• In mechanics, we refer to the property of an object to resist changes in its motion as
inertia.

• weight is the measure of the force of gravity acting on an object. For example,, the
Olympic shot-putter would weigh less on the moon than he does on earth, but he
would still be just as difficult to start or stop moving horizontally, so his mass is the
same as on the earth.

• The fundamental dimensions used in mechanics are length, time, and mass. The SI
units of measurement for these dimensions are the meter (m) for length, the second
(s) for time, and the kilogram (kg) for mass.

• All the other dimensions we will be using in biomechanics are derived from these
three fundamental units.