1. KNR 282 Biomechanics of Human Movement
Dr. David Q. Thomas

3. Kudos
Credit goes to Dr. McCaw for his contributions to these slides.

4. Why study biomechanics?
Traditional teaching and coaching methods tell you what techniques to teach or coach

5. Why study biomechanics?
Biomechanics tells you why those techniques are best to teach or coach
It can also tell you why some teaching and coaching techniques don’t work and need to be discontinued

6. Why study biomechanics?
AT, OT, and PT students will benefit from learning biomechanics because it will help in:
determining the cause of injury,
aid in preventing future injury,
and guide in determining best methods for rehabilitation.

7. Why study biomechanics?
Exercise science students will learn the best techniques for improving fitness and enhancing exercise performance

8. Why study biomechanics?
PETE students will learn how to make instructional decisions based on the science of human movement

9. Learning Biomechanics
I will provide you with
Concept
Examples
You need to come up with
Application
How does this concept apply to:
Physical Education Teacher Education?
Exercise Science?
Athletic Training?

10. Kinesiology Kines: Latin ==> “motion” logos: “study of”
Kinesiology = Study of Motion

11. Kinesiology Includes: Anatomy & Physiology Psychology
Motor Development
Pedagogy
Biomechanics
Exercise Physiology
Athletic Training

12. Biomechanics Bio = life Mechanics - study of machines
Biomechanics - study of living machines

14. science concerned with
effects of forces acting
on a system (body)

15. Why study biomechanics?
We study biomechanics to understand how people move
This information may be used to enhance performance by improving technique
It may also be used to lower the risk for injury

16. Why study biomechanics?
Enhance skill performance
Technique improvement
Improve current technique (shooting a foul shot)
Develop new technique (Fosbury Flop, swim hand recovery, skating in X-country skiing, ski jumping)
Equipment improvement
Shoes and apparel
Implements
Protection devices
Training improvement

17. Why study biomechanics?
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Techniques to reduce injury
Equipment designs to reduce injury

18. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how living bodies can move.
Edward Muybridge

19. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
Edward Muybridge

20. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
elite athletes
USOC, WNBA, MLB, etc
Biomechanics in the Olympics GCUxzg&feature=related

21. Enhancing Skill Performance
An example using anthropometrics

22. Study of the body’s size and form
Anthropometrics
Study of the body’s size and form

23. Anthropometrics This would include measurements of: Height Weight
Circumferences
Skinfolds
Girths/diameters
Etc

24. Ball comparison, NBA vs WNBA
7.78/0.288 = inches

25. Why study biomechanics?
To allow for comparisons

26. Strength
Males
Versus
Females

27. Why study biomechanics?
Destroy myths

28. Why study Biomechanics?
Can a cow really jump over the moon?

29. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
physical challenges
ACL deficit
CP gait
Wheelchair
Age-related disease

30. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
physical challenges
ACL deficit
CP gait
Wheelchair
Age-related disease

31. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
Physical development

32. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how
people can move.
To enhance
skill performance
Improve equipment

33. Biomechanics
and Safety

34. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
Not limited to humans

35. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
To lower the risk for injury
Exercise equipment & technique
shoes & surfaces
braces & orthotics
Equine biomechanics

36. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
To lower the risk for injury
Automobiles
collisions

37. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
To lower the risk for injury
Automobiles
collisions

38. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
Vsevolod Meyerhold’s Biomechanical Theatre
1920’s

39. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
Borelli

40. Borelli http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Alfonso_Borelli
Borelli’s major scientific achievements are focused around his investigation into biomechanics. This work originated with his studies of animals. His publications, De Motu Animalium I and De Motu Animalium II, relate animals to machines and utilize mathematics to prove his theories. The anatomists of the 17th century were the first to suggest the contractile movement of muscles. Borelli, however, first suggested that ‘muscles do not exercise vital movement otherwise than by contracting.’ He was also the first to deny corpuscular influence on the movements of muscles. This was proven through his scientific experiments demonstrating that living muscle did not release corpuscles into water when cut. Borelli also recognized that forward motion entailed movement of a body’s center of gravity forward, which was then followed by the swinging of its limbs in order to maintain balance. His studies also extended beyond muscle and locomotion. In particular he likened the action of the heart to that of a piston. For this to work properly he derived the idea that the arteries have be elastic. For these discoveries, Borelli is labeled as the father of modern biomechanics.

41. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
To lower the risk for injury

42. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
To lower the risk for
injury

43. Why study Biomechanics?
To understand how people can move.
To enhance skill performance
To lower the risk for injury

44. Why do we need biomechanics?
We treat symptoms of an injury, with less emphasis on etiology (cause) of an injury
placebo effect vs true treatment effects
high rate of reoccurrence
Some of us are not doing a good job
Coach: focus on strategy
Teaching
skills: “farm system” vs
fitness: CV & strength
Cater to the converted.
Serve the skilled.
Safety & Performance Trade-Off

45. Need for biomechanics in children’s sports

46. Problem-solving approach:
Quantitative analysis - mainly a clinical research perspective.
Qualitative analysis - most teachers/coaches need this ability.

47. Mechanics
Science concerned with the effects of forces acting on objects (body)
body: focus of the analysis
human body
individual body segment
specific tissue / anatomical site
balls, pucks
implement: bat, stick, club

48. Mechanics
Science concerned with the effects of forces acting on objects (body)
Rigid-body mechanics
Deformable body mechanics
Fluid mechanics
Relativistic mechanics
Quantum mechanics

49. Rigid Body Mechanics Acceptable for analyzing gross movements
Assumptions
body does not deform by bending, stretching or compressing
segments are rigid links joined by frictionless hinges at joints

50. Rigid Body Mechanics

51. Basic Dimensions of Biomechanics
Length - of what size?
Time - of what duration?
Mass - how much matter?
Inertia - what resistance to movement?

52. Basic dimensions in mechanics
Describe someone out for a run

53. Basic dimensions in mechanics
Describe someone out for a run
Kinematics
How far did she run?
How long to run that far?
How fast was she?
How big is she?
Kinetics
What friction under her feet?
What forces on her joints?
What tension in her muscles?

54. Length Measure to describe Feet, inches, miles
location at a particular point in her run
how far she ran
Feet, inches, miles
Systeme Internationale d’Unites (SI)
meter
1 m = 3.28 feet = 39 inches

55. Time Measure to describe how long it takes her
seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years
Systeme Internationale d’Unites (SI)
second (s)

56. Length & time = motion Space to move in and time during which to move
speed & velocity==> length per unit of time
miles per hour
m / s or m . sec-1
acceleration
m/s/s or m . sec-1 . sec-1

57. Inertia Inertia Who is harder to start or stop moving
resistance to a change in state of motion
Who is harder to start or stop moving
Olympic weight lifter
Olympic gymnast

58. Inertia Inertia Who is harder to start or stop moving
resistance to a change in state of motion
Who is harder to start or stop moving
Olympic weight lifter: has more inertia
Olympic gymnast

59. Inertia and Mass Inertia Mass
resistance to a change in state of motion
Mass
the quantity of matter a body possesses
quantifies inertia (the measure of inertia)
Greater mass, greater inertia
resistance to change state of motion
units are kilogram (kg) or slug (English)
Not the same as weight

60. Importance of Inertia & Mass
Provide an example of changing motion in
sport
exercise
workplace

61. Importance of Inertia & Mass
Provide an example of changing motion in
Sport: size expectations of different positions (i.e. interior defensive linemen)
Exercise: alter mass to be moved to increase load on NMS system (i.e. push-up)
Workplace: alter mass of components to reduce load (i.e. cement bags, engine blocks)

62. 3 basic dimensions All that is needed to describe
Length
Time
Mass
Force: defined from the above
a push or pull acting on a body
All that is needed to describe
and explain the motion of objects

63. Biomechanics Professional Societies

64. Research in Biomechanics: Journals & Magazines

65. Biomechanics Textbooks

66. Biomechanics Lab at ISU Research Not to know is bad.
Not to wish to know is worse.