How Sports Biomechanics Help Athletes
Introduction to Sports Biomechanics
- Sports biomechanics: study of athlete movement and forces acting on the body during sports.
- Aim: Enhance performance and reduce injury risk.
- Professional sports teams employ biomechanists for performance insights.
What is Biomechanics?
- Applies mechanics and physics to living movement.
- Ranges from cellular muscle contraction to full-body dance movements.
- In sports, provides critical data for optimizing athlete performance and injury prevention.
Key Sub-Categories
- Kinetics vs. Kinematics:
- Kinetics: Studies forces causing motion (e.g., muscular force, gravity).
- Kinematics: Studies movement properties (e.g., velocity, acceleration).
Importance in Sports
- Optimizing Performance:
- Identifies technique improvements and energy conservation.
- Example: Enhances pitcher’s kinematic sequence in baseball.
- Preventing Injury:
- Detects movement inadequacies to prevent injuries (e.g., knee injuries in basketball).
- Improving Equipment:
- Aids in designing sports equipment and technologies (e.g., running shoes, wearables).
Biomechanical Analysis in Sports
- Forms range from visual assessments to advanced technology use.
- Technology Used:
- 3D Motion Capture Systems: Track 3D athlete movements.
- High-Speed Cameras: Analyze detailed movement at high frame rates.
- Force Plates: Measure exerted force during activities.
- Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs): Wearable sensors for movement.
- Electromyography (EMG): Measures muscle electrical activity.
Applications of Biomechanics
- In Sports: Analyzes movement to improve technique and reduce injury.
- For Coaches and Trainers: Helps in player performance analysis and injury recovery.
- In Everyday Life: Examples include automobile design and addressing 'text neck' issues.
Biomechanics Exercises
- Exercises focused on developing optimal movement habits.
- Aim: Encourage and reinforce beneficial movement patterns.
Contributor
- Beth Wilcox, PhD: Research Scientist at Mass General Brigham's Center for Sports Performance and Research.
For further information or to schedule a consultation, visit Mass General Brigham’s Center for Sports Performance and Research.