This document discusses key concepts in biomechanics including: - There are two types of biomechanical analysis: qualitative and quantitative. - Biomechanics is used to improve techniques, develop new techniques, design equipment, and prevent and rehabilitate injuries. - Levers, forces, Newton's laws of motion, centers of gravity, bases of support, and lines of gravity are described in the context of human movement and sports. Examples are provided to illustrate how these concepts relate to specific sports techniques.

1. Biomechanics
Introduction

2. Types of Biomechanics
 Two different forms of biomechanical
analysis:
 Qualitative
 Quantitative
 Coaches will use each form of analysis for
different reasons including…………

3. Technique
 Improvement – use of the knowledge to
mechanics to improve the execution of
whole or part of a particular technique for
individual athletes.
 Development – biomechanics is used to
develop new and more efficient sporting
techniques or to refine existing ones.

4. Development
 Equipment - biomechanical analysis has
contributed to the improved design of
much equipment used within modern
sport.
 Training – analysis of techniques can lead
to an identification of deficiencies in
technique which will assist a coach in
designing an appropriate training
programme.

5. Injuries
 Prevention and rehabilitation –
biomechanics is often used as a starting
point for making alterations to technique,
training or equipment in order to prevent
or rehabilitate injuries.

6. Planes of
motion
&
Axes of
rotation

9. LEVERS
 The function of a lever in the body is either:
 To overcome a force greater than the effort used eg a
crowbar / a calf raise
 To move something a greater distance eg an overarm
throw

10. A lever consists of:
 A fulcrum or pivot point – a joint
 Load – could be gravity, body weight,
added weight e.g. gym equipment
 Effort – provided by muscular
contractions
THE LEVERS IN THE BODY ARE THE
BONES OF THE SKELETON –
LEVERS CAN BE ADDED IN THE FORM OF
SPORTING IMPLEMENTS
RACKETS
CLUBS
BATS

11. Sporting levers
•Golf clubs are selected according to length
– a longer club will produce a longer lever
and will send the ball further
•A defender in hockey will use a heavier
stick
•An overarm serves in tennis makes the
most use of the power by making the lever
as long as possible
•A cricketer hitting for 6 will play the shot
to make the most of a long lever produced
by his body, arms and the bat.

12. LEVERS
REMEMBER- FLE
The part of the lever
that is located in the
middle

13. First Order Lever
 The fulcrum is in the middle
 The load is at one end and the
effort applied at the other
 Example in the body =
Joint at the neck

14. Second Order Lever
 The Load is in the middle
 The fulcrum is at one end, the
effort applied at the other
 Example in the body =
The ankle joint

15. Third Order Lever
 The effort is in the middle
 The load is at one end, the fulcrum at the
other
 Example in the body =
most of our skeletal
muscles

16. FORCES
 Before looking at sport & movement, we must understand
FORCE
A force is a push or pull that alters or tends to alter the state of
motion of a body
 A Force can cause a body at rest to move – (taking a football
penalty- the force applied with the foot make the ball move)
 A force can cause a moving body to:
 Change direction – (returning a tennis shot)
 Accelerate – (a sprint finish)
 Decelerate – slowing down at the bottom of the ski slope)
 Change an object’s shape – (jumping on a trampoline)

17.  If a force is applied through the middle of an
object – it causes LINEAR MOTION
 If a force is applied off-centre it will cause spin or
ANGULAR MOTION

18. Many sporting examples are a
combination of both angular and linear
motion:
•The upper body shows
“LINEAR MOTION”
•Whilst the legs show
“ANGULAR MOTION”
This combination is called “GENERAL MOTION”

19. •Internal forces are generally produced by
concentric muscle contraction
•External forces could be:
•Gravity
•Air resistance (water resistance)
•Friction
•Reaction

20. NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION
“A body continues in a state of rest or of
uniform velocity unless acted upon by an
external force” Law of inertia
NEWTON’S FIRST LAW

21. NEWTON’S SECOND LAW
“When a force acts on an object, the rate of change
of momentum experienced by the object is
proportional to the size of the force and takes
place in the direction in which the force acts” –
Law of acceleration

22. NEWTON’S THIRD LAW
“For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction” - reaction

23. Consider: An ice hockey puck is hit by a player & travels across the
ice to rebound from the far wall of the rink.
Assume that the friction between the puck & the ice & the air
resistance are negligible, & that the puck travels from R to L
Use Newton’s Laws of motion to explain
what is happening in the following
situations:
1.While the puck is stationary before
being hit
2.While the stick is in contact with the
puck
3.While the puck is travelling across the
ice before it hits the wall
4.While the puck is in contact with the
wall

24. TASK:
Write a short piece to apply what you know from
today’s lesson to your selected sport
Can you explain how forces are functioning to:
•Cause something to move
•Change direction
•Accelerate
•Decelerate
•Change the shape of an object

25. Selected sport: trampolining
Forces acting
- pull of gravity makes the performer return to the
trampoline
– force of the performers muscles changes the shape of the
trampoline bed
– the force of the trampoline against the performer will
cause them to change direction
Application of Newton’s Laws - External force of
performers muscles causes movement (1st
Law of
acceleration)
– The greater the distortion of the bed, the greater the
force acting to push the performer upward
– they will therefore go higher (2nd
Law of acceleration)
– The action of landing on the bed causes the reaction of
sending the performer upward (3rd
Law of reaction)

26. Centre of Gravity / Centre of Mass
“The point at which the
body is balanced in all
directions”

27. Centre of Gravity & stability
 The lower the centre of gravity is – the more
stable the position

28. Base of support
 The larger the base of support – the more stable
the position

29. Line of Gravity
An imaginary line straight down from the
centre of gravity / mass
•If the line of gravity is at the centre of
the base of support – the position is
more stable
•If the line of gravity is near the edge
of the base of support – the position is
less stable
•If the line of gravity is outside the
base of support – the position is
unstable

31. To work out the centre of gravity of a 2D
shape-
 Hang the shape from one point & drop a
weighted string from any point on the object
 Mark the line where the string drops
 Repeat this by hanging the object from
another point
 Mark the line again where the string drops
 The centre of gravity is where the two lines
cross

32. Jessica Ennis – London 2012