Biomechanics of a Sporting Movement - Essay Example

BIOMECHANICS OF A SPORTING MOVEMENT BIOMECHANICS is concerned with the application of physic's law of mechanics to living organismsjust as they affect non-living things. The structural stresses of the branch of a tree and the reasons why sharks and dolphins swim faster than other fishes is an example of biomechanics study. The scientific mechanics law explains the effect that certain movements that a high jumper has on the amount and beauty of water displaced during water entry in a swimming pool contest. Biomechanics seeks to explain the mechanical cause and effect relationship of plants, animals and human beings. Biomechanics explains and describes and even predicts the mechanical side of human sports, exercises and play body movements. Biomechanics usually studies the mechanics of living things, including the forces that exerted by muscles and gravity on the animal's skeletal framework. Some examples of Biomechanics researches include the study of forces that is exerted on a bird's wings, the aerodynamics of a flying bird or insect, the beauty of a fish swimming in the water and the locomotion in animals and plants. Biomechanics of human beings falls under the study of Kinesiology. The Soccer kick is, in this biomechanics assignment, scientifically divided into stages. The body parts exert some action on the soccer ball in the process of KICKING THE BALL. The kicking process is broken down into Approach, PLANT-FOOT FORCES, SWING - LIMB LOADING, HIP FLEXION AND KNEE EXTENSION, FOOT CONTACT WITH THE BALL, FOLLOW -THROUGH BIOMECHANICS OF A SPORTS MOVEMENT People sometimes wonder why the shark swims faster than its prey. In sports, there is a need for coaches and trainers that aid the athletes excel in their sports thru the study of biomechanics. This essay shows technically what biomechanics and how it helps the athlete win tournaments. BIOMECHANICS OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE BIOMECHANICS (Mccomb, 2004) is concerned with the application of physic's law of mechanics to living organisms just as they affect non-living things. The structural stresses of the branch of a tree and the reasons why sharks and dolphins swim faster than other fishes is an example of biomechanics study. The scientific mechanics law explains the effect that certain movements that a high jumper has on the amount and beauty of water displaced during water entry in a swimming pool contest. In physics, we are taught, using the mechanics law, reasons why a piece of wood slides in such a particular way. Biomechanics (Massimino , 1997) seeks to explain the mechanical cause and effect relationship of plants, animals and human beings. Biomechanics explains and describes and even predicts the mechanical side of human sports, exercises and play body movements. Biomechanics (Greeves, 2002) usually studies the mechanics of living things, including the forces that exerted by muscles and gravity on the animal's skeletal framework. Some examples of Biomechanics (Lee, 1993) researches include the study of forces that is exerted on a bird's wings, the aerodynamics of a flying bird or insect, the beauty of a fish swimming in the water and the locomotion in animals and plants. Biomechanics of human beings falls under the study of Kinesiology. BIOMECHANICS OF THE SOCCER KICK. Soccer is a very popular sport around the world. The soccer game revolves around the KICK. The soccer Kick is also used in other popular sports like Rugby league and union, Australian rule Football, grid iron football, Gaelic Football, American Football and also beach volleyball. There are names given to the different soccer kicks are PLACE KICK, SOCCER -STYLE KICK, and the ROUND THE CORNER KICK. Physiology and development. Although the soccer kick lasts for only a few seconds, the intensity force and angle of the anaerobic metabolic pathway produces the kick thereby causing the ball to travel fast, slow, high, low, left or right which causes uproars and clap from the fans. Adenosine Triphosphate Phosphocreatinase -PC energy system helps in the kick action. Kicking usually starts between 4 to 6 yrs old is continues to improve until the age of 9. The difference between the beginner's soccer kick and the seasoned professional is that the professional football player's kicks are refined, consistent and can reach more distances whereas the beginner's kick is awkward and less accurate and of lesser distances covered. An excellent soccer kick is described as having greater swing limb / foot speed very accurate because of the proper planting of the non-kicking foot and hip position during the kick execution. During the kicking preparation, (right footed) The trunk stabilizes its rotation to the right. This affects the Abdominals, psoas major erector spinae and spinal postural muscles. The second body part, Right hip, is extended. This action affects the Gluteus maximus and hamstring group muscles. The third body part, Left hip makes an external rotatation and eccentric extension which affects the Gluteus med, gluteus min, hamstring group and adductor magnus muscles. The fourth body part, Right knee flexes thereby affecting the hamstring group and the popliteus muscles. The fifth body part, the left knee does an eccentric extension move thereby affecting the quadricep muscle group. The next body part, Right ankle, executes a plantarflexion movement to affect the Plantarflexors muscle group. Another body part, Left ankle, makes an eccentric plantarflexion move to affect the plantarflexors muscles. The Lef shoulder, another body part, does an abduction move which affects the Middle and anterior deltoid and suprathe spinatus. STAGES OF THE SOCCER KICK. The first stage of the soccer kick is called the APPROACH. A study made shows that a 45 degree angle approach generates the best swing limb- velocity. Professional soccer players use long strides as they approach the object ball. During, the approach and right footed kick, the trunk stabilises itself thereby affeting the abdominals, psoas major, erector spinae and spinal postural muscles. The next body part, Right hip, makes an internal rotation/hip flexion. This affects the Tensor fascia lata, rectus femoris, psoas, iliacus, sartorius and adductor muscle group. The next body part, Left hip extends itself so that it changes the Gluteus maximus, hamstring group and adductor magnus muscles. The next body part, Righ knee also extends itself so that it affects the quadricept muscles. The left knee also extends itself and then affects the Quadricept muscles. The next body part, Righ ankle does a plantarflexion and affects the plantarflexors muscles. The last body part, left shoulder, makes a horizontal adduction where it affects the anterior deltoid, biceps brachii and pectoralis major muscles. The next stage is called the PLANT-FOOT FORCES. By observing a professional soccer player, we can observe that professional soccer players kick faster and with greater reaction force than beginners because they know how best to use the biomechanics of ground reaction force on the plant foot and the soccer ball speed. The direction of the plant foot faces affects where the soccer balls flies after being hit. The best plant foot position is perpendicular to the line drawn through the center of the soccer ball in straight kick execution. Hay stated that best mediallateral plant foot position is 5 to 10 cm to the ball's left side during a right footed kick. The better anterior -posterior postion of the plant foot during a kick is adjacent to the soccer ball line. The next stage is the SWING - LIMB LOADING. This is where the swinging or cocking of the kicking limb to prepare for the downward soccer ball movement. The soccer player, during play, must keep his eyes on the ball and concentrate. The other arm to the kicking leg must be raised and pointed in the kicking direction of the rotating so that the rotating body will be counter-balanced. When the plant foot hits the ground near the ball, the kicking leg should be extended and the knee must be flexed in order to store energy as the limb swings passively can stretch when it allows a greater transfer of force to the ball when the downward phase of the kick starts. Before the end of this stage when the hip is almost fully extended and the knee flexed, The leg is eccenrically slowed by the hip flexors and knee extensors. There is maximal eccentric acitivity in the knee extensors. The next stage is the HIP FLEXION AND KNEE EXTENSION. This stage starts with the powerful hip flexors initiating this next phase of the kick. The thigh swings forward and then downward using a concomitant forward rotating lower foot. When the forward thigh slows, the foot accelerates due to the combined efforts of the transfer of momemtum and release of stored elastic energy in the knee extensors. The Knee extensors strongly contract so that it swings the leg and foot forward to the soccer ball. When the kicking leg's knee passes over the ball, it will be extended with force when the foot is plantarflexed with force. This will expose the upper portion of the foot (medial dorsum) and this is propelled at the ball. Foot speed is greatly affected by the combination of hip rotational torque, hip flexor strength and quadriceps strength. As the swing phase endsm, before the ball and foot contact, the hamstrings are maximally active to slow the leg eccentrically often called "soccer paradox". The knee flexors are maximally activewhen the knee extension and the knee extensors are maximally strong during knee flexion. The professional soccer players are trained to kick the ball further with less muscle use and there is more relaxation in the swing phase but with greater eccentric antogonistic muscle active. They use their motor systems and biomechanical control more efficiently during the actual KICKING process. The next stage is the FOOT CONTACT WITH THE BALL. The foot hits the ball an estimated 6-16 millisecs. The swinging limb then transfers the kinetic energy to the ball, causing it to move. The hamstring muscle then slows the limb down after hitting the ball. Injuries are created during this HIT scenario. The hip and knee, upon contact with the ball, are slightly flexed and the foot is moving upwards and forwards. The professional soccer players hit the ball further up the foot specifically near the ankle joint. Beginners often hit the ball using the lower (near the toes) contact point causing injury to the posterior ankle. The final stage is the FOLLOW -THROUGH. Its main purpose to keep the foot in contact with the soccer ball longer and to prevent injury from sudden stop of the kicking leg. A bullet experiment shows that longer contact time between the bullet the cock of the gun increases the bullet's speed. This stage prevents injury by slowly dissipating elastic and kinetic forces caused by the swinging, kicking appendage after contact. Sudden slowing of the limb will increase the hamstring strain danger. Biomechanics aids the athletes chances of getting those elusive gold medals. Biomechanics shows that, because of certain scientific movements and abstinence from movements, the sportsman can run faster, jump higher, shoot the ball better and score MORE soccer, football and rugby goals. References 1. Powers, S, and Howley, E (1997), Exercise Physiology. Theory and Applications in Fitness and Performance. WCB. McGraw-Hill: Boston. 2. Barfield, B (1998), The biomechanics of kicking in soccer. Clinics in Sports Medicine. 17(4): 711-728. 3. Phillips, S (1985), Invariance between segments during a kicking motion. In Matsui, H, and Kobayashi, K (eds), Biomechanics. Human Kinetics: Illinois. pp 688-694. 4. Isokawa, M, and Lees, A (1988), A biomechanical analysis of the in-step kick motion in soccer. In Reilly, T, and Williams, M, (2003), Science and Soccer (2nd ed). Routledge: London. pp. 449-455. 5. Abo-Abdo, H (1981), unpublished doctoral dissertation. In Barfield, B (1998), The biomechanics of kicking in soccer. Clinics in Sports Medicine. 17(4): 711-728. 6. Hay, J (1996), Biomechanics of Sport Techniques. Prentice Hall: New Jersey. 7. Ben-Sira, D (1980), A comparison of the instep kick between novices and elites. In Barfield, B (1998), The biomechanics of kicking in soccer. Clinics in Sports Medicine. 17(4): 711-728. 8. Chysowych, W. (1979), The Official Soccer Book of the United States Soccer Federation. In Barfield, B (1998), The biomechanics of kicking in soccer. Clinics in Sports Medicine. 17(4): 711-728 9. Wahrenburg, H, Lindbeck, J, and Ekholm, J (1978), Knee muscular moment, tendon tension force and EMG during a vigorous movement in man. Scand J RehabMed. 10:99-106. 10. De Proft, E, Cabri, J, and Dufour, W (1988), Strength training and kick performance in soccer players. In Reilly, T, and Williams, M. 2003), Science and Soccer (2nd ed). Routledge: London. 11. Plagenhoff, S. (1971), Patterns of Human Motion. A Cinematographic Analysis. Prentice-Hall: New Jersey. 12. Gainor, B, Pitrowski, G, and Puhl, J (1978), The kick. Biomechanics and collision injury. Am J Sports Med.6:185-193. 13. Brukner, P, and Khan, K (2001), Clinical Sports Medicine(2nd ed). Roseville: McGraw-Hill. http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/biomechanics-soccer.htm Massimino, F., Essentials of Sports Medicine, Mosby, London, 1997 Mccomb, D., Sports in World History, Routledge, London, 2004 Greeves, J., Advances in Sport, Leisure and Ergonomics, Routledge, London, 2002 Lee, M., Coaching Children in Sport: Principles and Practice, E & FN Spon, London, 1993 Read More