Influence of Sports Science Disciplines on Gymnastics - Essay Example

Influence of Sports Science Disciplines on Gymnastics Introduction Biomechanics is a field of science that addresses internal and internal actions inside the human body and effects of the forces that result from the movements. In essence, biomechanics studies human movements. Besides its fundamental role in injury prevention, biomechanics is applicable to improve the performance of athletes through different strategies (Li, 2012). This essay will evaluate the influence of biomechanics in the improvement of performance of the athletes. More than in any other sporting activity, the achievement or realization of success in gymnastics depends on the ability and potentiality of athletes to blend diverse physical, physiological, and psychological attributes in a routine affecting mind and body. Gymnastic Factors One of the essential performance factors in gymnastics is height. It is essential to note that vertical take-off velocity has the potentiality of determining the height attained in an airborne skill. Some of the factors generating vertical take-off velocity include conversion of the horizontal energy during running or preceding skills, jumping techniques of the athlete, and partitioning of the angular momentum in relation to preceding swinging skill into linear, as well as angular components. Gymnasts need to consider the issue or factor of rotation as one of the elements of the achievement of performance success in gymnastics. The success in gymnastics has a direct relationship to the ability of the gymnast or athlete to somersault, twist, and illustrate the potentiality of combing both elements. Consequently, the ability and potentiality of the athlete to execute these actions is largely the function of the technique to generate or develop substantial and sufficient angular momentum in the course of the take-off. During this process, it is ideal to utilize or exploit the momentum conversation principle, while participating in the sporting activities. In addition, it is vital to utilize the essence that the ‘total’ angular momentum consists of the sum of the angular momentum in relation to the segments of the athlete. Third, it is critical for the athlete to exploit the potentiality of the angular momentum to reflect the product of the moment in relation to inertia, as well as the angular velocity. Proper application of these ‘facts’ are essential for the achievement of success by gymnasts. The approaches or application of the facts enable gymnasts to enhance their abilities in the course of generating twists while transferring the angular momentum from one body part or axis to another. Similarly, the gymnasts have the ability and potentiality to increase, as well as decrease the rate of rotation with reference to the alteration of the body configuration. Another potential factor in the achievement of success is the ability and potentiality of the gymnast to swing effectively and efficiently in the course of participating in the sporting activity. Gymnasts tend to exploit their potentiality and ability to use swings in the process of executing diverse or various movements and apparatuses. Swings are important to all gymnasts in pursuit of success. Nevertheless, swings have the tendency of becoming critical as aspects of preparing maneuvers for the release and re-grasping substantial skills and dismounts from the high bar, uneven, or the parallel bars as well as the still rings. It is also essential for the gymnasts to develop and exploit the ability and potentiality to land effectively and efficiently. Among the most elite gymnasts, the potentiality and ability to land effectively and efficiently without substantial errors tend to determine the winner or the loser in diverse contests. Some of the variables dictating the success, as well as failure in the course of landing include the angle of the gymnasts’ bodies to the floor in relation to the horizontal distance concerning the center of mass from vertical perspective. In addition, gymnasts need to take into consideration the ground reaction force, as well as the angular or linear momentum in the course of seeking to execute quality and effective landing. Similarly, it is essential for the gymnasts to focus on the achievement of success through improved balance. Gymnasts have the tendency of employing dynamic, as well as a static balance in the process of executing their routines. Static balance is evident in the skills such as scales and handstands. On the other hand, dynamic balance routines are evident in landings in relation to the airborne skills while the gymnast is already in motion in line with the gravity outside the base of support. Gymnasts need to focus on the mental factors in the course of achieving success in their diverse or various routines. These are success factors in relation to thoughts, as well as feelings. The factors are essential in improving concentration levels while maintaining attention and making appropriate decisions in dealing with substantial pressure. Success factors in gymnastics must also incorporate diverse technical factors. Technical factors relate to the skills for the realization of success in gymnastics. In this context, gymnasts need to have technical elements in relation to the forward roll, as well as the static balance (Tucker & Collins, 2012). These success factors work closely in relation to the tactical factors in the achievement of improved performance in gymnastics. Tactical factors are ideal in the realization of success in gymnastics by individual athletes or groups. From the above illustration, it is essential to note that the achievement of success in gymnastics must relate to the incorporation of the physical, mental, tactical, and technical factors. Gymnasts need to adopt and implement appropriate strategies with the intention of integrating these factors to improve or enhance their performances in the sporting activities. Role of Biomechanics in Improving Performance of Athletes Biomechanics refers to the study of diverse forces, as well as their effects or implications on the living systems. Coaches and teachers have the potentiality of using biomechanics with the intention of determining the appropriate action in the course of improving performance of the athletes. According to diverse researchers or sports experts, injury prevention, as well as rehabilitation should be the primary goal of exercise and sports biomechanics. There is necessity for the improvement of the analysis of the technique deficiencies of an athlete in the course of assisting coaches and teachers in the identification of the type of training (Gittoes & Irwin, 2012). From this perspective, biomechanics focuses on the improvement of performance through improving equipment, technique, training, and injury prevention, as well as substantive rehabilitation. In the recent attempts to improve the performance of the athletes, robotics, physics, imaging, computer simulations, and mathematical analysis have been essential in addressing the goals and targets in relation to the achievement of success. These elements are essential in studying biomechanics, which relates to the physiological analysis in relation to the interaction of forces and implications of the forces on, as well as within the body of the athletes. Coaches and trainers have the potentiality and ability to incorporate biomechanical approaches in the course of understanding potentially injurious demands of gymnastic-style impact landings (Farana, Jandacka, & Irwin, 2013). It is essential to note that gymnasts are exposed to a high incidence of impact landings because of the execution of repeated dismount performances. Biomechanical research has the ability to help inform recent discussions in relation to the proposed rule change in potentially injurious gymnastic dismounting. Biomechanics is vital in improving technique in relation to the participation of the athletes in the sporting activities. Sports technique refers to the physical action of the athlete leading to effective and efficient execution of physical motion in accordance with the required task of the given sporting event. Coaches and teachers have the ability to improve technique under the influence of biomechanics with the intention of correcting the motions of the athletes. Similarly, sports experts in the field biomechanics tend to focus on the development of new and more effective techniques in the course of executing the sports motion (Finch, Lloyd & Elliott, 2009). Research workers have the potentiality of exploiting qualitative biomechanics techniques with the objective of developing new techniques, which are appropriate for the teaching and training processes (Nelson & Baptiste, 2004). For instance, in the case, a gymnastics coach sees that her charge has diverse difficulties to turn a somersault; she can decide to exploit quantitative biomechanics technique to facilitate the execution of the exercise effectively and efficiently. This is through encouraging the athlete to jump higher, fling arms with increased energy prior to take off, and curling up more tightly. These recommendations tend to focus on the integration of the basic principles of biomechanics (Bini, Hume, Croft & Kilding, 2014). The gymnast has the potentiality to finish the turn during the flight phase through jumping higher. The usage of biomechanics makes it possible for the specification of the motor actions, as well as positions with the potentiality of increase sports performance. The use of biomechanics is also vital for the better look and functioning of the sports equipment, thus the perfect platform for the realization of improved performance among the athletes. From this perspective, it is essential to note that sophisticated sports equipment offers an advantage to elite, as well as recreational athletes. For instance, integration of the vaulting table was vital in the development of the gymnastics equipment in the last decade, thus substantial implication of the biomechanics (Phillips, Farrow, Ball, & Helmer, 2013). In addition, biomechanics has been ideal in the improvement of training in two diverse ways. In the first instance, the analysis of mechanical values enables a coach to define such training conditions, which lead to the threshold stimuli. Secondly, the analysis of the technical imperfections of the athlete is essential in facilitating identification of the type of training vital for the athlete to improve. From this illustration, it is essential to note that coaches and teachers have the opportunity to exploit the principles of biomechanics to adopt and implement the most appropriate training methods for the improvement of performance of the athlete. Biomechanics is vital in the prevention of the injuries, which might limit the performance of the athletes (Oyama, 2012). Injury prevention refers to an attempt to prevent or limit the seriousness of the injuries prior to their actual occurrences. The aspect or element of injury prevention is a facet of the public health aiming to improve health and, therefore, a substantial increase of the quality of life. Coaches and teachers can exploit biomechanics to identify forces and mechanical energy, which might cause injuries. The approach is vital in understanding the sources of the injuries, means of avoiding them during sport performance, and identification of the exercise suitable for the prevention of the injury, as well as appropriate rehabilitation program (Berisha & Halili, 2015). Finally, it is essential to note that biomechanics is vital in the reduction of the injury through the transformation of the equipment function. Bibliography Berisha, M., & Halili, B 2015, Demonstration of Psychological Factors for Executing the Gymnastic Elements (Acrobatic), European Scientific Journal, 11(5). Bini, R. R., Hume, P. A., Croft, J., & Kilding, A 2014, Optimizing Bicycle Configuration and Cyclists’ Body Position to Prevent Overuse Injury Using Biomechanical Approaches. In Biomechanics of Cycling (pp. 71-83). Farana, R., Jandacka, D., & Irwin, G. 2013. Influence of different hand positions on impact forces and elbow loading during the round off in gymnastics: A case study, Science of Gymnastics Journal, 5, 2, pp.5-14. Finch, C., Lloyd, D., & Elliott, B 2009, The Preventing Australian football injuries with exercise (PAFIX) Study: A group randomised controlled trial, Injury Prevention, 15, 3, pp. e1-e1. Gittoes, M. J., & Irwin, G 2012, Biomechanical approaches to understanding the potentially injurious demands of gymnastic-style impact landings. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 4, 1, p.4. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1758-2555/4/4 Li, L 2012, 'How Can Sport Biomechanics Contribute to the Advance of World Record and Best Athletic Performance?’ Measurement in Physical Education & Exercise Science, 16, 3, pp. 194-202. DOI: 10.1080/1091367X.2012.700802 Nelson, A., & Baptiste, A 2004, Evidence-based practices for safe patient handling and movement, Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 9, 3, pp.1-26. Oyama, S 2012, 'Baseball pitching kinematics, joint loads, and injury prevention', Journal of Sport & Health Science, vol. 1, no. 2, p. 80. Phillips, E., Farrow, D., Ball, K., & Helmer, R. 2013, Harnessing and understanding feedback technology in applied settings, Sports Medicine, 43, 10, pp.919-925. Tucker, R., & Collins, M. 2012. What makes champions? A review of the relative contribution of genes and training to sporting success, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2011. Read More