Biomechanics Case

Laboratory one: Biomechanics

Movement Patterns: Interpreting Movement from Information We Cannot See

James Le Brun

University Of Otago

PHSE102

Due 5pm Friday, 7th August 2009

PP15 (Demonstrator Roy and Emily)

Email: clarkeyboy23@hotmail.com

This biomechanics lab was in two parts. The aim of part one was to analyse three different standing long jump techniques when applied to a force plate and discuss how the different techniques applied diverse the forces to the plate and the effect it had on the overall success of the jump.

The aim of part two was to evaluate the gait cycle techniques through different walking situations such as walking on flat verses walking uphill, walking verses walking in gumboots and walking verses running. The objective was to look at the different conditions and how they influenced the overall stride and how the different kinematic and kinetic movement patterns varied. The participants evaluated the different angles of velocity according to the different walking styles and plotted the angles at the knee, ankle and hip joints on a graph.

METHOD

Participant

The participant involved in part 1 of the lab was a 20 year old male weighing 73.6 kilograms. He volunteered to be apart of this experiment. He is a first year student at Otago University studying Physical Education.

Equipment

To complete part 1 of this lab the participants had to have access to the following equipment, a Force plate and Chart computer program, a tape measure and paper and writing utensil to record the results into a table. For part 2 of the lab the participants needed to have computers with SIMI and Excel computer programs and various video clips of running and walking styles.

Procedure

Part 1 of the lab involved a participant to perform standing long jumps. First the participants recorded his body weight and then used it to calibrate the force plate so as the force applied to the plate when he was simply standing on it was at zero neutrons. The participant was then required to perform three trials for each of three standing long jumps, starting on the force plate. These jumps included a normal standing long jump; a standing long jump with no arm movement and a standing long jump with his arms moving backwards in the opposite direction to the normal standing long jump. Each jump was measured form the take off to the landing by a measuring