MAKING MOVES IN BIOMECHANICS

by Rebecca Lee 19.11.08

As athletes return to training following the successful Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, eis2win.co.uk looks at the changing face of Biomechanics in sport and the latest enabling technology.

EIS Biomechanist, Dr Paul Brice, working out of the Birmingham High Performance Athletics Centre (HiPAC), provides biomechanical support to the UK Athletics performance coaches, athletes and practitioners. The main aim of his work is to provide objective biomechanical information which informs coaching decisions, athlete feedback and support programme development, which in turn results in a positive impact on performance. This information can be used in the daily training environment as well as trackside in competitive situations.

“One of the biggest challenges with athletics is the high speed nature in which these sporting actions are typically performed, for example the point at which the javelin is released can reach release velocities in the region of 30m/s” said Brice.

“Standard video cameras operate at a rate of 25 pictures per second and whilst this maybe fine for qualitative observation, to enable us to capture and analyse the finer movements that may impact on performance, a high speed camera which can sample up to 500 frames a second is needed – providing more detailed quantitative data for analysis.

“But, the associated problem with using such advanced high-speed cameras is the requirement for a very good light source. This doesn’t pose a problem outdoors on a sunny day but due to the indoor facilities available at the HiPAC centres, many athletes now train indoors all year round under artificial light. This presented us with a serious challenge which was two-fold – the ability to provide a constant light source that enabled the capture of high frame rates at sufficiently high quality and secondly the ability to floodlight a sufficiently large field of view” he added.

Previously, Dr. Brice had attempted to use other external off-the-shelf lighting sources however, these bought their own problems, such as the lengthy set up time involved, additional power requirements and lack of a uniform light source to light a sufficiently large area. Off-the-shelf options essentially proved difficult and expensive to use so it was necessary to look elsewhere for a solution.

“We sourced an external company who typically provided lighting solutions for theatrical stage performances and concerts” explained Brice. “After detailed discussions a bespoke solution was suggested which resulted in development of the lighting rig we have installed now at the Birmingham HiPAC. The lighting rig is a one-unit light, which is installed above the track and offers a 360 degree option on direction of operation.

“This lighting rig will really make a huge difference and will certainly impact on the overall quality and in-depth analysis we can provide to athletes and coaches. We are now able to film at high frames rates (500 plus frames per second), floodlight an area of approx 35m by 5m which covers all possibilities within athletic disciplines, from shot, block starts through to long jump take offs.”

The lighting rig, jointly funded by UK Athletics and the English Institute of Sport, is the only one of its kind in the country. Installed during the summer, the true benefits will be reaped when the winter training cycle begins in preparation for the new season and a new Olympic cycle.

To complement the new lighting rig, and enabled through UK Sport research and innovation funding, the Birmingham HiPAC now has a bespoke data logger that will allow the synchronised viewing of various sources of biomechanical data onto one timeline.

“Technology typically allows us to provide information on biomechanical measures such as velocity, force, acceleration, body position, stride length etc, but the limiting factor has always been the ability to observe the interactions between these variables, for example, how stride patterns effect speed or how different technical positions may alter forces” said Brice.

“The data logger will be used in the training environment, as a real- time feedback mechanism. It can be customised to fit the learning styles of the individual, allowing information to be presented to the athlete and coach in a format and language that can be understood and then used to inform the decision making coaching process.  

“The key to the data logger is it’s ability to synchronise up to 8 channels of external data, regardless of sampling rates onto one universal time line, that can then highlight the inter-relationships between the biomechanical variables” he added.

Not only do these developments ensure advanced technology supports the analysis of athletics, but such advances will also provide benefits across other sports with similar demands and limitations. For those sports requiring strong indoor light for fast data capture, such as archery, the new lighting rig and data logger could provide a comprehensive tool in coaching and training programme development.