Biomechanics is a fascinating field of study. It combines elements of biology and physiology with engineering. The study is an attempt by Scientists to explain certain biological principles like movement using mechanics. This article will be describing the study of Biomechanics and how you can use it to your advantage.
What Is Biomechanics?
Biomechanics is studying how the body moves. It explains how the muscles, tendons, bones, and ligaments work together to move the body.
While biology is the study of living organisms, mechanics is a branch of physics that deals with the description of motion and how forces come together to act and work to move.
In Sports, biomechanics also considers the interaction or relationship between athletes and their environment.
Biomechanics divides into the following branches:
- Kinematics
- Kinetics
- Statics
- Dynamics
Kinematics deals with the geometry of the motion of objects without considering the forces that produce that motion.
Kinetics deals with the forces acting on a body and the resulting movement that the forces produce.
Statics is a branch that studies a body that is not moving at all or a body moving with a constant velocity.
Dynamics deals with a body in motion including the acceleration and reduction in the speed of that body.
What Are The Applications?
- It helps to identify a technique for an athlete that could result in the most optimal sporting performance for such athlete.
- We can use it to analyze a person’s body and to determine the safest method an athlete could utilize in performing a sport to ensure that the athlete does not suffer injury.
- We can use it to assess muscle functions
- It helps to analyze sports and exercise equipment to support companies that produce this equipment to know how to modify the equipment to benefit the athlete further.
The aim of the study of biomechanics is to improve the performance of the athlete and reduce injuries.
What are the Principles of Biomechanics?
It is important to know that several principles govern biomechanics, especially when it is applied in sports and exercise. The interaction of these principles together with the human body is analyzed by scientists that specialize in the study of biomechanics.
- Law of Inertia
- The law of Acceleration
- Laws of Reaction
- Linear Momentum
- Angular Momentum
- Centre of Gravity
- Static Balance
- Dynamic Balance
Sports With Notable Biomechanics
The following sports have been noted to have a unique dynamic with regards to their body movements:
- Cycling
- Baseball pitching
- Tennis
- Running
- Cutting to avoid injury
- Jumping and landing
- The study can be applied to any action or sport
The Benefits to Athletes
The main reason that the study is essential for athletes is because every athlete can learn how to move better. Moving better means improving the efficiency of movement. When you adjust how you move, you have more energy, and you reduce your risk of athletic injury. Both of these are good things to happen because you don’t want to be tired by the end of games because you have so much wasted motion in your technique.
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