Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

Biomechanical investigations of coordination during initial acceleration in highly trained to world class sprinters

Thesis (Sport Science (Biomechanics))--University of Pretoria, 2023.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Bayne, Helen
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2024
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613510648725504
access_status_str Open Access
author2 Bayne, Helen
author_browse Bayne, Helen
author_facet Bayne, Helen
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (Sport Science (Biomechanics))--University of Pretoria, 2023.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/94539
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:37:18.025Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2024
publishDateRange 2024
publishDateSort 2024
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/94539 Biomechanical investigations of coordination during initial acceleration in highly trained to world class sprinters Bayne, Helen u05038601@tuks.co.za Bezodis, Neil Donaldson, Byron John UCTD Sprint Performance Vector coding Dynamical systems Technique Thesis (Sport Science (Biomechanics))--University of Pretoria, 2023. Initial sprint acceleration is a complex and dynamic skill, requiring the application of large forces to propel the body forwards. Effective force application is achieved through the use of joint and segment rotations in an organised and inter-related manner. While many of the isolated angular kinematic features associated with effective external force profiles are established, little is currently known about the relationships that exist between the key segments during the first steps of acceleration, i.e., the coordination of movement between functionally related elements. Through a series of three studies, this thesis explores inter- and intra-limb coordination during initial acceleration in sprinters ranging from highly trained to world class level, to enhance the understanding of sprint acceleration technique and performance. The first study provided a detailed description and quantification of inter-limb thigh-thigh, intra-limb shank-foot, and trunk-shank coordination during the first four steps of acceleration, and investigated changes in coordination between steps. Specific coordination features were identified and between-individual variation in coordination patterns in preparation for, or response to, the major transitions in the step cycle, i.e., touchdown and toe-off, were observed. Additionally, step-to-step changes in coordination and angular kinematics were identified, showing clearly differentiated coordination in step 1 compared to later steps. The second study utilised a novel application of hierarchical cluster analysis to vector coding data in order to identify and characterise sub-groups of sprinters with similar thigh-thigh and shank-foot coordination patterns, and subsequently explored discrete kinematic and performance differences between sub-groups. Three sub-groups were identified in step 1 and two sub-groups over steps 2-4. Sub-groups tended to be differentiated by differences in thigh-thigh coordination at the beginning and end of the step, and shank-foot coordination during flight as well as during ankle dorsiflexion in early stance. Combining sub-groups from step 1 and steps 2-4 to describe entire initial acceleration strategies, cluster combinations identified coordination approaches more likely to be associated with higher level sprinters and better performance. In the final investigation, relationships between coordination and lower body strength were evaluated in the context of dynamical systems theory, and the interaction of these two factors with regard to acceleration performance was explored. Several correlations existed between measures of lower body strength and features of thigh-thigh and shank-foot coordination, while multiple regression analysis suggested the presence of interaction effects between coordination and tests associated with lower body power in relation to performance. Thus, lower body power appeared to influence the relationships between coordination features and performance, such that the effectiveness of particular coordination patterns varied depending the lower body power of the athlete. The work included in this thesis provides a basis for understanding coordination during initial sprint acceleration, and includes several novel and exploratory approaches to investigating these questions which provides relevant information for practitioners and coaches interested in exploring the organisation of the body and coordination of segments during initial acceleration. Moreover, this work facilitate the generation of new hypotheses and encourages new directions in future research. Physiology PhD Sport Science (Biomechanics) Unrestricted Faculty of Health Sciences 2024-02-13T09:51:30Z 2024-02-13T09:51:30Z 2024-04 2023 Thesis * A2024 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/94539 10.25403/UPresearchdata.25211306 en © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Sprint
Performance
Vector coding
Dynamical systems
Technique
Biomechanical investigations of coordination during initial acceleration in highly trained to world class sprinters
title Biomechanical investigations of coordination during initial acceleration in highly trained to world class sprinters
title_full Biomechanical investigations of coordination during initial acceleration in highly trained to world class sprinters
title_fullStr Biomechanical investigations of coordination during initial acceleration in highly trained to world class sprinters
title_full_unstemmed Biomechanical investigations of coordination during initial acceleration in highly trained to world class sprinters
title_short Biomechanical investigations of coordination during initial acceleration in highly trained to world class sprinters
title_sort biomechanical investigations of coordination during initial acceleration in highly trained to world class sprinters
topic UCTD
Sprint
Performance
Vector coding
Dynamical systems
Technique
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/94539