Rodrigo Rabello, Gauri A Desai, Chiarella Sforza, Allison H Gruber
{"title":"Running stiffness and spatiotemporal parameters are similar between non-runners and runners with different experience levels.","authors":"Rodrigo Rabello, Gauri A Desai, Chiarella Sforza, Allison H Gruber","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2025.2480094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2025.2480094","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spatiotemporal parameters and leg and joint stiffness are variables that represent the fundamental dynamics of running. Therefore, these variables may effectively differentiate between less-experienced and more-experienced runners' gait, possibly addressing differing injury rates between populations. We compared stiffness and spatiotemporal parameters between runners with different experience levels, including a group with no previous running experience. Healthy physically active participants (22.1 ± 3.6y) were divided into three groups, according to experience: experienced (running >1-year, 14-48 km/week; <i>n</i> = 23, 9F), novice (running <1-year, 5-21 km/week; <i>n</i> = 15, 4F) and non-runners (no running for the past 5 years; <i>n</i> = 17, 7F). Three-dimensional motion capture and force plates measured gait mechanics during overground running at 3.35 m·s<sup>-1</sup>. Knee, ankle and three-dimensional leg stiffness, contact time, flight time and step length were compared between groups using independent-measures ANCOVA (covariate = sex). No biomechanical variable was significantly different between the groups (leg: <i>p</i> = 0.652, Hedges' g = 0.09-0.17; ankle: <i>p</i> = 0.439, g = 0.07-0.19; knee: <i>p</i> = 0.153, g = 0.13-0.29; contact time: <i>p</i> = 0.592, g = 0.06-0.24; flight time: <i>p</i> = 0.513, g = 0.03-0.40; step length: <i>p</i> = 0.107, g = 0.26-0.61). Stiffness and spatiotemporal parameters were not different between runners with greater than 1-year of experience when compared to runners with less than 1-year experience and non-runners. Therefore, running gait may not differentially affect injury rates between experience levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143693714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Koki Sasabe, Daichi Nishiumi, Daisuke Takeuchi, Kotaro Kamada, Norikazu Hirose
{"title":"The association of agonist muscle fascicle length and antagonist muscle flexibility on power output during human knee extension tasks.","authors":"Koki Sasabe, Daichi Nishiumi, Daisuke Takeuchi, Kotaro Kamada, Norikazu Hirose","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2025.2474516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2025.2474516","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent studies have reported that muscle power can be improved through stretching. However, the mechanisms underlying the power enhancement induced by stretching are not yet well understood. This study aimed to clarify the association of muscle fascicle length and antagonist muscle flexibility on muscle power output and velocity variables. Fascicle length and muscle thickness, pennation angle of vastus lateralis, knee flexor stiffness, and range of motion (ROM) were measured in American football players. Moreover, knee extension torque measurements were taken at five angular velocities (60 deg·s<sup>-1</sup> - 300 deg·s<sup>-1</sup>), and theoretical maximum power (Pmax), maximum force (F0), and maximum angular velocity (V0) were calculated. Pearson's product-moment or Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated for each variable. ROM showed a significant moderate positive correlation with Pmax. This suggests that the flexibility of antagonist muscles may influence the power output of agonist muscles. However, although muscle thickness showed a moderate correlation with F0, V0 did not significantly correlate with any of the variables. This finding suggests that other factors, such as rapid recruitment of motor units and muscle fibre composition, may play a more substantial role in torque at very high angular velocities than muscle morphology and mechanical properties.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143587805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel Williams, Marcus Dunn, Paul Worsfold, Deborah Newton, Steve H Faulkner, Francesca d'Andrea, Jon Wheat
{"title":"Mean stability and between-session reliability of cycling biomechanics variables in elite pursuit cyclists.","authors":"Daniel Williams, Marcus Dunn, Paul Worsfold, Deborah Newton, Steve H Faulkner, Francesca d'Andrea, Jon Wheat","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2025.2471805","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2025.2471805","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this study was to determine the number of crank revolutions required to obtain stable mean values of sagittal plane biomechanics variables, and the between-session reliability of these variables, whilst cyclists used an aerodynamic position. Eighteen elite cyclists completed a 3-min maximal bout on a cycling ergometer. Lower-limb kinematic and kinetic data were captured using 2D motion capture and force pedals. Raw data were filtered using a 4th order Butterworth low-pass filter (6 hz) and interpolated to 100 points per revolution. The middle 60 revolutions of each trial were extracted and 37 discrete and 15 time-series variables were calculated. Mean stability was assessed in all participants, and between-session reliability was analysed in a subset of 11 participants. Sequential averaging indicated more revolutions to stability than iterative intra-class correlation coefficients. Crank kinetics were more stable than joint kinematics and kinetics. For stable discrete and time-series variables, 30 and 38 revolutions are recommended, respectively. Between-day reliability for all variables was moderate to excellent, and good to excellent for crank kinetics and joint kinematics variables. Hip flexion-extension and ankle dorsiflexion kinetics were least reliable. Researchers and applied practitioners should consider these findings when planning, and interpreting results from, cycling biomechanics interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143537609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A topspin rate exceeding 110 rps reduces the ball time of arrival to the opponent: a table tennis rally study.","authors":"Shuji Kidokoro, Yuki Inaba, Kazuto Yoshida, Koshi Yamada, Hiroki Ozaki","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2022.2156916","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14763141.2022.2156916","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study experimentally investigated the factors affecting the time a table tennis ball with topspin takes to reach the opponent. Six skilled young players and one coach performed topspin forehand strokes under the observation of three high-speed cameras. As the distribution of the participants' measurements was uneven, additional data were collected using a launching machine that could control the ball speed and spin. To verify the effect of the spin rate on speed decay by drag, the translational speed was measured at 0.15 s after passing the baseline (23 m/s); the balls with topspin ≥110 rps, close to participants' average (117 ± 29 rps) were 1.4 m/s faster than those with topspin ≤80 rps. The horizontal ball speed changed in the range of -3.1 to 2.6 m/s owing to table bounce. At topspins ≥110 rps the ball reached a point 1 m past the end line (estimated receiving position) 27 ± 5 ms faster than at topspins ≤80 rps, for the same initial speed. The relationship between spin rate and travel time was non-linear with boundaries at 80 and 110 rps. Therefore, maintaining a spin rate of ≥ 110 rps along with a high initial speed is an effective strategy for reducing the opponent's preparation time.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"778-794"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10445470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Numerical study of transient aerodynamic forces acting on a ski jumper considering dynamic posture change from takeoff to landing.","authors":"Keizo Yamamoto, Takahiro Nishino, Rahul Bale, Tokimasa Shimada, Naoto Miyamoto, Makoto Tsubokura","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2022.2154256","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14763141.2022.2154256","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study was designed to develop a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method for unsteady analysis of a series of ski jump movements with attitude changes, and to analyse the aerodynamic characteristics of an expert jumper over the entire ski jump movement. Two ski jumpers participated in this study. A sensor-based motion capture suit was used to capture the jumper's posture during the actual ski jump. A three-dimensional computer graphics animation was created by superimposing the joint angles obtained from the motion measurements of the 3D shape of the athlete. The unsteady aerodynamic forces acting on the ski jumper, from the takeoff to the landing, were then calculated using CFD. A time-varying spatially uniform flow was specified as the inflow boundary condition of the computational domain. The results indicated that both the lift and drag forces of the expert jumper increase rapidly during the initial flight when the jumper's posture changes drastically. Thereafter, drag force decreased considerably, but the decrease in the lift force was less drastic. Later in the flight phase, the lift force acting on the expert jumper increased, and throughout the flight phase, the lift-drag ratio of the expert jumper remained higher than that of the unskilled jumper.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"763-777"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10332489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sports BiomechanicsPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2022-12-21DOI: 10.1080/14763141.2022.2153299
Samuel Zeff, Gillian Weir, Todd C Pataky, Joseph Hamill, Richard van Emmerik
{"title":"Modifications to head-trunk coordination dynamics during running and sidestepping.","authors":"Samuel Zeff, Gillian Weir, Todd C Pataky, Joseph Hamill, Richard van Emmerik","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2022.2153299","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14763141.2022.2153299","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this study was to determine how the intrinsic head-trunk coordination dynamics that exist during forward running are modified during a dynamic sidestepping task. Fourteen athletes performed both forward running and sidestepping tasks. Head-trunk coordination and range of motion were assessed during the flight and stance phases in the transverse and sagittal planes. The sidestepping task resulted in greater in-phase head-trunk coordination during stance in the transverse plane (p < .001, ES = -1.71) and in reduced anti-phase coordination between head and trunk in the sagittal plane (p < .001, ES = 1.52). Statistical non-parametric mapping revealed that during sidestepping the sagittal plane coupling angle shifted away from anti-phase earlier during midstance. The sidestepping task resulted in greater transverse and sagittal plane head and trunk range of motion and greater vertical trunk centre of mass displacement. Sidestepping modified the intrinsic coordination dynamics that are present during forward running, with greater transverse plane head contributions and reductions in compensatory sagittal plane head motion, which may occur during the transition from weight acceptance to propulsion during the stance phase. These changes in the intrinsic coordination dynamics of the upper body during sidestepping tasks may impact visual perception and readiness compared to forward running during complex sports tasks.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"742-762"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9313600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kitae Kim, Jinkyung Cho, Hokyung Choi, Junkyung Song
{"title":"Bow stability and postural sway during aiming and shooting in elite compound archery.","authors":"Kitae Kim, Jinkyung Cho, Hokyung Choi, Junkyung Song","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2024.2446172","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2024.2446172","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study explored the effects of postural sway and bow movements on shooting accuracy in elite compound archery, differentiating pre- and post-arrow release phases. International-level compound archers executed 72 shots each in a competition-like environment. During both the aiming and shooting phases, bow displacement and tremor index were measured with a motion capture system, while postural sway indices, such as centre of pressure (COP) displacement and speed, were derived using a force platform. Two-dimensional arrow impact coordinates on the target were transformed into an accuracy index, calculated as the Euclidean distance from the target centre. In the aiming phase, smaller bow displacement and tremor, along with reduced COP displacement and speed, were associated with higher accuracy. This suggests that stable posture and bow orientation during aiming enhance shooting outcomes in compound archery. In the shooting phase after the release, bow and postural sway exhibited no differences depending on the shooting accuracy but correlated with the spatial distribution of arrow impacts. This result, combined with the reduced bow tremor in high-accuracy shots, suggests that strategies involving moderate, smooth, and consistent movement after release are more crucial for enhancing shooting accuracy in compound archery rather than simply minimising or restricting motion.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143494505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Heinrich Leon Souza Viera, Tiago Dutra Leite-Nunes, Lucas Gidiel-Machado, Lorenzo Iop Laporta, Luiz Fernando Freire Royes, Michele Forgiarini Saccol, Fábio Juner Lanferdini
{"title":"Assessment of shoulder joint and muscle characteristics side-asymmetry in professional padel players.","authors":"Heinrich Leon Souza Viera, Tiago Dutra Leite-Nunes, Lucas Gidiel-Machado, Lorenzo Iop Laporta, Luiz Fernando Freire Royes, Michele Forgiarini Saccol, Fábio Juner Lanferdini","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2025.2468320","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2025.2468320","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Padel is a worldwide racket sport that is growing each year. The unilateral upper limb repetitive movements of this sport may lead to shoulder structural and functional adaptations, which may alter muscle mechanics, however evidence is limited. We aimed to investigate if there is morphological, mechanical and functional shoulder symmetry between upper limbs of professional padel players. Fourthteen (7♂ and 7♀) professional Brazilian padel players were evaluated at supraspinatus muscle thickness (MT), stiffness, shoulder rotation range of motion (ROM), shoulder internal and external rotation peak torques and their ratios (ER/IR) and fatigue index torque. Subsequently, were compared all variables between dominant and non-dominant sides (α = 0.05). Total work, IR and ER absolute and normalised torque were higher in the dominant limb (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Moreover, 78% and 64% of the athletes presented reduced ER/IR peak torque ratio values in the dominant and non-dominant upper limb, respectively. No differences in supraspinatus MT, stiffness and shoulder ROM were found. Our study found that Brazilian professional padel players have asymmetrical shoulder ER/IR peak torques ratio. Therefore, it's recommended for padel players to strengthen the ER of the dominant shoulder and both IR and ER of the non-dominant shoulder to address side-asymmetry and reduced ER peak torques.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143484557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Robbert P van Middelaar, Nicolle T van Rijswijk, Frank J Wouda, Peter H Veltink, Jasper Reenalda
{"title":"Estimating sagittal knee and ankle moment during running using only inertial measurement units: a top-down inverse dynamics approach.","authors":"Robbert P van Middelaar, Nicolle T van Rijswijk, Frank J Wouda, Peter H Veltink, Jasper Reenalda","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2025.2465793","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14763141.2025.2465793","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The net joint moment is a commonly investigated kinetic quantity in running but currently requires force plates and optical motion capture. This study proposes a physics-based top-down inverse dynamics method to estimate net sagittal knee and ankle moment across three speeds using only inertial measurement units (IMUs). This method does not require musculoskeletal modelling, machine learning, pressure insoles, or centre of pressure. The top-down method was validated against a 2D IMU-driven/3D marker-driven OpenSim model and an IMU-based bottom-up inverse dynamics approach. Strong correlations were found for the top-down net sagittal knee (0.87-0.96) and ankle moment (0.83-0.90) during stance. Maximum knee extension moment showed similar values during stance compared to IMU-based references, while maximum ankle plantar flexion moment was significantly higher. The marker-driven OpenSim model showed overall significantly lower values. This study highlights the potential of top-down inverse dynamics in calculating net sagittal knee moment during running using only IMUs, while the sagittal ankle moment was less accurate and needs a different approach. This method could potentially be used for running (i.e. providing feedback) during training sessions. However, a deeper understanding of upper body kinematics and kinetics is needed, as the top-down method is highly dependent on upper body movement.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143484558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jun Li, Kaicheng Wu, Zhen Xu, Dongqiang Ye, Jichao Wang, Bokai Suo, Zeyu Lu, Jianglong Zhan, Weijie Fu
{"title":"Effects of shoe bending stiffness on the coordination variability of lower extremities in alternating jump rope skipping.","authors":"Jun Li, Kaicheng Wu, Zhen Xu, Dongqiang Ye, Jichao Wang, Bokai Suo, Zeyu Lu, Jianglong Zhan, Weijie Fu","doi":"10.1080/14763141.2025.2467439","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2025.2467439","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to investigate how different longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) in jump rope shoes affect the coordination variability of lower extremity segments and athletic performance during alternating jump rope skipping (AJRS). Thirty-two elite male athletes performed 30-s AJRS tasks wearing shoes with LBS measured at 3.1 Nm/rad (no-carbon-fibre-plate jump rope shoes, NS), 5.1 Nm/rad (low-stiffness-carbon-fibre-plate jump rope shoes, LS) and 7.6 Nm/rad (high-stiffness-carbon-fibre-plate jump rope shoes, HS). Motion capture tracked lower extremity kinematics. The HS shoes exhibited a more ground contacts in the first stage (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and a shorter average ground contact time (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The HS exhibited a smaller metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) extension angle during 30-44% of the stance phase (<i>p</i> < 0.05), smaller MARP (mean absolute relative phase) of the MTPJ-ankle segments (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and smaller CRP (continuous relative phase) during 24-45% of the stance phase (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Coordination variability of the MTPJ-ankle segments was negatively correlated with the number of ground contacts during AJRS (<i>p</i> < 0.01, adjust R<sup>2</sup> = 0.192). HS could provide enhanced stability by reducing coordination variability and enhance performance during the first stage in ARJS. These findings could provide insights for guiding future research and development in jump rope shoe design.</p>","PeriodicalId":49482,"journal":{"name":"Sports Biomechanics","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143469770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}