Kinematic factors associated with start performance in World-class male sprinters

Walker, Josh, Bissas, Athanassios ORCID: 0000-0002-7858-9623, Paradisis, Giorgos P., Hanley, Brian, Tucker, Catherine B., Jongerius, Nils, Thomas, Aaron, von Lieres und Wilkau, Hans C, Brazil, Adam, Wood, Matthew A., Merlino, Stéphane, Vazel, Pierre-Jean and Bezodis, Ian N. (2021) Kinematic factors associated with start performance in World-class male sprinters. Journal of Biomechanics, 124. Art 110554. doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110554

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Abstract

The aim was to investigate the kinematic factors associated with successful performance in the initial acceleration phase of a sprint in the best male athletes in the World at the 2018 World Indoor Athletics Championships. High speed video (150 Hz) was captured for eight sprinters in the men’s 60 m final. Spatio-temporal and joint kinematic variables were calculated from the set position to the end of the first ground contact post-block exit (GC1). Normalised average horizontal external power (NAHEP) defined performance and was the dependent variable for a series of regression analyses. Clear relationships were found between GC1 NAHEP and 10-m time, 60-m time, change in velocity, acceleration and contact time in the first ground contact (r = –0.74, –0.64, 0.96, 0.91 and –0.56, respectively). Stepwise multiple linear regression of joint kinematic variables in the first ground contact revealed that trunk angle at take-off and thigh separation angle at take-off explained nearly 90% of variation in GC1 NAHEP (R2 = 0.89). The athletes’ projection at take-off with a forward leaning trunk and large thigh separation is characteristic therefore of excellent initial acceleration performance and this will be a good visual guide for technical coaching instruction. This was the first study of its kind to adopt such a research design in a World-class sample in a representative environment. Future studies that combine detailed kinematic and kinetic data capture and analysis in such a setting will add further insight to the findings of this investigation.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Acceleration; Athletics; Elite; Power; Running
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV557 Sports > GV1060 Track and field athletics Q Science > QP Physiology > QP301.H75 Physiology. Sport
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education and Science
Research Priority Areas:	Health, Life Sciences, Sport and Wellbeing
Depositing User:	Rhiannon Goodland
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2021 10:21
Last Modified:	31 Aug 2023 09:07
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/9874

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