KINEMATICS OF ASSISTED AND RESISTED SPRINTING AS COMPARED TO NORMAL FREE SPRINTING IN TRAINED ATHLETES

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the kinematics of sprinting under assisted (or overspeed) and resisted conditions as compared to normal sprinting during the acceleration and top-speed phases of a sprint. SIX volunteer subjects completed 3 trials of each of 4 conditions: assisted sprinting (AS); free sprinting (FS); resisted sprinting (RS); and, sprint start (SS). One trial per subject per condition was randomly selected for kinematic analysis. Video (60 Hz) was collected in the sagittal plane for two full strides and analysed in 2D using an 8-point, 6-segment model with APAS software. Statistical analysis found no significant differences between AS and FS for any kinematic parameters. No significant differences were found between RS and SS for any kinematic parameters. AS differed significantly (p<0.05) from both RS and SS for average running speed, stride length, ground contact time, and trunk angle. Further research is needed to clarify the usefulness of AS and RS as training techniques to improve sprint performance.