A Cinematographical Study Of The Effects Of The Kinematic Link Principle On Performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the effects of the Kinematic Link Principle with Newton's Third Law of Action-Reaction on executing both a jump smash in badminton and a jump serve in volleyball. A Locam camera, operating at 200 frames per second was used to film three badminton players performing the jump smash and the standing smash. The same Locam camera, operating at 150 frames per second was used to film three volleyball players performing the jump serve and the standing serve. A Vanguard Motion Analyzer was used to digitize the film. The trial that produced the fastest initial shuttlecock or volleyball velocity was used for filrther analyses. The fastest initial shuttlecock (volleyball) velocities from the standing smash (serve) were found to be slower than the slowest initial shuttlecock (volleyball) velocities from the jump smash (serve). The linear velocities at contact of selected body joints, angular velocities at contact, and the average angular velocities throughout the range of motion, were found to be faster in the jump smash (serve). The data suggested the Kinematic Link Principle is more effective during the jump smash (serve) when compared to the standing smash (serve). The Kinematic Link Principle is found to be relatively more effective in the badminton jump smash than in the volleyball jump serve because of the lighter mass of the shuttlecock when compared to the volleyball. It was concluded that while Newton's Law of Action-Reaction is more effective in the standing serve/smash, the advantage of the Kinematic Link Principle in the jump serve/smash more than offsets the advantage extended by Newton's Law of Action-Reaction.