BIOMECHANICS IN TEACHING AND COACHING – SYSTEMATIC APPROACHES TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF MECHANISMS IN PERFORMANCE AND INJURY

Abstract

As biomechanists we are concerned with generating, synthesising and organising biomechanical knowledge for the student and the coach. What may be organised knowledge from the point of view of-the biomechanist, may appear as random information to the coach. To help in the generation and conveyance of effective knowledge a systematic approach is required. This systematic approach involves setting out a framework or model within which provides direction in the collection of biomechanical data, and which leads naturally to a consideration of the underlying mechanisms. The purpose of this paper is\to identify and illustrate several systematic approaches to achieve this goal. Four main models can be identified. The first, and most well known approach is to use a Technique Analysis model. This takes a temporal view of the skill, and is essentially descriptive. Despite the frequency with which this term is used a systematic approach to the analysis of technique is rarely defined or used in the literature. A second model is an Ergonomics model. This uses the classical approach of ergonomics to perform a task analysis of the sport or skill. The focus