A CASE STUDY ON BALANCE RECOVERY IN SLACKLINING

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the basic balance recovery movements performed during slackline balancing. Slacklining is an activity where the athlete balances on a thin piece of webbing that is mounted between two fixed points in a not too tight way. We designed an experimental setting where a controlled perturbation is applied to the slackline and study the movements of athletes to regain a balanced position. Four athletes took part in the study and for each we recorded five trials using a Vicon motion capture system. With the help of a 15 segment biomechanical model we studied mechanical quantities like the center of mass trajectory, the energy contributions, and also analyzed joint actuation patterns.