RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOT PRESSURES AND HORIZONTAL VELOCITIES ALTERATIONS WHILE HURDLING

Abstract

This study analyzed the landing phase of hurdle clearance to investigate how the vertical displacement in the hurdler’s center of mass and foot pressures at ground contact lead to a change in the hurdler’s overall horizontal velocity of the center of mass. Four male collegiate high hurdlers were videotaped from three camera views as they performed three trials of clearing the first 42 inch high hurdle during a start time trial. Also, simultaneous in-shoe foot pressures were collected at 400 Hz using a Tekscan Fscan with a 50 ft cable tether. A significant correlation of r=.612 (?=.034) was found between the center of mass (CM) horizontal velocity and the heel pressure (Pa) during the landing phase. Greater heel pressure at landing contributed to a decrease in the hurdlers’ horizontal velocity.