MAGNITUDE AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EXTERNAL FORCE PRODUCTION IN THE STARTING BLOCKS: RELATIONSHIP WITH PERFORMANCE

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate magnitude and technical characteristics of external force production in the block phase of the sprint start. Nine male sprinters (100 m PB 10.48 ± 0.28 s) performed five to six maximal effort block starts. External force applied to the front and rear blocks were measured using customised instrumented blocks. Average horizontal, vertical and resultant force, and the angle of the resultant force vector underwent correlational analyses with block performance (normalised average horizontal power). Results revealed that front block average horizontal, vertical and resultant force, and rear block angle of the resultant force vector possessed significant relationships with performance, and highlighted that both magnitude and technical characteristics were related to block performance.