SPRINT START KINETICS: COMPARISON OF AMPUTEE AND NON-AMPUTEE SPRINTERS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to observe relationships between reaction forces measured with an instrumented force starting block, start performance (normalized average horizontal block power) and 100 m personal record times in 142 male and female able-bodied sprinters. Further, start kinetics of 7 amputee sprinters and ablebodied sprinters of similar 100 m performance level were compared. Amputee sprinters showed a reduced starting performance, which seems to be related to their lower capacity of creating high peak forces with their rear (affected) legs. In able-bodied athletes, starting performance was related to peak force production in the front and rear blocks, but also to the ability to apply these forces in a horizontal direction. The obtained dataset offers a strong potential for the use in performance diagnostics and feedback training.