KINEMATICS ANALYSIS OF POLE VAULT DURING NATIONAL INDOOR ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Abstract

There should be a minimal level of individual variation presented by athletes in high level competitions, reflecting a high degree of consistency in the form of execution. By registering and subsequently analysing kinematic and kinetic data, obtained during athletic exercises, it is possible to verify such differences. The objective of this work was to collect kinematic data in order to quantify and verify these differences. Parameters such as amplitude, frequency, velocity, inter-segmental angles and kinetic energy were quantified, in order to understand the variations found in the different parameters. One should assume that an athlete that presents major variations from the above-mentioned parameters is not at his or her best form. We analysed 16 exercises of 3 athletes in the Portugal Indoor Championship in the year of the Sydney Olympic Games. This analysis enabled trainers to gain access to information on stability of technique in the exercise of each jump.