scholarly journals Association between Changes in Swimming Velocity, Vertical Center of Mass Position, and Projected Frontal Area during Maximal 200-m Front Crawl

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Sohei Washino ◽  
Akihiko Murai ◽  
Hirotoshi Mankyu ◽  
Yasuhide Yoshitake

We examined the association between changes in swimming velocity, vertical center of mass (CoM) position, and projected frontal area (PFA) during maximal 200-m front crawl. Three well-trained male swimmers performed a single maximal 200-m front crawl in an indoor 25-m pool. Three-dimensional (3D) shape data of the whole body were fitted to 3D motion data during swimming by using inverse kinematics computation to estimate PFA accurately. Swimming velocity decreased, the vertical CoM position was lowered, and PFA increased with swimming distance. There were significant correlations between swimming velocity and vertical CoM position (|r| = 0.797–0.982) and between swimming velocity and PFA (|r| = 0.716–0.884) for each swimmer. These results suggest that descent of the swimmer’s body and increasing PFA with swimming distance are associated with decreasing swimming velocity, although the causal factor remains unclear.

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Zago ◽  
Andrea Francesco Motta ◽  
Andrea Mapelli ◽  
Isabella Annoni ◽  
Christel Galvani ◽  
...  

Abstract Soccer kicking kinematics has received wide interest in literature. However, while the instep-kick has been broadly studied, only few researchers investigated the inside-of-the-foot kick, which is one of the most frequently performed techniques during games. In particular, little knowledge is available about differences in kinematics when kicking with the preferred and non-preferred leg. A motion analysis system recorded the three-dimensional coordinates of reflective markers placed upon the body of nine amateur soccer players (23.0 ± 2.1 years, BMI 22.2 ± 2.6 kg/m2), who performed 30 pass-kicks each, 15 with the preferred and 15 with the non-preferred leg. We investigated skill kinematics while maintaining a perspective on the complete picture of movement, looking for laterality related differences. The main focus was laid on: anatomical angles, contribution of upper limbs in kick biomechanics, kinematics of the body Center of Mass (CoM), which describes the whole body movement and is related to balance and stability. When kicking with the preferred leg, CoM displacement during the ground-support phase was 13% higher (p<0.001), normalized CoM height was 1.3% lower (p<0.001) and CoM velocity 10% higher (p<0.01); foot and shank velocities were about 5% higher (p<0.01); arms were more abducted (p<0.01); shoulders were rotated more towards the target (p<0.01, 6° mean orientation difference). We concluded that differences in motor control between preferred and non-preferred leg kicks exist, particularly in the movement velocity and upper body kinematics. Coaches can use these results to provide effective instructions to players in the learning process, moving their focus on kicking speed and upper body behavior


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Momoko Yamagata ◽  
Hiroshige Tateuchi ◽  
Itsuroh Shimizu ◽  
Junya Saeki ◽  
Noriaki Ichihashi

Abstract Background Incorrect body weight shifting is a frequent cause of falls, and the control of the whole-body center of mass (CoM) by segmental coordination is essential during walking. Uncontrolled manifold (UCM) analysis is a method of examining the relation between variance in segmental coordination and CoM stability. However, no prospective cohort study has thoroughly investigated how variance in segmental configurations to stabilize the CoM relates to future falls. This study explored whether variance to stabilize the CoM was related to future falls. Methods At the baseline visit, 30 community-dwelling older adults walked 20 times on a 6-m walkway. Using kinematic data collected during walking by a three-dimensional motion capture system, UCM analysis was performed to investigate how segmental configuration contributes to CoM stability in the frontal plane. One year after the baseline visit, we evaluated whether the subjects experienced falls. Twelve subjects had experienced falls, and 16 had not. Comparisons of variance between older adults with and without falls were conducted by covariate analysis. Results No significant differences in variance were found in the mediolateral direction, whereas in the vertical direction, older adults with fall experiences had a greater variance, reflecting an unstable CoM, than those with no fall experiences. Conclusions We verified that the high variance in segmental configurations that destabilize the CoM in the vertical direction was related to future falls. The variables of UCM analysis can be useful for evaluating fall risk.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 198-208
Author(s):  
Alison Schinkel-Ivy ◽  
Vicki Komisar ◽  
Carolyn A. Duncan

Investigating balance reactions following continuous, multidirectional, support surface perturbations is essential for improving our understanding of balance control in moving environments. Segmental motions are often incorporated into rapid balance reactions following external perturbations to balance, although the effects of these motions during complex, continuous perturbations have not been assessed. This study aimed to quantify the contributions of body segments (ie, trunk, head, upper extremity, and lower extremity) to the control of center-of-mass (COM) movement during continuous, multidirectional, support surface perturbations. Three-dimensional, whole-body kinematics were captured while 10 participants experienced 5 minutes of perturbations. Anteroposterior, mediolateral, and vertical COM position and velocity were calculated using a full-body model and 7 models with reduced numbers of segments, which were compared with the full-body model. With removal of body segments, errors relative to the full-body model increased, while relationship strength decreased. The inclusion of body segments appeared to affect COM measures, particularly COM velocity. Findings suggest that the body segments may provide a means of improving the control of COM motion, primarily its velocity, during continuous, multidirectional perturbations, and constitute a step toward improving our understanding of how the limbs contribute to balance control in moving environments.


2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshimasa Yanai

This study was conducted to describe the kinematics of bodyroll and investigate whether bodyroll was propelled primarily by the turning effect of the fluid forces (external torque) or by the reaction effect due to the acceleration of the limbs. The performances of 11 competitive swimmers were recorded using two panning periscopes, and the three-dimensional movement of the subjects was reconstructed from digitized video recordings. The external torque acting on the whole body was determined as the first time-derivative of the angular momentum of the whole body. The reaction effect of limb acceleration was determined as the first time-derivative of the angular momenta of the limbs. Shoulder roll and hip roll angles changed synchronously with the stroke frequency but their amplitudes were substantially different, indicating that the bodyroll consisted of a roll of the entire torso and a twist of the torso. The overall contribution of the external torque was to propel bodyroll, while that of the reaction effects of limb accelerations was to resist bodyroll. These results clearly indicate that the primary source for propelling bodyroll was the external torque. Implications towards the mechanical interactions among bodyroll, stroke frequency, and forward propulsion in front crawl swimming were discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro G. Morouço ◽  
Daniel A. Marinho ◽  
Mikel Izquierdo ◽  
Henrique Neiva ◽  
Mário C. Marques

The relative contribution of arm stroke and leg kicking to maximal fully tethered front crawl swimming performance remains to be solved. Twenty-three national level young swimmers (12 male and 11 female) randomly performed 3 bouts of 30 s fully tethered swimming (using the whole body, only the arm stroke, and only the leg kicking). A load-cell system permitted the continuous measurement of the exerted forces, and swimming velocity was calculated from the time taken to complete a 50 m front crawl swim. As expected, with no restrictions swimmers were able to exert higher forces than that using only their arm stroke or leg kicking. Estimated relative contributions of arm stroke and leg kicking were 70.3% versus 29.7% for males and 66.6% versus 33.4% for females, with 15.6% and 13.1% force deficits, respectively. To obtain higher velocities, male swimmers are highly dependent on the maximum forces they can exert with the arm stroke (r=0.77,P<0.01), whereas female swimmers swimming velocity is more related to whole-body mean forces (r=0.81,P<0.01). The obtained results point that leg kicking plays an important role over short duration high intensity bouts and that the used methodology may be useful to identify strength and/or coordination flaws.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 3021-3029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helga Hirschfeld ◽  
Maria Thorsteinsdottir ◽  
Elisabeth Olsson

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis whether weight transfer during sit-to-stand (STS) is the result of coordinated ground forces exerted by buttocks and feet before seat-off. Whole-body kinematics and three-dimensional ground forces from left and right buttock as well as from left and right foot were recorded for seven adults during STS. We defined a preparatory phase from onset of the first detectable anterior/posterior (A/P) force to seat-off (buttock forces fell to 0) and a rising phase from seat-off to the decrease of center of mass (CoM) vertical velocity to zero. STS was induced by an increase of vertical and backward directed ground forces exerted by the buttocks that significantly preceded the onset of any trunk movement. All ground forces peaked before or around the moment of seat-off, whereas all kinematic variables, except trunk forward rotation and hip flexion, peaked after seat-off, during or after the rising phase. The present study suggests that the weight transfer from sit to stand is induced by ground forces exerted by buttocks and feet before seat-off, i.e., during the preparatory phase. The buttocks generate the isometric “rising forces,” e.g., the propulsive impulse for the forward acceleration of the body, while the feet apply adequate damping control before seat-off. This indicates that the rising movement is a result of these coordinated forces, targeted to match the subject's weight and support base distance between buttocks and feet. The single peaked, bell-shaped profiles peaking before seat-off, were seen beneath buttocks for the “rising drive,” i.e., between the time of peak backward directed force and seat-off, as well as beneath the feet for the “damping drive,” i.e., from onset to the peak of forward-directed force and for CoM A/P velocity. This suggests that both beginning and end of the weight transfer process are programmed before seat-off. The peak deceleration of A/P CoM took place shortly (∼100 ms) after CoM peak velocity, resulting in a well controlled CoM deceleration before seat-off. In contrast to the view of other authors, this suggests that body equilibrium is controlled during weight transfer.


Paleobiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 550-568
Author(s):  
Peter J. Bishop ◽  
Karl T. Bates ◽  
Vivian R. Allen ◽  
Donald M. Henderson ◽  
Marcela Randau ◽  
...  

AbstractThroughout their 250 Myr history, archosaurian reptiles have exhibited a wide array of body sizes, shapes, and locomotor habits, especially in regard to terrestriality. These features make Archosauria a useful clade with which to study the interplay between body size, shape, and locomotor behavior, and how this interplay may have influenced locomotor evolution. Here, digital volumetric models of 80 taxa are used to explore how mass properties and body proportions relate to each other and locomotor posture in archosaurs. One-way, nonparametric, multivariate analysis of variance, based on the results of principal components analysis, shows that bipedal and quadrupedal archosaurs are largely distinguished from each other on the basis of just four anatomical parameters (p < 0.001): mass, center of mass position, and relative forelimb and hindlimb lengths. This facilitates the development of a quantitative predictive framework that can help assess gross locomotor posture in understudied or controversial taxa, such as the crocodile-line Batrachotomus (predicted quadruped) and Postosuchus (predicted biped). Compared with quadrupedal archosaurs, bipedal species tend to have relatively longer hindlimbs and a more caudally positioned whole-body center of mass, and collectively exhibit greater variance in forelimb lengths. These patterns are interpreted to reflect differing biomechanical constraints acting on the archosaurian Bauplan in bipedal versus quadrupedal groups, which may have shaped the evolutionary histories of their respective members.


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