Sports Biomechanics

The essence of physical activity and sport is to set one's body in motion, by one's own means, sometimes using dedicated equipment, and in interaction with the surrounding environment. Walking, running, jumping and throwing all involve setting your own body in motion, and if necessary, propelling a device such as a ball, javelin or discus.

Consequently, jumping high means raising your own mass as high as possible; jumping long means propelling your own mass as far and high as possible; running means transporting your own mass as fast as possible, and so on.

The scientific approach that both describes and explains these movements is the mechanics of movement, also known as the science of movement. This scientific approach, which today is becoming increasingly biomechanical through the integration of muscular models and the command laws that activate these muscles –, is such that it is able to relate controlled and coordinated muscular activity to an explanatory analysis of human locomotion through the application of the laws of the mechanics of polyarticulated systems. Using these laws, the aim is to link and understand the causes and effects of movement, in order to assess the gestures performed. This formulation does not, of course, exclude the two other scientific approaches that are just as essential for analyzing human locomotion, namely integrated physiology and neuroscience, the former through analysis of the energy inputs essential for muscular function, and the latter through formulation of the movement command laws specific to motor control. The analysis of locomotion in living organisms therefore includes numerous factors – - we speak of a multifactorial approach to the analysis of physical and sporting activities.

The process isn't always easy: the movement of the body is experienced by each and every one of us, and we tend to come up with our own explanation. However, we agree with Paul MOUY when he writes in his book "Logique et philosophie des sciences": "The mistake is to believe that facts already contain the explanation. It must be introduced... The basis of the experimental method is the invention of the mathematical formula". It's this mathematical formula that we're going to introduce by studying man in movement in its entirety, with the aim of achieving a sporting performance.

What all sporting gestures have in common is that, in order to move, athletes set their body segments in motion, according to a gesture technique specific to the sport. These segmental movements are made possible by the action...