Analysing Movement through the use of Technology

• Force plates are a platform that measures all of the forces applied when a performer stands, steps across or jumps on it.
• The force plate measures the ground reaction force that the performer generates.
• The force plate measures force over time.
• The force plate can be used to measure movement and gait analysis.
• An advantage of force plates is they can prevent injury.
• An advantage of force plates is improved technical performance.
• An advantage of force plates is they provide accurate and immediate results.
• A disadvantage of force plates is they are expensive.
• A disadvantage of force plates is it is difficult to replicate sporting conditions in the lab.
• A disadvantage of force plates is specialist skills and trainign are required to use the equipment.
• A disadvantage of force plates is the force plates must be calibrated.
• Limb kinematics is the study of movements of the limbs in space and the time taken to carry out the movements.
• Limb kinematics includes the study of gait.
• Reflective markers are placed on the performers bony landmarks and they are filmed using multiple video cameras during limb kinematics.
• The data from limb kinematics is transferred into a digital format for analysis.
• Limb kinematics can be used through videos to provide a 3D analysis of a sportin action, movement, skill, or technique.
• Limb kinematics can be used to assess gait, movment efficiency, velocity, acceleration, and joint angles.
• An advantage of limb kinematics is they provide acurate data immediately.
• An advantage of limb kinematics is coaches can use the analysis to make changes to technique to prevent injury.
• An advantage of limb kinematics is it helps prevent chronic injuries.
• An advantage of limb kinematics is it identifies small changes to improve technique which can aid in the selection of appropriate equipment.
• A disadvantage of limb kinematics is the equipment is expensive.
• A disadvantage of limb kinematics is the laboratory conditions make some techniques difficult to perform due to the lack of space or similarity to real life.
• A disadvantage of limb kinematics is the results do not take into account the individual differences.
• A wind tunnel is a chamber through which air is forced.
• The object being tested is placed in a wind tunnel, a controlled flow of air is forced through and the airflow around the object is studied to measure air resistance around the object.
• A disadvantage of wind tunnels is the equpiment is expensive which creates an unfair advantage.
• A disadvantage of wind tunnels is the equipment is usually located in engineering facilities.
• A disadvantage of wind tunnels is real life conditions may alter the results unexpectedly, so the results may not always be realistic.
• An advantage of wind tunnels is the equipment and technique can be adapted to increase the aerodynamic properties, reduce the effect of air resistance and increase performance.
• An advantage of wind tunnels is speed and wind direction are controllable to mimic competitive conditions.
• An advantage of wind tunnels is individual pieces of equipment can be tested.