Summary
Contents
This book provides students and scholars with a fail-safe guide to the key concepts in the field of Sport & Exercise Science. Intelligently cross-referenced entries provide a sound map of the multi-disciplinary demands of sport related courses including physical and biological sciences, social science and education. The entries use clear definitions, examples, and suggestions for further reading to explore each discipline.
Biomechanics
Introduction
Biomechanics is the area of sport and exercise science where the laws, principles and methods of mechanics are applied to the structure and function of the human body. Mechanics can be divided into two categories: statics, which is the study of stationary objects, and dynamics, which is the study of moving objects. Examples of static analysis in sport include standing, different balances in gymnastics and acrobatics and certain resistance exercises where no movement is apparent but large forces may be exerted such as in a scrum in rugby or a closely matched tug-of-war contest. Most activities in physical activity and sport involve movement and therefore require the application of dynamics to understand that movement.
Two other subdivisions are often used to describe different levels of ...
