Sports biomechanics is the study of athlete movement and the internal and external forces generated by or acting upon the body during sports activities. The application of biomechanics in sport can help athletes reach higher levels of performance while reducing their chance of injury. According to Beth Wilcox, PhD, sports medicine researcher at Mass General Brigham’s Center for Sports Performance and Research, "Professional sports teams have recognized the value of biomechanical applications in sport, and many now have full-time biomechanists on staff. Studying how athletes move, whether they are seasoned professionals or amateurs just starting out, can provide valuable lessons that help unlock potential and improve performance exponentially.”
Biomechanics is a scientific field that applies the laws of mechanics and physics to the movement of living things. At its broadest level, it includes everything from learning how muscle cells contract, to analyzing the gait of a running horse, to understanding the complex, full-body movements of a dancer.
Biomechanics in sports is a narrower field that provides valuable information to athletes, coaches, and sports medicine professionals to optimize performance and reduce the risk of injury. Biomechanical assessments can identify inefficient movement patterns, quantify rotational forces at individual joints, identify muscle imbalances, monitor fatigue and measure improvement of an athlete's movement quality during rehabilitation.
Kinetics and kinematics are two important sub-categories of biomechanics. Kinetics examines the forces that cause motion, such as muscular force and gravity, while kinematics quantifies the properties of movement, such as velocity and acceleration.
There are three main ways that biomechanics is useful in sports:
Biomechanical analysis in sport takes many forms. A coach or medical professional visually assessing a runner's gait on a treadmill is a simple form of sports biomechanics. More advanced forms of biomechanical analysis integrate advanced technology to gain a deeper understanding of athletic movement than is achievable using the unaided human eye.
Biomechanical technology includes a wide variety of devices, including:
Biomechanics is used to analyze an athlete's movements and the forces produced by and acting on that athlete’s body. This analysis can help the athlete improve their technique, optimize performance, and/or minimize the risk of injury. Biomechanics can also be used to understand the relationship between the athlete, their environment, and the equipment they use. Biomechanical testing is used in the design and development of sporting equipment such as footwear, apparel, protective equipment, wearables, prosthetics, and adaptive equipment for athletes with disabilities.
Coaches can use the principles of biomechanics in sport to analyze player performance, identify inefficient technique, help players prevent or recover from injuries, and develop conditioning protocols that target athletes' areas of weakness.
Biomechanics is relevant to more than just sports. Most things we interact with can be understood biomechanically. For instance, automotive designers must consider the way human bodies move to build cars that are comfortable and easy to use. Biomechanics also explains many common movement problems: "text neck" is a perfect example of a biomechanical problem induced by the way we use an everyday object like a cell phone. "Text neck" refers to the strain and discomfort in the neck and upper back caused by looking down at mobile devices for extended periods. This posture can lead to muscle fatigue and pain.
Your movements—even those you think about and practice in athletic training—are the result of habits. These habits can be good (like squatting with your knees in line with your toes) or bad (lifting with your back). Biomechanics exercises are usually repeated exercises that encourage optimal movement patterns and help you develop better habits.