Introduction to Biomechanics

Defining Terms and Concepts

KIN 216 Biomechanics

The School of Kinesiology
The University of British Columbia
The goals for today’s class are
to:

● Define the field of “biomechanics”

○ What is it that we are studying in this course?

● Identify practical applications for biomechanical theory

○ Who uses biomechanics?
 What does the term kinesiology mean?
Why did you choose to enroll in the School of Kinesiology?

What were your favourite courses (topics) that you

took last year?

What courses (topics) are looking forward to taking?

 Defining kinesiology
Kinesis = movement, activity
Logia = a branch of learning

Kinesiology examines movement from the cellular to

the societal level
i.e., physiological, mechanical, and psychological
mechanisms
 Anatomy

Strength &
Biomechanics
Conditioning

Kinesiology
Rehabilitation Motor Control

Physiology
Psychology
Defining Biomechanics

BIOMECHANICS

Biology Mechanics

The study of living organisms Analysis of forces and their effects

Biomechanics is the study of forces and their

effects on living systems
The History of Biomechanics

● Giovanni Alfonso Borelli (1608-1679) was a Renaissance Italian physiologist,

physicist, and mathematician

● He contributed to the modern principle of scientific investigation by testing

hypotheses against observation

● Trained in mathematics he studied the mechanics of animal locomotion

and used microscopy to investigate the stomatal movement of plants
The History of Biomechanics
● Étienne-Jules Marey (1830-1904) was a French scientist, who was a pioneer of
photography and an influential pioneer of the history of cinema

● Marey was interested in the “Animal Mechanism” and developed cameras

that could record several phases of movement on one photographic surface
(flying pelican captured in 1882)
The History of Biomechanics
● The word biomechanics was coined by Nikolai Bernstein (1896-1966), a Soviet
neurophysiologist (largely self-taught)

● Bernstein was one of the pioneers in the field of motor control and motor learning; the field
that examines how the central nervous system controls posture and movement

● His first scientific work was in 1922, when he examined movement during manual
labour to optimize productivity

● His research showed that most movements are composed of smaller movements
and if any one of these smaller movements are altered the movement as a whole is
affected

● Since he did his research behind the iron curtain of the USSR, his ideas only became known
to Western scientists in the 1960s, when his work was translated into English from Russian
The History of Sport Biomechanics

● By the early 20th century researchers had a variety of devices, including cameras
and pressure-sensitive equipment, to measure and record forces and
motions in a variety of activity

● The Baseball Magazine commissioned a study in 1912 to determine the speed of a

baseball (and identify key pitching mechanics)

● The mechanics of other sports quickly followed: sprinting (1920), swimming (1930),
and track and field skills (1939)

● In 1955, the book Scientific Principles of Coaching was published, one of the
first texts to emphasize mechanics (technique)

● By the 1960’s the field of biomechanics had formally arrived

Biomechanics is …..

● Biomechanics is the study of structure and function of

biological systems by means of the methods of mechanics (Herbert
Hatze 1974)

● Biomechanics is the study of all living things, a fairly broad topic

● We might want to narrow our focus of study to sport and exercise

● We could then define sport and exercise biomechanics as the study of

forces and their effects on humans in exercise and sport
But ….. What is Biomechanics Really About?

● Biomechanics deals with quantitative reasoning, the ability to reason

quantitatively and to model and solve problems with quantitative methods

● Generally, there are three basic steps in solving a problem:

○ Understand the problem (identify known and unknown information)
○ Carry out a strategy for solving the problem (identify the process)
○ Check your answer (identify what it means)

● Many problems are posed in real-life settings (applications), to understand

how and why the human body moves in the way that it does
Defining Mechanics
The science concerned with the effects of forces acting on objects

Rigid-Body Deformable-
Fluid Mechanics
Mechanics Body Mechanics

Relativistic Quantum
Mechanics Mechanics
Why Study Biomechanics?

To improve performance …

… by improving technique
Why Study Biomechanics?

To improve performance …

… by changing the equipment used

Why Study Biomechanics?

To improve performance …

… by making modifications in training

Why Study Biomechanics?

To prevent or recover from injury …

… finding techniques to reduce injury

Why Study Biomechanics?

To prevent or recover from injury …

…… designing equipment to reduce injury

 A Biomechanical Question
Could running in high heels be better for your knees than running in
athletic shoes?
Mechanical Concepts

BIOMECHANICS

KINEMATICS KINETICS

Examining Movement Examining Forces

Mechanical Concepts
● Kinematics
○ Describing motion over space and time

■ Running shoes are stiffer and padded

■ Offer protection yet also alter technique and foot movement

■ High-heeled shoes provide limited support

■ The foot flexes more in high heels

■ Greater range of motion of the foot when wearing heels

■ Tissues that stretch act like a spring
Mechanical Concepts
● Kinetics
○ Study of forces causing or resulting from motion

Runners wearing sneakers Runners wearing heels

land heel first land on the front-foot

The knee and ankle absorb less force when landing on

the front foot
Mechanical Concepts

Statics Dynamics
In a constant state of A change in velocity
motion Acceleration present
Motionless
Moving at a constant speed

What type of task is running?

What type of footwear is better suited for the task?
Basic Dimensions and Units of Measurement

● Mechanics is a quantitative science and if something is quantifiable, certain

aspects of it are measurable and can be expressed in numbers

● To measure something, we must have a common unit of expression

(International System of Units or SI units)

● Measurements should include a numeric value and unit (0.0 m)

● Defining terms
○ Dictionary vs. operational definitions
Basic Dimensions and Units of Measurement
● Length
○ The extent of something from end to end
○ Term used to describe the position of a system
○ Measured in meters (m)

● Time
○ A duration
○ A measure of performance (and descriptor of success)
○ Measured in seconds (s)

● Inertia
○ Resistance to change (in motion)
○ Measured in kilogram (kg), a unit of mass
○ Mass is a quantity of matter
Exploring Rigid-Body Mechanics

BIOMECHANICS

KINEMATICS KINETICS

Examining Movement Examining Forces

LINEAR ANGULAR LINEAR ANGULAR

Between Rotations Forces Torques

Points
Who Gives a Darn About this Stuff?
Applications of the terms and concepts discussed in today’s class include....

Biotribology, an applied subfields of biomechanics, examines how living

systems interact with objects (i.e., contact surfaces) during motion

Orthotics adjust and even out the contact forces between the foot and the ground
to reduce pain and discomfort

Shoes with firm midsoles keep the heel secure and reduce the degree of
lateral movement when the foot contacts the ground
Key
Takeaways • Biomechanics is the study of forces and their
effects on living systems (whereas exercise and
From sport biomechanics is the study of forces and their
effects on humans in exercise and sport)
Today
• Biomechanics may be a useful tool for sport
educators, teachers, coaches, athletic trainers,
physical therapists and others involved in human
movement

• Application of biomechanics may lead to

performance improvement or the reduction and
If you have any questions
about what was covered in
rehabilitation of injury through improved
today’s class, please come techniques, equipment, or training
and see me