FORCE-MOTION PRINCIPLE

- unbalanced forces are acting on our bodies or

objects when we either create or modify movement.

-Forces must act first, before changes in motion can

occur.

e.g. changes in direction to avoid an obstacle is

started by muscular action generated within the
body.
 GROUND REACTION FORCE

• reaction force provided by

the surface upon which
one is moving
• Vector with 3 components
which are independent of
each other.
• Measured using a FORCE
PLATFORM
• Scaled by dividing force
Components by Body Wt.
GRF
DIFFERENCES IN
RUNNING :

WITH
RUNNNING
SHOES &

WHEN BARE
FOOT
 FRICTION

• A force acting
parallel to the
interface of 2
surfaces that are in
contact during
motion

• Ff =μ N
• Ff= Force of friction
• μ= Co-efficient of
friction
• N= Normal contact force
FORCE-TIME PRINCIPLE

-It is not only the amount of force that can increase the
motion of an object; the amount of time over which force
can be applied also affects the resulting motion.

-the more time a muscular action is generated, the larger

the force it can produce. Consequently, motions that are
executed quickly do not generate as much force.

e.g. hurrying in executing a lift decreases force

generation.
 ELASTIC FORCE

• When force is applied to a material, it causes a

change in length:
• F=kΔs
• K= constant of porportionality= stiffness/ ability or material to
be compressed
• Δs=change in length

• The stiffer the material, the greater the force needed

to stretch it
• Bioligical tissues often don’t exceed elastic limit &
can store force when stretched
Inertia
can be defined as the property of all objects to
resist changes in their state of motion.

We will see that inertia can be viewed as a

resistance to motion in the traditional sense, but
this property can also be used to an advantage
when modifying motion or transferring energy
from one body segment to another.
 INERTIAL FORCE

• Basis of “ the kinetic chain”

• One segment can exert a force on another
segment, causing movement in that segment that is
NOT DUE to MUSCULAR CONTRACTION
Range of Motion
is the overall motion used in a movement and can be specified by linear
or angular motion of the body segments.

The purpose of some movements might require that some body

segments limit range of motion, while others requiring maximum speed
or force might require larger ranges of motion.

Increasing the range of motion in a movement can be an effective way

to increase speed or to gradually slow down from a high speed

-Since moving through a range of motion takes time, this principle is

related to the force–time principle
Tucking reduces the moment of
inertia about the transverse axis
 The angular momentum of an object remains
constant if no external torque acts on it
To body: Momentum = I x ω (initial) =I x ω (final)

Even if momentum is constant, change in velocity

can occurthrough changes in moment of inertia
THE ANGULAR MOMENTUM OF THE HURDLER’S
TRAIL LEG MUST BE COUNTERED BY THE
ANGULAR MOMENTUM OF THE ARMS & TRUNK
Balance.

Balance is a person's ability to control their body

position relative to some base of support. Stability
and mobility of body postures are inversely related,
and several biomechanical factors are involved in
manipulating a person's stability and mobility.
 CENTER OF MASS
Is the point about which the mass is evenly distributed

The balancing point of the body

The point at which the sum of the torques equal to ZERO

ΣT= 0
 STABILITY
“The capacity of an object to return to
equilibrium or its original position after it has
been displaced.”
(McGinnis,1999)
 Factors affecting stability

Height of the Center of gravity

Size of BASE OF SUPPORT**
WEIGHT of an object

 ** area within the lines connecting the outer perimeter of each

of the points of support
 Height of center of gravity
Task:
STAND A BOOK ON ITS EDGE and exert a force to topple it

What are the forces acting on this book?

Σ T= 0

0=( Force x moment arm)- (Weight of book x moment arm)

( Force x moment arm) = (Weight of book x moment arm)

BASE OF SUPPORT
 Simply put,

the larger the

weight, the more
stable an object/
person is.
 STABILITY & POTENTIAL
ENERGY
The most stable stance or position of an object
can be is the one that minimizes potential
energy.

** PE= mgh
=Wh

When the COG lies above the base of support,

stability is maintained only as long as the line of
gravity falls within the base of support.
 Remember:
A person with a lower CoG must undergo a
greater incraese in its potential energy to be
toppled over

The greater the moment arm of the weight, the

greater the vertical displacement of the CoG before
toppling occurs.
( wider base vs narrow base)
Coordination Continuum
The principle says that determining the optimal
timing of muscle actions or segmental motions
depends on the goal of the movement.
If high forces are the goal of the movement more
simultaneous muscle actions and joints rotations
are usually observed
while low-force and high-speed movements tend
to have more sequential muscle and joint actions
ANGULAR INERTIA
Property of an object to resist change in its
angular motion.

Quantified by MOMENT OF INERTIA

I a=Σ mi r2i
Moment of inertia= sum of masses x(radius)
distance of segment from axis of rotation
MANIPULATING MOMENTS OF
INERTIA IN THE HUMAN BODY
 The angular momentum of an object remains
constant if no external torque acts on it
To body: Momentum = I x ω (initial) =I x ω (final)

Even if momentum is constant, change in velocity

can occurthrough changes in moment of inertia
The size of the dancer’s moment
of inertia affects how much
angular momentum she can
generate at the start of the spin
By creating a torque on the pole in one direction,
the acrobat causes an equal and opposite torque to
be created on him
Segmental Interaction
The principle says that the forces acting in a
system of linked rigid bodies can be transferred
through the links and joints. Muscles normally
act in short bursts to produce torques that are
precisely coordinated to complement the effects
of torques created by forces at the joints.
 JOINT REACTION FORCE (JRF)

• Used when joints are examined one at a time

• This is the force acting across the joint
• Actual magnitude is usually unknown but can be
calculated using kinematic, kinetic and
anthropometric data
Optimal Projection
The biomechanical principle says that for most
human movements involving projectiles there is an
optimal range of projection angles for a specific goal.
Biomechanical research shows that optimal angles of
projection provide the right compromise between
vertical velocity (determines time of flight) and
horizontal velocity (determines range given the time
of flight) within the typical conditions encountered in
many sports
 KINEMATICS OF
PROJECTILE MOTION
O PROJECTILE MOTION
O -motion of bodies flung in the air

UNIQUE FEATURES FOR KINEMATIC ANALYSIS

1) A projectile has CONSTANT HORIZONTAL VELOCITY
(horizontal ACCELERATION = 0)

2. When no other forces are acting on a body, the force of

gravity on a projectile results in CONSTANT VERTICAL
ACCELERATION of 9.8m/s 2
THE PARABOLIC TRAJECTORY OF A
PROJECTILE

APEX
 FACTORS AFFECTING
PROJECTILES
O 1) PROJECTION ANGLE
O 2) PROJECTION VELOCITY
O 3) PROJECTION HEIGHT
Spin
or rotations imparted to projectiles, and particularly
sport balls.

Spin is desirable on thrown and struck balls because

it stabilizes flight and creates a fluid force called lift.

This lift force is used to create a curve or to counter

gravity, which affects the trajectory and bounce of
the ball
 DYNAMIC FLUID FORCE

 a) Drag Force

1) Surface Drag
 Skin friction
 Viscous drag
2) 2) Form Drag
 Shape drag
 Profile drag
BERNOULLI’S PRINCIPLE
MAGNUS EFFECT