BIOMECHANICS IN

PHYSICAL EDUCATION
SPORTS AND RESEARCH
What is MOTION?
Motion is the action of changing location
or position.
Motion is the way things get from place to
place. The ball rolling down a hill is
in motion, and as Isaac Newton once
proved, it will remain in motion until it hits
a wall or something else that makes it
stop.
 TRANSLATORY MOTION
Occurs when a freely movable object
moves in a straight line when a force is
applied in the center of the object.
Occurs when, regardless of where the
force is applied, the object is free to move
only in a linear path.
Example: motion of train, earth, birds,
insects, aeroplane
 ROTARY (ANGULAR) MOTION
Occurs when a force is applied off-
center to a freely movable object.
Occurs when, regardless of where the
force is applied, the object is free to
move only in a rotary path.
Example: wheels, propellers
 VELOCITY
Represents the distance traveled in a
period of time.
a. ACCELERATION refers to increasing
velocity.
b. DECELERATION refers to decreasing
velocity.
 MOMENTUM
Is the mathematical product of the mass
and velocity of a moving object.

“When a moving object strikes another

object, the greater its momentum at
impact, the greater the force.”
LAWS OF MOTION

Sir Isaac Newton

developed three
laws of motion that
explain how forces
create movement.
 a. LAW OF INERTIA
This law states that a body at rest tends
to remain at rest, whereas a body in
motion tends to continue in motion with
consistent speed and in the same
direction unless acted upon by an
outside force.
A force is needed to change a body’s
state of motion.
 b. LAW OF ACCELERATION
This states that the velocity of a body is
changed only when acted upon by an
additional force. The acceleration (or
deceleration) is proportional to and in the
same direction as the force.
The magnitude and direction of applied
force determine the magnitude and
direction of acceleration given to the
body.
c. LAW OF COUNTERFORCE
or ACTION/REACTION
States that the production of any force
creates another force, opposite and
equal to the first force.
To every action, there is an equal and
opposite reaction.
 What is FORCE?
It is a linear effect that can be defined
as a push, pull, or tendency to distort.

Something that tends to cause a

change in motion, measured in metres
per second squared
 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF FORCE
1. Total force (velocity) is the sum of all the forces
contributed by each body part. In any explosive
skill, each force in sequence should be applied at
the peak of the previous force. Examples include
throwing a ball and performing a power clean.
2. Force is used more economically when it is
applied constantly and evenly. For example, a
swimmer moves more efficiently when moving at
constant speed and with smooth application of
force.
 Continuation…
3. All forces should be applied in the intended
direction. Deviations from the required line of
force waste energy. For example, a runner who
points his toes outward or bounces excessively
exerts wasted force and energy.
4. Greater velocity is generated if force is applied
over a longer distance. For example, an
outfielder can generate greater force for
throwing to home plate by using a long winding
up, rotating the trunk, shifting body weight from
the back leg to the front, and following through.
 SELF-PRODUCED AND
POSITIVE FORCES
SELF-PRODUCED FORCES developed in the body
result from muscle contractions. The following
principles must be considered if maximum
performance is to be achieved
POSITIVE FORCES Work can be either positive or
negative: if the force has a component in the
same direction as the displacement of the object,
the force is doing positive work. If the force has a
component in the direction opposite to the
displacement, the force does negative work.
 ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES
Gravitational Force – The reason for the
existence of this force is something of a
mystery, but if it didn't exist, planets and stars
wouldn't be able to form. The magnitude of
the gravitational force objects exert on each
other depends on the masses of the objects
and the inverse of the square of the distance
between them. The more massive the objects
and/or the shorter the distance between
them, the stronger the force.
Electromagnetic Force – Although they don't
seem to be the same, electricity and
magnetism are related. Flowing electrons
produce magnetism, and a moving magnet
produces electricity. Electricity exerts a force
via the attraction or repulsion of charged
particles, whereas the magnetic force is due to
the attraction or repulsion caused by magnetic
poles.
THE STRONG FORCE – Because all protons are
positively charged, they repel one another,
and they wouldn't be able to form an atomic
nucleus if the strong force didn't exist to hold
them together. The strong force is the most
powerful force in nature. It's also the one that
binds quarks together to form protons and
neutrons.
THE WEAK FORCE – The weak force is another
fundamental nuclear force. It's stronger than
gravity, but it only works at infinitesimally short
distances. Carried by subatomic bundles of
energy called bosons, the weak force causes
protons to change into neutrons and vice
versa during nuclear decay. Without this
force, nuclear fusion would be impossible,
and stars, such as the sun, wouldn't exist.
 FORCE ABSORPTION
An athlete prepares for the impact of falling by
placing the shock-absorbing joints in extension, but
not locked. The same is true when the catching a
baseball. The outreached position of the limbs
provides more distance to absorb the force
compared to the flexed position (shorter distance).
As the contact is made, the extends joints flex due
to the impact, and then immediately the force of
impact undergoes a gradual reduction by
eccentric contraction of the elbow extensors and
shoulder flexes.
 TYPES OF CONTACT FORCES
NORMAL FORCE
A book resting on a table has the force of gravity pulling it toward the Earth.
But the book is not moving or accelerating, so there must be opposing
forces acting on the book. This force is caused by the table and is known as the
normal force. You can “see” the normal force in some situations. If you place a
thin piece of wood or plastic (a ruler works) so that it is supported by both ends
(by books perhaps) and place a small heavy object in the center, the piece of
wood will bend. Of course it wants to straighten out so it exerts an upward force
on the object. This upward force is the normal force. You can feel the force
yourself if you push down in the center of the piece of wood. The harder you
push, the more the wood bends and the harder it pushes back.
 APPLIED FORCE
Applied force refers to a force that is applied
to an object such as when a person moves a
piece of furniture across the room or pushes a
button on the remote control. A force is
applied.
 FRICTIONAL FORCE
Frictional force is the force caused by two surfaces
that come into contact with each other. Friction
can be helpful as in the friction that allows a person
to walk across the ground without sliding or it can
be destructive such as the friction of moving parts
in a motor that rub together over long periods of
time.
 TENSION FORCE
Tension force is the force applied to a
cable or wire that is anchored on opposite
ends to opposing walls or other objects.
This causes a force that pulls equally in
both directions.
 SPRING FORCE
The spring force is the force created
by a compressed or stretched spring.
Depending upon how the spring is
attached, it can pull or push in order to
create a force.
 RESISTING FORCE
Resisting force, like air resistance or friction, change
motion. Whether the forces actually stop or slow
something depends upon your point of view. Air
friction makes a leaf travel along in the wind. When
you pick up a pencil, it's friction with your fingers that
gets the pencil in motion. In each case, the friction
makes the two things (like the air and the leaf) move
together.
Thank you!

AMDG.