Four Skills for Sports Analytics

Four Skills for Sports Analytics 

When you look at a skilled movement there are four skills:

1. Recognize joint position. The position of the joint tells you where the joint is located, which muscles or muscle groups are working, and if that joint appears to be stable and behaving mechanically correct.

2. Recognize joint alignment. This tells you about the lines that are created joint to joint and gives you an indication of the trajectory or path that a movement will take. Remember that the direction of a movement is largely dependent upon where we start so if the alignment is off to start the entire movement will most likely be in poor form. This decreases performance and increases risk of injury.

3. Recognize trajectory (direction). The trajectory or path of a movement is simply the mechanics of the skill from start to finish and the direction the force produced by the bone rotating around the joint sends the athlete.

4. Recognize the force produced. Force is the strength of the muscle and directly relates back to the joint position and alignment - optimal joint health and alignment between joints create a forceful skill on the right path.

Biomechanics qualitative analysis (QA) is easy, especially for anyone who has spent time in gyms or played sports. Trust your knowledge and instincts, and if you want to learn more about QA, click here.

Author Biography

Amy Ashmore, Ph.D. holds a doctorate in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Austin. She is an educator focused on resistance training and performance analytics located in Las Vegas, NV.

To explore the latest RT methods, earn CEUs for physical therapy, AND explore performance analytics for sports, click here.