Head-toe distance as a simple measure to evaluate amplitude of circles on pommel horse
Author
Fujihara, Toshiyuki
Gervais, Pierre
Irwin, Gareth
Date
2019Acceptance date
2019
Type
Article
Publisher
University of Ljubljana
ISSN
1855-7171
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
To develop scientifically-valid tools to monitor performance in practice, a critical
question is what to measure. On pommel horse, the importance of fundamental skills called
circles is uncontroversial, and one of the key performance qualities of circles is the amplitude
of the movement. Previous studies have used joint angles or the magnitude of a body part’s
trajectory to evaluate the amplitude, but we hypothesized that the distance between two
points, namely a head and toes might be substituted despite its relative simplicity. This study
examined the use of Head-Toe Distance (HTD) normalized by the gymnast’s body height as a
simple variable to potentially evaluate the amplitude of circles. The kinematic data of circles
performed by 18 elite gymnasts were collected with a Qualisys motion capture system
operating at 100 Hz. HTD and its horizontal component, HTDh, were computed along with
their relationships to the outcome scores given by the official judges, as well as the other
amplitude variables: the horizontal diameters of shoulder and ankle trajectories; the body
flexion angle; and in the rear support position, the shoulder extension angle and the head
position. The results supported HTDh, rather than HTD, for its potential usage as a single
variable to evaluate the amplitude of circles. The benefits of HTDh compared to the other
variables lies in its potential validity despite its relative simplicity in assessment. Because
computing HTDh requires only the positional data of the head and toes, it may have greater
practical applications as an evaluative tool in gymnastics.
Journal/conference proceeding
Science of Gymnastics Journal;
Citation
Fujihara, T., Gervais, P. and Irwin, G. (2019) 'Head-toe distance as a simple measure to evaluate amplitude of circles on pommel horse', Science of Gymnastics Journal, 11(2).
URI
https://www.fsp.uni-lj.si/en/research/scientific-magazines/science-of-gymnastics/previous-issues/2019060213591516/http://hdl.handle.net/10369/10681
Description
Article published in Science of Gymnastics Journal, freely available at: https://www.fsp.uni-lj.si/en/research/scientific-magazines/science-of-gymnastics/previous-issues/2019060213591516/
Sponsorship
Cardiff Metropolitan University (Grant ID: Cardiff Metropolian (Internal))
Collections
- Sport Research Groups [620]
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