Short Distance Running Sports biomechanics is one of the most important components in the field of sports since it provides insights regarding human movement using an injury reduction and performance enhancement perspective. Consequently, coaches and physicians utilize information regarding sports biomechanics to understand the athletes’ correct and incorrect technique. Most of the existing research on sports biomechanics generate insights regarding the basic kinetic and kinematic attributes of specific athletic movement. Short distance running or sprinting is always associated with power and speed since it entails quick acceleration followed a maintenance of velocity. While existing biomechanics research provides insights regarding basic kinetic and kinematic attributes, the inter-individual differences across various levels of performance remains largely unknown. This study focuses on examining the biomechanics variations in the starting ability of short distance runners.

Importance of the Study

The evaluation of the biomechanics differences in the starting ability of short distance runners is an important topic of research as part of biomechanics research for performance enhancement. This study should be carried out to help understand why short distance runners have varying starting abilities though they constantly perform a predetermined set position. This would help in understanding the difference between faster (elite) and slower (sub-elite) short distance runners.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this...

This study would make significant contributions to existing literature on characteristics that distinguish faster short distance runners from slower ones.
Hypothesis

In light of the purpose of the study, the hypothesis that will guide this research is, “Start kinetics play a major role in the starting ability variations between faster short distance runners and slower short distance runners.”

Literature Review

Majumdar & Robergs (2011) conducted a study in which they examined the science of speed with respect to performance in the 100m sprint. These researchers found that performance in short distance running, particularly 100m sprint, is influenced by numerous factors including neural influences, physiological demands, starting strategy, track and environmental conditions, stride length, anthropometrics, stride frequency, and muscle composition. Additionally, this study found that biomechanics play an important role in sprinting performance and contributes to the differences between faster and slower sprinters. In an earlier study, Murphy, Lockie & Coutts (2003) found that early acceleration in field sport athletes including sprinters affect sprinting performance. The kinematic determinants of differences in acceleration performance include stride length and frequency and knee extension (Weyand et al., 2000, Murphy, Lockie & Coutts,…