Written for The Paper Store, Inc. 
by May Hall 9/99

   Since the late 1980s, researchers 

have actively pursued assessments based 

on biomechanics models to better 

understand athletic performance 

in competitive sports.

   For example, the Sports Council of 

the National Coaching Foundation’s 

Sports Science Support Program has 

incorporated the findings of 

researchers in Britain regarding the 

filming, modeling and analyzing of 

human movements as a way to understand 

the foundations for sports-related 

movements (Turnbull, 1992). 

Biomechanical analysis and assessments  

have been recognized as a way to better 

understand specific performance issues, 

while also providing a tool for 

fine-tuning movements and style in 

order to improve overall performance 

(Turnbull, 1992).

     Essentially, the early biomechanics 

research techniques followed a standard 

model for each specific sport: 

researchers filmed performance from 

more than one vantage point utilizing 

interlinked cameras; then movements 

were plotted in three dimensions 

utilizing computer technology and the 

movements were then reconstructed 

utilizing computer imagery (Turnbull, 

1992).