PROFILES OF EXCELLENCE IN SPORTS BIOMECHANICS RESEARCH

This study documented the citation bibliometrics of the last 15 winners of the Geoffrey Dyson Award. Harzing’s Publish or Perish 4.29 software was used to search Google Scholar for publications and citations for these scholars. A typical, recent Dyson award winner had about 153 publications cited 3,377 times over a 26-year period. The median Hirsch index and individualized Hirsch index were 30 and 18, respectively. Publication and citation records of Dyson award winners were outstanding and consistent with studies of other senior faculty and scholar award winners in biomechanics, kinesiology and exercise science

APPLYING BIOMECHANICS TO THE QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE FOREHAND

The analysis of strokes like the tennis forehand is a demanding skill for coaches because of the complexity, speed, and interrelated biomechanical factors affecting the movement. Coaches will be most effective if biomechanical principles are integrated with other sciences in a comprehensive model of the qualitative analysis process (Knudson & Morrison 2002). This paper illustrates how six principles of biomechanics of tennis strokes can be used in the qualitative analysis of the tennis forehand. A case study is examined using biomechanical principles in the diagnosis of the forehand of a beginner

PRESTIGE OF SPORT BIOMECHANICS SERIALS

This study documented the perceived quality/prestige of English language serials publishing biomechanics research by sport and exercise scholars. The 2006 membership of the American Society of Biomechanics was surveyed by electronic mail and asked to rate the typical quality/prestige of 62 serials on a five point scale. Mean ratings were calculated for the eighteen respondents from the Exercise and Sport Science interest area (13% response). Mean ratings showed that sports biomechanics scholars view the prestige of serials differently than the Thompson Scientific Impact Factor (IF). Sports Biomechanics was rated moderate to high in prestige, while ISBS Proceedings were rated as moderate prestige

EFFECT OF TENNIS BALL MASS AND SMOOTHING ON PEAK RACKET VELOCITY

This technical note examined the effect of ball mass and smoothing protocol on the magnitude and timing of peak horizontal velocity of the racket in the tennis forehand. A skilled tennis player stroked ten forehands using three different tennis balls (regular, added mass, foam). Kinematic data were smoothed through impact and interpolating impact. Factorial. ANOVA showed a significant main effect for smoothing on the peak racket velocity, but nonsignificant effects for ball mass or the interaction of mass and smoothing. Smoothing protocol had a large (to? = 0.49) effect on peak racket velocity at impact. Ball mass had a significant effect on the timing of peak racket velocity (e2 = 0.33) if position data were smoothed through impact. The results confirmed recent studies that sport implement velocities near impact can be distorted by smoothing through impact and the mass of the ball being struck. Studies of striking implement velocities near impact require special data smoothing protocols

ANALYISIS OF MULTIPLE COMPARISON ERRORS USING GROUND REACTION FORCE DATA

This technical note examined the effect of uncorrected multiple statistical comparisons that are often inappropriately reported in the applied biomechanics literature. Bilateral ground reaction forces (1000 Hz) were collected for a single subject performing twenty vertical jumps to create multiple comparisons of discrete kinetic variables. Nine of twenty comparisons were statistically significant using multiple t tests, while only seven were truly statistically significant when controlling for inflation of type I error. Most of the differences observed were not of practical significance to performance. The data confirmed the danger of inflation of type I errors in biomechanics and not interpreting the results based on meaningful effects or previous literature

BIOMECHANICS RESEARCH CONCEPT INVENTORY

A pilot study of a test of biomechanics research concepts appropriate for advanced undergraduate and master’s courses was conducted. Students in a master’s biomechanics course (n = 14) took a 30 question Biomechanics Research Concept Inventory (BRCI) the first and last day of the course. The BRCI tested six research concepts areas and several prerequisites from introductory biomechanics. The students entered the class with 42% mastery of prerequisite concepts. Post-course scores significantly improved by a modest 50 percent from pre-course values. The BRCI indicated the largest apparent improvements were in the 2D kinematics, 2D kinetics, and in the reviewing and writing research reports concept areas. The BRCI has potential as a supplement to course grading for assessing learning of biomechanics research concepts

CITATION CLASSICS IN APPLIED BIOMECHANICS OF SPORTS

This study documented the top cited research articles, reviews, and books in the biomechanics of sports performance. A systematic search of Scholar Google records for “biomechanics” and at least one of the terms “sport” and “sports” was conducted. Publications focusing on exercise, injury, or basic science were excluded. Over 118,000 records were indexed and the top twenty were ranked by citations. Highly-cited papers were focused on running, throwing, and jumping. There was limited agreement between articles highly cited and those nominated as influential in a previous survey of sports biomechanics scholars, supporting previous concerns about citation counts as a surrogate measure of the importance of scientific publications in applied sports biomechanics

PHYSICS AND BIOMECHANICS EDUCATION RESEARCH: IMPROVING LEARNING OF BIOMECHANICAL CONCEPTS

Many students find mechanical concepts counterintuitive, difficult, and often have a negative perception of physics and biomechanics classes. This paper reviews the research on learning mechanical concepts from the physics and biomechanics literature. Substantial progress has been made in standardized tests of biomechanical concepts and identifying factors that are associated with learning these concepts. Active learning pedagogies double learning of physics and biomechanics concepts compared to traditional lecture/lab instruction. Biomechanics instructors should consider using research-based instructional strategies, participate in and support the scholarship of teaching and learning of biomechanical concepts

STATISTICAL AND REPORTING ERRORS IN APPLIED BIOMECHANICS RESEARCH

Applied biomechanics research reports in the 2004 volumes of the ISBS Proceedings (n=94) and the Journal of Applied Biomechanics (n = 11) were analyzed for statistical errors. There was no significant difference in the distribution of ratings of quality based on statistical errors. The percentages of various statistical errors in reporting data were also quite similar. Both sources of applied biomechanics research had unacceptably large percentages of papers with errors in reporting statistical testing and results that limit readers' ability to interpret the findings. Improvements need to be made in the reporting and peer review of applied biomechanics papers in ISBS Proceedings in order to achieve the mission of ISBS

RECENT COLLABORATION TRENDS IN APPLIED BIOMECHANICS

This study documented the recent changes in collaboration in original research in applied biomechanics. Original research articles (N = 132) published in 2005 and 20 14 volumes of the Journal of Applied Biomechanics and Sports Biomechanics were reviewed to document several collaboration variables. There were no significant interactions with journal, so journal data were collapsed for comparison across years. There were significant increases in mean number of authors and in the complexity of designlstatistics of 2014 research reports. Other collaboration variables were not different across this 10-year period. Overall the trend toward increased collaboration in applied biomechanics research reports may have only had a minor influence on increasing research quality