Since the development of biomechanics as a sub-discipline within movement science in the last 35 to 40 years (1), analysis techniques have evolved rapidly. To attain the goals of sports biomechanics - performance enhancement, comfort, injury prevention and safety (2) - it has been necessary to further develop techniques to both quantify and analyse data. Research questions have evolved from quantification of movement to questioning how and why movement occurs, and optimisation of performance. Methods of reconstruction such as the 3D Direct Linear Transformation (DLT) (3) and 2D-DLT (4) have evolved from creation to determination of the most accurate reconstruction method (5). Motion analysis has evolved from force-time data (6) to online systems and real-time feedback (7). Errors from soft tissue motion are now investigated to quantify and correct (8-9). Data smoothing has evolved from Winter et al.’s original paper on removal of kinematic noise (10) to modern work by Robertson and Dowling (11) investigating optimal filter design. Computer modelling has evolved from simplistic models of the 70s and 80s investigating simple locomotion (12) to sophisticated modern models of high bar gymnastics (13), high jump (14) and muscle stiffness of the horse (15). Initial work on co-ordination by Bernstein (16) has now evolved into a distinct field of motor control (17-18), with its own measurement issues (19). The focus of this article, however, is on the evolution of measurement techniques for determination of body segment inertial parameters (BSIP) with particular emphasis on development of mathematical models and scanning and imaging techniques
