UNIT- VIII

BIOMECHANICS AND SPORTS

 MEANING OF BIOMECHANICS:-
Biomechanics is a sub discipline of physical education. The term “biomechanics” is a combination
of two words, here “bio” is a Greek word that refers to life or living things and “mechanics” refers to
the field of physical and the forces that act on bodies in motion.
The study and analysis of human movement patterns in sports is called “biomechanics”.

 NEWTON’S` LAWS OF MOTION AND THEIR APPLICATION IN SPORTS:-

1. NEWTON’S FIRST LAW OF MOTION:-
 It is known as law of Inertia. This law state that a body at rest will remain at rest and a body in
motion will remain in motion at the same speed and in the same direction unless any external
force is applied on it to change that state.
 It tells us that a stationary body will remain at rest until an external force is applied.
 It tells us that a moving body will continue to move with constant velocity unless acted upon by an
external force.

 APPILICATION IN SPORTS:-
Newton’s first law of motion in applicable in sports, A football placed at penalty point will remain at
rest unless a player kicks the ball towards the goal post. It will move in direction where the player
has exerts the force through kick.
XE:-Basket ball, soft ball, kho-kho, dance etc.

2. NEWTON’S SECOND LAW OF MOTION:-

 This law state that the “acceleration” produced in an object due to extent force is directly
proportional to the force producing it and inversely proportional to its mass.
 When two unequal forces are applied to objects of equal mass, then the object to which greater
force is applied will move faster.
 If equal force is applied to object having different masses the object having lighter mass will travel
at a faster speed.

 APPLICATION AND SPORTS:-

Newton’s second law of motion can be applied in the sports like, In a shot put event a player who
exert more force and tosses the shot put at correct angle has a player who exert less force has
lesser displacement of shot put.
Ex:- base ball, sprint race, volleyball etc.

3. NEWTON’S THIRD LAW OF MOTION:-

 This law states that, for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction, this law
describes what happens to a body when it exerts a force and body.
 It is usual to call one of the forces involved action force and the other as reaction force.

APPLICATION AND SPORTS:-

 Newton’s third law of motion is applicable in the sports like, in swimming we can relate this
concept to the standard hand / arm stroke when the hand travels downward in the water and then
backwards to propel the swimmer forward.
Ex:-High jump, bullet shooting, etc

 LEVERS:-
A lever is a rigid bar used to overcome resistance when a force is applied. The lever is a type of
machine. It is the human body’s mechanism for movement in which the role of the muscles in
supplying the necessary force for lever action is importance.

COMPONENTS OF LEVERS
 The load it is the object requiring moving.
 The fulcrum it is the joint around which the movement occurs.
 The efforts it is the muscular force we use to move the object.
 The lever the bones of the skeleton are the levers.

TYPES OF LEVERS
 FIRST – CLASS LEVER:- There is fulcrum in the first lever between the force and the resistance.
This class fulcrum may be moved about along the lever, there by changing the relative lengths of
the force are and the resistance arm. If the fulcrum is placed close to the resistance the force arm
is length and hand and less force need to be applied through a longer distance to lift the
resistance a short distance. In an opposite way a shortened force are requires more excellent
force application but there is a gain in speed and range of motion at the resistance end.

 SECOND CLASS LEVER:- This class of lever has the load resistance between the fulcrum and
the force. In second class of levers, movement of the fulcrum will increase or decrease both the
force arm and the resistance arm. The force arm is always the longer of the two and therefore the
force needed to lift resistance weight will always be less than the weight.

 THIRD CLASS LEVER:- This class of lever has the force between the fulcrum and the resistance.
In third class of lever the force arm is always shorter than the resistance arm, and so a large
amount of force must be applied but the resistance is moved through a much longer range of
motion than the force application. In the human body third class is the most common class of
lever. This is particularly important in the movement of the limps because the desired result is
often those of speed or range of motion albeit at the expense of force.

APPLICATION OF LEVER IN SPORTS:-

 Looking up/down or side-to-side (1st class)Your head is balanced on your Atlanta-occipital joint,
which pivots, similarly to a see-saw.
 Cricket bat (2nd class) the fulcrum is the top of the handle, the load is the bat’s body, and force is
closer to the neck of the handle.
 Kicking- lower limb (3rd) The fulcrum at the knee joint, force at tibia tuberoses, (attachment of the
quadriceps) load is the foot.

 EQUILIBRIUM
 Equilibrium can be defined as state of balance among forces acting within or upon a body.
 When all the forces acting on the body are counter balanced by equal and opposite forces so that
the sum of the force equals zero, it is called the state of equilibrium.
 It can also be said that equilibrium occurs when the resultant force acting on a point is zero; the
vector sum of all forces is zero.
 When the sum of all forces acting upon ao object / body is zero the object/ body is said (balance)
to be in a state of equilibrium.
 There are 2 types of equilibrium :-

1. Static equilibrium:- static equilibrium is when the center of gravity is in a stable position , when
one is sitting or performing a handstand in gymnastics.
2. Dynamic equilibrium:- It is a state of balance of all applied forces acting on a moving body.
In simple word when the moving body is stable and balanced such that it results in movement
with unchanging speed and direction then the body is said to be in dynamic equilibrium .

 CENTER OF GRAVITY
The balance and stability of an individual depends upon the center of gravity. Center of gravity of
a body is an imaginary point around which the body of the object is balanced. In human being the
center of gravity can simply be considered as the center of weight of the body.
The weight of the body is just the sum of individual weight of its components like arm, legs etc. the
centre of gravity has the property of continuously changing during movement.
The centre of gravity depends on the shape and size of the body. If body has more mass
distributed in its upper part, the centre of gravity will be towards the top of the body.
Generally the centre of gravity of an average person is located approximately near above the
waist. Center of gravity depend open the mass.
Center of gravity always changes its direction according to movement. The knowledge of center of
gravity is very importance in sports and for sportsperson, it is necessary for better skill in every
game and sports.

 APPLICATION OF CENTER OF GRAVITY:-

The knowledge of equilibrium and centre of gravity are essential for sports and physical education.
The ability of balance whether in stationary position or in movement is a key to success in most of
sports and physical activities.

 To maintain balance during a performance the sports person must ensure that the centre of
gravity remains over and nearer his support base.
 Ex:-sprint race, wrestling, basket ball, cricket etc

 FRICTION AND SPORTS

 The force acting along two surfaces in contact which opposes the motion of one body over the
other is called the force of friction.
 It is very important in sports. The larger the area of contact between the surface the greater is
force of friction.
 When both the surface is smooth the force of friction reduces to almost zero.
 Friction is defined as the resistance offered by the surfaces comes in contact when they move
past each other.

 There are two types of friction :-

 Static friction:- the opposing force that comes in to play when one body tends to move over the
another surface but the actual motion has yet not started is called static friction.

 Dynamic friction:- it is the friction between two surface that are in relative motion with respect to
each other. It is the opposing force that comes in to play when one body is actually moving over
the surface of another body.

 There are three types of dynamic friction:-

1. SLIDING FRICTION:- the term sliding friction refers to the resistance created by two object sliding
against each other. This is also called kinetic friction.
Sliding friction is intended to stop an object from moving. It takes place due to interlocking
between microscopic surfaces. Ex:- ice-skater is skating
2. ROLLING FRICTION:- The force resisting the motion of a rolling body on a surface is known as
rolling friction or rolling resistance. Rolling of ball or wheel on the ground is an example of rolling
friction. ex:-football.
3. FLUID FRICTION:- It is a friction that occurs when objects move across or through a fluid.
When the movement of an object or a person is hindered or meets resistance from water or air.
Ex:-swimming, jumping event.

 METHODS OF REDUCING FRICTION:-

1. POLISHING:- by polishing the surface in contact they become smooth and the force of friction
reduce. Many types of equipment like the discus are painted to reduce friction.
2. LUBRICATION:- The lubrication of surface makes them slippery and this reduces the force of
friction.
3. STREAMLINING:- Friction due to air is reduced by streamlining the shape of the body. The aero
planes are made with sharp front to reduce friction.
4. USE OF SPECIAL EQUIPMENTS:- The cyclists pointed helmets, silk body fitted costume and
their bodies while cycling to reduce air friction.

 PROJECTILE IN SPORTS
A projectile is anything which is thrown or jumped in to the air. Once it has left the ground it will
follow a flight path called a parabola until it once more comes back down to earth. This applies to
balls, javelins, discus, longer jumper, high jumpers and horse’s show jumping.

 There are two forces which act on a projectile: - gravitational force and air resistance.
 The maximum upward distance reached by the projectile is call height and the horizontal distance
travelled is known as horizontal range.
 For maximum horizontal range, throw the object at 45 degree angle, the distance covered by an
object depends on the projectiles initial velocity. If the initial velocity is greater than object covers
the maximum distance.

 FACTORS AFFECTING THE TRAJECTORY

 ANGLE OF PROJECTION:-
Any object when projected at different angles, as shown in the adjacent figure, covers different
distance. When it is projected or released at the angle of 30 degree making a parabolic path it
covers less distance. When It is related at the angle of 45 degree making a parabolic path it
covers the maximum distance.
 INITIAL VELOCITY:-
The distance covered by an object depends on the initial velocity of the projectile. If the initial
velocity is more the object covers maximum distance. On the other hand, if initial velocity is less,
the object covers less distance.

 GRAVITY:-
It is the force of attraction exerted by the earth towards its center on a body or an object. The
greater the weight of an object, the greater the influence of gravity upon it. Gravity effects a
projectile as it decreases the height of projectile can obtain. The force of gravity acts on the object
to stop its upward movement and pulls it back to earth, limiting vertical component of the
projectile.

 AIR RESISTANCE:-
When a projectile moves through the air. It is slowed down by air resistance. Air resistance
decreases the horizontal component of a projectile. The effect of air resistance is very small but it
needs to be taken into consideration if you want to increase the horizontal component of projectile.

A. Surface of the object:- the amount of the air resistance depend on the surface of the object. If
the surface of the object (football, cricket, basketball,) is rough the air resistance will definitely be
greater.
B. Mass:- air resistance depends on the mass of the object. If the mass of the object is smaller there
will be more air resistance. For Ex:- A feather in comparison to a stone.
C. Speed:- If speed of an object increases , the air resistance also increases.