Purpose: Fluidity is a multi-parametric aspect of movement; its quantification and the evaluation of its variability may guide the performance evaluation, training and rehabilitation decisions. Therefore, this study’s primary goal was to establish whether a quantitative measure of fluidity through a single wearable MIMU was accurate enough to highlight meaningful differences between advanced and novice athletes.The secondary goal was to highlight intra-individual differences of fluidity between various parts and subsequent repetitions of the same track. Methods: Seventeen parkour participants, subdivided into two groups based on their expertise, were recruited. A wearable inertial measurement unit was worn on the back of the pelvis by each participant during three sequential repetitions of a specially created parkour routine. Two fluidity parameters, namely smoothness and hesitation, were considered. Smoothness was calculated as the number of inflexions on the so-called jerk graph. Hesitation was defined as the percentage of the drop in the CoM velocity. Results: The smoothness is an encouraging parameter to quantitatively estimate the fluidity of movement in an acrobatic sport like parkour. In particular, it resulted significantly lower in advanced athletes (mean: 126.4; range: 36–192) than in beginners (mean: 179.37; range: 98–272) during the wall run’s parkour movement (Kruskal Wallis; p = 0.02). Moreover, a qualitative analysis of hesitation showed that beginner athletes tend to produce more prominent velocity drops and negative deflection than more advanced athletes. Conclusions: A MIMU-based system allows measuring fluidity and assessing its variability, providing unique data about sports performance, potentially beneficial to guide and evaluate the training and rehabilitation process. References 1. Kerr, A., Pomeroy, V.P., Rowe, P.J., Dall, P., Rafferty, D. (2013) Measuring movement fluency during the sit-to-walk task. Gait Posture 37(4):598–602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012. 09.026. 2. Pavei, G., Cazzola, D., La Torre, A., Minetti, A.E. (2014) The biomechanics of race walking: literature overview and new insights. Eur J Sport Sci 14(7):661–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 17461391.2013.878755.
Analysis of fluidity of movement in parkour using one inertial measurement system
FELETTI F
Project Administration
;
2021
Abstract
Purpose: Fluidity is a multi-parametric aspect of movement; its quantification and the evaluation of its variability may guide the performance evaluation, training and rehabilitation decisions. Therefore, this study’s primary goal was to establish whether a quantitative measure of fluidity through a single wearable MIMU was accurate enough to highlight meaningful differences between advanced and novice athletes.The secondary goal was to highlight intra-individual differences of fluidity between various parts and subsequent repetitions of the same track. Methods: Seventeen parkour participants, subdivided into two groups based on their expertise, were recruited. A wearable inertial measurement unit was worn on the back of the pelvis by each participant during three sequential repetitions of a specially created parkour routine. Two fluidity parameters, namely smoothness and hesitation, were considered. Smoothness was calculated as the number of inflexions on the so-called jerk graph. Hesitation was defined as the percentage of the drop in the CoM velocity. Results: The smoothness is an encouraging parameter to quantitatively estimate the fluidity of movement in an acrobatic sport like parkour. In particular, it resulted significantly lower in advanced athletes (mean: 126.4; range: 36–192) than in beginners (mean: 179.37; range: 98–272) during the wall run’s parkour movement (Kruskal Wallis; p = 0.02). Moreover, a qualitative analysis of hesitation showed that beginner athletes tend to produce more prominent velocity drops and negative deflection than more advanced athletes. Conclusions: A MIMU-based system allows measuring fluidity and assessing its variability, providing unique data about sports performance, potentially beneficial to guide and evaluate the training and rehabilitation process. References 1. Kerr, A., Pomeroy, V.P., Rowe, P.J., Dall, P., Rafferty, D. (2013) Measuring movement fluency during the sit-to-walk task. Gait Posture 37(4):598–602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012. 09.026. 2. Pavei, G., Cazzola, D., La Torre, A., Minetti, A.E. (2014) The biomechanics of race walking: literature overview and new insights. Eur J Sport Sci 14(7):661–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 17461391.2013.878755.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
