Biomechanical Parameterization of Front Handspring Vaults

Abstract

The motivation of the study is to demonstrate that by evaluating the training process using means to record and analyse the movement of individual body segments it is possible to effectively direct the training process to improve the position of individual body segments that are identified by the analysis as erroneous. By improving the position of individual body segments when performing a front handspring vault (FHV), thanks to targeted training focused on problematic segments, improvement in the posture of the whole body in the process of performing the vault will be achieved. The aim of the work is to contribute to the expansion of knowledge of explicit exercises applied in sports educology of the selected sports discipline. Based on the experimental decomposition of biomechanical parameterization. The study sample consists of ten young gymnasts (five boys (nbi=5) and five girls (ngi=5)). Five boy gymnasts (average age 12.00 ± 0.71 yrs; avg. body height 142 ± 9.09 cm; avg. BMI 17.47 ± 0.78) and five girl gymnasts (avg. age 11.40 ± 0.89 yrs; avg. body height 141 ± 10.82 cm; avg. BMI 17.47 ± 1.01) took part in this study. Their task was to perform input and output FHVs (nIi=10; nOi=10). We used the six-camera optoelectronic system for video-capturing motion analysis (SMART; BTS Bioengineering, Italy) and related technology to make clinical research in gymnastic training of the seven phases of the FHV. Thanks to motion analysis we recorded progress in changes of body symmetry after six weeks of gymnastic training of vaults.