Kinematic analysis of the centre of mass in the back handspring: A case study

The purpose of this study was to analyze the back handspring from a round off in gymnastics via kinematics. A secondary purpose was to explore the use of an optoelectronic system in studying the nature of this skill. Five female gymnasts, with differing levels of expertise volunteered as subjects. An optoelectronic system (Vicon Motion 460) was employed (100 Hz). A 41 point three-dimensional model was used to characterize the body, and descriptive analyses were performed. The results demonstrated that the most accomplished gymnast achieved a greater take off horizontal velocity into the back handspring (3.4 m.s-1) and from the hands support phase (2.2 m.s-1). The most advanced gymnast showed a higher take off vertical velocity from hands support (1.0 m.s-1) and higher flight trajectory from her hands (0.06 m). The less skilled gymnasts all demonstrated a serious flaw by showing a marked descent during the flight phase from the hands. They showed inappropriately long first flight phases (0.67 and 0.75 m equal to 46 and 55% their height), sacrificing distance during the second flight (22 and 25% their height against 49% recorded for the accomplished gymnast). The more expert gymnast demonstrated fewer general technical errors. This study demonstrated that infra red optoelectronics optoelectronic systems are helpful in reporting detailed kinematics performance deficiencies and determining the biomechanical feedback for superior performances.