Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-r8w4l Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-04T00:25:59.090Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

10 - Terrestrial locomotion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

C. Ross Ethier  and
Craig A. Simmons
C. Ross Ethier
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Craig A. Simmons
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Get access

Summary

In this chapter we examine terrestrial locomotion (walking and running) from both descriptive and quantitative points of view. The study of locomotion has long been an important part of the field of biomechanics. Although not strictly “locomotion,” we also consider the dynamics and kinematics of jumping.

Jumping

Standing jump

We begin by considering the standing vertical jump, since it is the easiest jump to analyze. A standing jump can be divided into two phases, defined as follows (Fig. 10.1).

  1. Push-off: starting from a crouch, the jumper pushes against the ground with his/her legs until the feet leave the ground.

  2. Airborne: from the moment that the feet leave the ground until the maximum elevation of the center of gravity is reached.

Analysis of the standing jump is most easily carried out if we neglect changes in posture and body orientation while jumping, and consider only the elevation of the center of gravity. We therefore define:

  1. c = distance the center of gravity is lowered, measured with respect to the elevation of the center of gravity at the instant the feet leave the ground.

  2. h = maximum elevation of the center of gravity, measured with respect to the same reference datum.

  3. z = vertical location of the center of gravity, measured positive upwards from the floor.

  4. v = vertical velocity of the center of gravity, measured positive upwards.

Type
Chapter
Information
Introductory Biomechanics
From Cells to Organisms
 , pp. 444 - 488
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Miller, D. I. and Nelson, R. C.. Biomechanics of Sport (Philadelphia, PA: Lea and Febiger, 1973).Google Scholar
Edgerton, H. E.. Stopping Time: The Photographs of Harold Edgerton (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1987).Google Scholar
Inman, V. T., Ralston, H. J. and Todd, F.. Human Walking (Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1981).Google Scholar
Saunders, J. B. d. C. M., Inman, V. T. and Eberhart, H. D.. The major determinants in normal and pathological gait. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 35A (1953), 543–558.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMahon, T. A.. Muscles, Reflexes and Locomotion (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1984).Google Scholar
Cavagna, G. A., Thys, H. and Zamboni, A.. The sources of external work in level walking and running. Journal of Physiology, 262 (1976), 639–657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Winter, D. A.. Biomechanics of Human Movement (Toronto: John Wiley, 1979).Google Scholar
NASA,. Man–Systems Integration Standards. Available athttp://msis.jsc.nasa.gov/default.htm (NASA Johnson Space Center, 1995).
Winter, D. A.. Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Movement, 2nd edn (New York: John Wiley, 1990).Google Scholar
Karwowski, W. (ed.) International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors (London: Taylor & Francis, 2001).Google Scholar
Weimer, J.. Handbook of Ergonomic and Human Factors Tables (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993).Google Scholar
Edgerton, H. E. and Killian, J. R. Jr.Moments of Vision (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1979).Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×