Sport Equipment Evaluation and Optimization - A Review of the Relationship between Sport Science Research and Engineering

Abstract

Abstract:In current sport equipment evaluation and optimization, most studies consider the body and an equipment together as one system. This is partially because equipment optimization is mainly done through modification of mechanical designs, thus equipment evaluation is conducted through statistical comparisons of how different mechanical designs perform under human usage. However, it is known that any change in the performance environment would cause one to adapt certain aspects of his or her movements. Variation in equipment is considered as such a performance-altering environmental change. Yet, this equipment-induced motor control change is hardly studied in sport equipment evaluation/optimization, such as studies on golf clubs, pole-vaulting poles and hockey sticks. Without a thorough understanding of the interactions between equipment alteration and human motor control adaptation, equipment optimization is like a hit-and-miss game. Therefore this paper aims: 1) to look back at the different generations (eras) in the development of sports equipment, 2) to elaborate the roles of engineering and sport science/motion analysis technology in each generation and 3) to discuss the essence of sport science research in sport equipment optimization, which has evolved beyond pure engineering. One focus of this review is on body-equipment interactions and body movement adjustments in response to different equipment designs. Both these aspects should ideally be included in future studies related to sports equipments.

Flexion stiffness of a racing cross-country ski boot

“…1 Therefore, other functional and non-functional factors, such as comfort, safety and reliability, and last but not least, also the look, also have to be taken into account in the final boot construction. 21 …”

“…However, the racing cross-country ski boot should not be treated only as a load-bearing construction assuring the desired stiffnesses at minimal mass, but must consider its overall interaction with the athlete. 1 Therefore, other functional and non-functional factors, such as comfort, safety and reliability, and last but not least, also the look, also have to be taken into account in the final boot construction. 21…”

“…To achieve its additional improvement, scientific research approach conducted with computer technology is almost unavoidable. 1 This holds true also for cross-country skiing boots.…”

Design of Experiment for Sports Equipment - Experimentally Mapping the Design Space for Paralympic Alpine Outriggers

“…There are also few manufacturers providing Paralympic sports equipment at a top level, and the equipment often has limited customizing options for use in experiments with athletes. Paralympic equipment is often designed on outdated research, or after well-established models and experiences from sports science based on fully functional athletes (Silberman et al, 2005;Shan, 2008;Iriberri et al, 2009;Burt, 2014). The lack of knowledge may cause some athletes to perform at a sub-optimal level, while others use customised equipment designed after their impairments providing a competitive advantage.…”

Designing an Experiment for Evaluating Seating Positions in Paralympic Rowing

“…When designing high performance sports equipment for the human body, biomechanical models and simulations are often used to optimize the gear for the various functionalities and performance such as speed, weight, friction etc. Engineering designers can build on a vast and well-established foundation of anatomical and medical knowledge from sport science, engineering and medicine (Shan, 2008). In essence, the engineering design task is an (albeit often complicated) optimization task to solve various known dependent and independent variables with known or estimated interdependencies.…”