Ball velocity and elbow loading in fastball pitching

Among baseball players, the pitchers are the most prone to injuries. These injuries occur mainly at the medial part of the elbow and at the shoulder. It is widely accepted that high joint loading are linked to overuse injury for repetitive motion. At maximal exo-rotation (MER), the elbow maximal abduction moment is predominantly counteracted by...

Getting the angles straight in speed skating: A validation study on an IMU filter design to measure the lean angle of the skate on the straights

To assist speed skaters in improving their skating performance, we would like to provide them with real time feedback on the orientation of the skate within a single stroke. While of course the forces generated by the skater on the ice determine the acceleration of the skater, the orientation of the skate determines in which direction this...

Elite athlete motor and loading actions on the upper limb in baseball pitching

In baseball, pitchers are the players that are most prone to injury. Most injuries occur at the elbow and shoulder of the throwing upper limb. It is widely accepted that understanding the loading in the joints during pitching is a key factor to prevent injuries. To deepen the understanding of the joint actions this study proposes to split the...

Giving the force direction: Analysis of speed skater push off forces with respect to an inertial coordinate system

Pushoff in speed skating requires an extensive motion strategy. During speed skating the skater continuously changes the lean and steering angle of the skate and therewith the direction of push-off, The forces in an inertial coordinate system can give insight into what amount of the push-off force is directed into the forward motion. In this...

Shoulder joint velocity during fastball pitching in baseball

The purpose of this study was to assess the rotation and translation velocity of the shoulder complex during fastball pitching in baseball. 8 pitchers from the Dutch AAA team performed each 3 fastball pitches. Their motion was recorded by an opto-electronic device. Kinematic computation was performed using the quaternion algebra. The results...