The goal of this project is to improve the teaching of biomechanics in undergraduate physical education courses, and to improve the quality of independent studies completed by undergraduate physical education students. The grant assisted in purchasing a Video Analysis System that allows the quantitative kinematic analysis of movement, and the graphical presentation of data superimposed over a video image of skill performance. Classroom instruction is being improved by the system since mechanical principles such as the work-energy relationship can be graphically presented in relation to skill acquisition, pathological movement patterns, injury mechanisms, and errors in skill performance. The video system supplements existing laboratory equipment for the measurement of force and muscle activity, and it allows undergraduate students to conduct independent projects quantifying both kinematic (movement patterns) and kinetic (forces affecting movement) aspects of human movement.
