Rocket Science for Everyone!

September 1st, 2007 | Biomechanics Consultancy, Golf Biomechanics, Quintic Video Software

Arnold Palmer has recently been credited with being the single most important sporting icon to begin the transformation of golf into the ‘game for everyone’.

A generation before marketing became a byword for charlatanism with testosterone, Palmer’s looks, undoubted athletic prowess and his charisma made him much more ‘bankable’ than any other golf professional of his age. But here’s an interesting thing…

Recently re-produced photos of Arnie in his heyday show the young dragon pouting strangely. This was mentioned in passing to John Lewis from Bay Hill by Palmer UK & Ireland, who explained that it’s because the young Palmer smoked like a chimney, but modern custom forbids this and so the Lucky Strikes have been airbrushed out but the facial expression of the habitual smoker remains.

It’s representative of how sport has turned against nicotine and related sybaritic pleasures – many would have thought that golf didn’t really number among the sports where self-denial and discipline were that evident.

At the Open in 1976, Johnny Miller walked away with the champion’s purse of £7500, having beaten Jack Nicklaus in to second place by 6 strokes. And the biggest attraction on the Royal Birkdale ground was the Guinness Tent, says an observer of the time.

Golf was slightly rarefied, slightly Bertie Wooster, slightly… well…

Then Tiger Woods happened. With his shameless athleticism and firebrand physicality he has 60 PGA victories and 13 majors and will surely go on to break the Jack Nicklaus record of 18 majors … ‘did him no good at The Open, mind you.

Padraig Harrington didn’t gain possession of the Claret Jug at The Open using a metal detector. His training regime is strict, well-researched, rigorously executed. And what’s behind it all?

Biomechanics.

When kids go to school today, if they’re taught physical education by a recent graduate of any decent training college, biomechanics will have been written large in the syllabus of what physical education teachers have to master. For those of us who aren’t aware of the term Sports Biomechanics uses the scientific methods of mechanics to study the effects of various forces on the sports performer. It is concerned, in particular, with the forces that act on the human neuromusculoskeletal system; velocities, accelerations, torque, momentum, inertia… It also considers aspects of the behavior of sports implements, footwear and surfaces where these affect athletic performance and injury prevention.

Harrington has mastered this concept, because as an athlete his in depth knowledge of how his body works in golf competitions allows him to monitor his performance in fine detail, accentuate positive and eliminate negative aspects, as well as avoid strain or injury.

Dr Paul Hurrion is a doctor of biomechanics, and consults regularly with Padraig, as well as with the likes of Andrew Coltard, David Howell, Philip Archer, and Lee Westwood… During interviews with the press at the Scottish Open, much was made of Westwood’s recent visit to a putting lab to sort out his erratic performance on the greens. “The laboratory is a room with a hard floor, green carpet, cameras all over the room and mirrors – it’s a bit kinky really,” Westwood told reporters.

It’s quite an accurate description of The Quintic Putting Lab in the centre of England where Dr Paul Hurrion is based. It would also describe the set up Padraig Harrington has at his home in Dublin; a faithful replica of the lab at Quintic.

“Quintic Performance Analysis Software provides comprehensive, easy to use, tools that allow me to analyse my full swing, chipping and putting in fine detail, whether I’m on the practice range, indoors or away on Tour,” explains Padraig. “I am able to synchronise and compare my swing action and tempo immediately, whilst the use of the drawing tools enables me to calculate the speed and acceleration of my club and arms.”

This science is what is making the single most meaningful contribution to sport in our time.

Quintic’s portfolio of clients embraces professional athletes, amateurs, sports education establishments and professional coaches across disciplines that include cricket, rowing, boxing, gymnastics, skating, rugby and football. The company’s expertise and software has benefited Irish clients such as Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast, The Maher Sports and Wellness Centre in Dublin, Irish Athletics, The University of Ulster and the country’s water sports governing body, Swim Ireland.

But Paul Hurrion has a special soft spot for golf, and putting in particular. As a gifted all-rounder in sport at school and university, golf did feature among Hurrion’s leisure sports, but it became a commercial interest after he compiled a paper for the World Congress of Golf in Scotland on the principles behind the C-Groove putter. His definitive work here on the mechanics of golf ball roll remains a key component of Yes! Golf’s strategy for C-Groove worldwide, and has earned Quintic lucrative biomechanical and product development work as far afield as China, Hong Kong & Australia.

In an entirely separate undertaking, Hurrion several years ago was retained by shoe manufacturer Hi-Tec to research and develop the ultimate golf shoe. The result was the Custom Directional Traction (CDT) shoe. Three guesses what shoes were worn by the Open Champion Harrington… and the first two don’t count.

Golf is especially interesting from a biomechanical point of view, due to the fact that enormous torque and power are in play when driving a ball off the tee, yet chip shots and putting around the greens involve a much different set of physical movements, relying on control and great deftness of touch. Common to all golfing movements, however, and a key consideration in so much biomechanical study is balance & stability. In looking at sport performance literally from the ground up, the way a golfer distributes his body weight is a factor of which he’s generally unaware, and yet so much depends on it, ‘The power comes from your feet! – How far would you hit a driver in your bare feet?’

For analysis of both the full swing stroke and putting stroke, weight distribution and balance is measured using a force platform. This is a small mat packed with sensors and chips to monitor initial balance and shifting of weight during athletic movement. Hurrion is able to look at unlabelled computer-generated pressure graphics of various golfers’ movements whom he has coached and identify it as a Harrington, Howell, Westwood or Nancy Jones from down the road – each display being so much an individual signature.

This might not appear that interesting at first, were it not for two distinct facts relating to this.

Firstly, there has never been a visitor to the Quintic lab whose athletic aberrations have not been immediately impacted by addressing balance to one degree or another.

Secondly, the experience derived from this type of analysis has allowed Hurrion to design a range of training and adjustment solutions that this year and next will be on sale to the general public. No exaggeration or sleight of hand, the complex methods used to coach the world’s most successful golfers will literally be available to everyone. More of this later…

“I often work with amateur golfers as well as the Tour Professionals,” says the biomechanist in an aside. “Most of them have favourite Tour players whose progress they will follow assiduously. One of these keen amateurs said to me once that being privy to these methods we use to help Tour players was akin to an extreme form of memorabilia-collecting… but instead of having the ball David Howell used to hole out and win the BMW, or the glove Padraig was wearing when he won The Open, he had the very technique, mind-set or drill that was in use, and not mere equipment.

“It’s probably the only acceptable form of super-athlete-stalking there is,” he says – almost smiling.

Avoiding injury is also clearly a key consideration. For Tour golfers, injury actually means more than just discomfort, it’s a loss of earnings. The vast majority of the world’s 65 million golfers, though, aren’t professional golfers. But the sheer number of players over 55 whose physicality is more prone to strain and damage makes injury at this level just as important.

It is through a comprehensive understanding of the body’s mechanical characteristics that biomechanists know what a body can and can’t, or should and shouldn’t do.

Understanding all the physiological stuff is one thing. But it’s an entirely different matter discovering the best hardware and software possibilities that are available to turn it into diagnostic, explanatory and remedial reality.

The use of video cameras to capture images of athletic motion is very important. The human eye can only separate a maximum of ten to twelve images per second. When it comes to analysing athletes’ techniques, even the coach’s practised eye cannot extract all the necessary details in a live sporting situation. The way that video cameras work is by creating the illusion of motion by ‘tricking’ the human eye. They play 25 flashing still pictures each second (fps). As the eye cannot separate those pictures, we perceive continuous movement.

Quintic video analysis software enables video capture at 25, 50 and 100fps. At 100fps each still image is 10ms apart, capable of capturing even the fastest of human movement. Quintic also has the capability of capturing four live video images simultaneously, allowing for still further potential for kinetic comparisons.

More and more athletes, coaches, scientists are using video feedback as a coaching aid. Video can help athletes to understand the basic fundamentals of a specific movement, and these images are used to assist coaches in their task, as the athlete’s performance can be repeated afterwards and slowed down during critical phases.

By comparing performances of previous movements, or even other athletes, the Quintic biomechanical software enables the user to compare video images via the computer screen. Differences between the techniques can be identified (competition vs. training) and this information made available immediately to the athlete. The coach and the athlete can discuss what they see and plan a strategy for improvement, then repeat the process. How the feedback is presented to the athlete when using Quintic is highly dependent upon the skill of the coach or analyst.

And your point is…?

Golfers are extremely vulnerable. No seriously.

A lot of club golfers come to the game late in life and a strange metamorphosis occurs the first time they walk into the pro shop at their new golf club.

Imagine a successful professional man. He could be a surgeon, company director, stockbroker or Formula one racing driver. Supremely confident in his own sphere of expertise, he is putty in the hands of a PGA pro (or his 17 year-old assistant perhaps) and is entirely reliant on the advice he is given. This is widely known among the entrepreneurial community.

There is virtually a gadget for every one of those 65 million golfers, costing anything between a few Euros and thousands of dollars they can cure your slice, enhance your confidence, stop the shanks, yips and DTs, align your stance, help read the greens, make you drive further, chip more accurately… all geared to lower your handicap and make you a better golfer. Golfers pursue lower handicaps like a knight after the Grail and will pay loads for any and every chance to make it happen.

Most devices have only the kind of research behind them that comprises likely profits after 12 months’ trading (if they last that long). Even well-meaning golfers who ‘have an idea’ are arguably on the prowl to be behind the next big thing in golf.

The work carried out by Dr Paul Hurrion and Quintic Consultancy is grounded in proven academic fact and tested application of physics. He personally is cagey about when his training products will be available, partly because this sort of commercialism is not his primary area of expertise. Also, it’s partly due to the fact that on most occasions when he sits down to apply himself to refining the product, he’ll get another urgent summons from his client list of PGA players who need his consultancy… there aren’t enough hours in the day…

We all look forward to Paul finalising the designs so we can benefit from the science… what will that be worth to us golfers?

Carnoustie Open Winner Praises Advances in Sport Science Golf Technology

August 20th, 2007 | Biomechanics Consultancy, Golf Biomechanics, Putting Biomechanics, Quintic Video Software

At the 136th Open Golf Championship held at Carnoustie, Scotland in July, the winner Padraig Harrington was generous in acknowledging the value of the application of new technology by University of Chichester graduate, Dr Paul Hurrion to his game performance. Paul Hurrion, who comes from Warwickshire, began his undergraduate studies at the University of Chichester in 1990 and after successfully gaining his BSc in 1993 he continued with postgraduate study under the supervision of Biomechanist Dr Rosemary Dyson and the now Professor Emeritus of Sport Science Tudor Hale. During this time Paul was often to be seen playing at Goodwood golf course and reached a 2 handicap.

On completion of his PhD thesis Paul was awarded his doctorate degree in biomechanics analysis of sport. He developed and applied his integrated knowledge of golf and biomechanics when given the opportunity to coach golf in Dubai for about a year before his graduation in 1997.

The experience in Dubai acted as a spur to his efforts to develop coaching tools using a high technology approach utilising the advances in rapid data processing and the miniaturisation of solid-state high speed cameras and computer technology. Commercialisation of the developments of his company Quintic Consultancy Ltd (www.quintic.com) resulted in the sport science products being used worldwide to record and analyse sport performance in coaching and competition applications.

Dr Paul Hurrion is now a leading international Biomechanist and his advice has helped many golf tour professionals and teaching professionals to understand and modify their ‘putting’ action to the benefit of their own scores and/or their teaching abilities. Paul’s expertise in golf has been acknowledged with membership of the Advisory Board for Biomechanics at the elite Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) in San Diego, USA.

Paul also maintains an ongoing relationship with the Biomechanics Department of the University of Chichester through various research and consultancy projects.

“If you take your putting seriously then a visit to the Quintic Putting laboratory is a must. Dr Paul Hurrion’s biomechanical and hi-tech approach to this ‘game within a game’ is unique…The use of the lab’s camera, computer and analysis software, together with Paul’s knowledge, will demonstrate to you things the human eye misses…”

Padraig Harrington

 Article: Chichester Observer 20/08/07 & University of Chichester Website: http://www.chiuni.ac.uk/services/news/newsarticle.cfm?articleId=729

Goldie on track for Osaka

July 30th, 2007 | Athletics, Biomechanics Consultancy, Quintic Video Software

Norwich Union World Trials & UK Championships – Manchester 28th July 07

There was a new stadium record set in the AAA’s women’s javelin by the in-form Goldie Sayers (Belgrave Harriers). She spiked the turf at 63.02m during the second round to seal her place for Osaka in three weeks time. Below is a 4-image photo sequence of her winning throw.

Quintic Consultancy would like to wish Goldie and all the other members of the British Team all the best in the forthcoming World Championships in Osaka, Japan.

“Quinitc to become a Technology Partner to GEL Golf

July 27th, 2007 | Biomechanics Consultancy, Putting Biomechanics, Quintic Video Software

Groove Equipment Ltd., (GEL) is proud to announce the signing of Dr. Paul Hurrion, putting coach of British Open champion Padraig Harrington, to design an exclusive line of putters for GEL set to debut at the 2008 PGA Show.

A leading international biomechanist in several sports at Quintic Ltd., the Paul Hurrion Signature line will reflect Paul’s many years of experience working in the game of golf.

His expertise has led him to work with top pros such as David Howell, Lee Westwood, Philip Archer and he was personally thanked by Harrington during his Open Championship acceptance speech.

Paul’s first foray into club design came when he co-designed the Torpedo putter shaft which Harrington was using when he won the Irish Open in May of this year.

“For me personally, it is extremely exciting to be designing my own range of putters under the GEL umbrella, especially since GEL putters are not only technologically innovative but also look modern, colourful and striking,” commented Dr. Hurrion.

GEL is planning to launch the Paul Hurrion Signature line at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando in January 2008, one year after GEL introduced its innovative line of grooved putters.

Under the agreement, Quintic, an independent equipment testing consultancy, will become a technology partner to GEL Golf. Quintic will undertake extensive biomechanical testing on GEL’s current offering of six models to make sure that the new brand is maximizing the use of its unique groove technology, which incorporates horizontal aluminium grooves in the design of each individual putter.

“We have 100% confidence in Groove Technology improving the desired topspin roll of a putt and we have brought Quintic on as a partner to make sure that we are maximizing the potential of our innovative technology,” said managing director of GEL, Alec Pettigrew.

Pettigrew continued, “The extensive biomechanical testing by Quintic has already proven GEL Putters outperform a number of top putter brands such as PING and Titleist and with Quintic on board, we will be looking to maintain our position at the cutting edge of Groove Technology and to continually upgrade the performance of the GEL Putters.”

“Quinitc is delighted to become a Technology Partner to GEL Golf and we look forward to further developing the Groove Technology used in GEL putters,” added Dr Hurrion.

GEL also made its professional tournament debut at the 136th Open Championship as Australia’s David Gleeson used a GEL putter.

GEL’s product line spans decades of putter design with everything from traditional blade style putters to cutting-edge designs. They feature an aluminium putter face insert which is softer and more responsive than the stainless steel face inserts of other groove putters. Several models are available in ladies and left handed, and each GEL putter comes standard with a specially designed WINN grip. The MSRP for all GEL models in the United States is $165.

GEL used advice from touring professionals when developing its putters and is now looking to encourage them to begin using the GEL Putters on Tour. Both men’s and ladies Majors have already been won by users of groove-faced putters including the 2001 & 2004 US Open Champion Retief Goosen.

Padraig Harrington wins ‘The 136th Open Championship’

July 23rd, 2007 | Biomechanics Consultancy, Golf Biomechanics, Putting Biomechanics, Quintic Video Software

Congratulations Padraig… what a day!

Exciting to the point of gut-wrenching!!

A superb last round of four under par 67 took Padraig into a play-off with Sergio Garcia for the Open Championship. Four birdies and an eagle three on the 14th hole left him one shot ahead playing the fearsome 18th hole but two visits to the water seemed to have put paid to his chances of winning a first major. But in a dramatic finish Garcia lipped out for par and a four hole play-off ensued. Like a man spared the death penalty, Padraig played superb golf to leave himself with a four foot putt for the title. He holed it, (straight in the middle) to become the first Irishman to win the title in sixty years and has now won all three play-offs he has contested this year.

Harrington’s victory, his first Major Championship success in his 37th attempt, saw him become the first European born player to win The Open Championship since Scotland’s Paul Lawrie triumphed at Carnoustie in 1999 and only the second Irishman in history to lift the Claret Jug following Fred Daly’s triumph at Royal Liverpool in 1947.

The 35 year old Dubliner picked up the first prize of €1,106,617 (£750,000) to move top of The European Tour Order of Merit – where he ended last season – and up to sixth on the Official World Golf Ranking, his highest ever placement.

“I think it will take a long time to settle in what I have achieved today,” he said. “The emotion of it, I couldn’t believe it. I know it was only a short putt to win in the end but as it was rolling into the middle of the hole I’m thinking, I’m the Open Champion! It was amazing, incredible to see that putt drop.”

“Always my goal was to win more than one Major and if I crossed the threshold and won one, as I have done now, I always want to win more. I’m going to celebrate like it’s the pinnacle of my career but I’ve got other goals to move on with now. I’m certainly going to enjoy this one though now, and for the foreseeable future. Forever actually.”

There’s no substitute for building a solid putting stroke that won’t break down under pressure and I (Dr Paul Hurrion – Quintic) can’t imagine any more pressure than Padraig was under several times late on Sunday. Dr Paul Hurrion was personally mentioned in his speech, we at Quintic are very proud of what he has achieved, all those hours upon hours, late nights, hitting balls beyond midnight have all paid off, congratulations once again.

First of many Padraig !?!

*His 12th European Tour International Schedule victory in his 260th European Tour event as a professional.

*His first Major Championship victory in his 37th Major Championship appearance.

*Becomes the first European-born player to win a Major Championship since Paul Lawrie at The 1999 Open Championship also at Carnoustie – a gap of 31 Major Championships.

*This victory beats his best previous Major Championship performances of fifth in the US Open Championship in 2006 and tied fifth in the 1997 Open Championship, 2000 US Open Championship, 2002 Masters Tournament, and 2002 Open Championship.

*Wins The Open Championship in his 11th appearance.

*Third consecutive first-time Major Champion, following Zach Johnson (Masters Tournament) and Angel Cabrera (US Open Championship). First time this has occurred since Phil Mickelson (2004 Masters Tournament), Shaun Micheel (2003 US PGA Championship) and Ben Curtis (2003 The Open Championship).

*Second victory on The 2007 European Tour International Schedule, following the Irish Open.

*Third victory of 2007, following the Irish Open and Irish PGA Championship last week.

*Fourth time in his European Tour career he has recorded multiple victories in the same season.

*Gains an exemption into The Open Championship until the age of 65.

*Gains a five year exemption into The Masters Tournament, the US Open Championship and USPGA Championship.

*Gains a place in the 2007 PGA Grand Slam of Golf, joining Johnson and Cabrera.

*Gains a place in the 2007 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and HSBC World Match Play Championship.

*Gains a place in the 2008 HSBC Champions.

*Extends his European Tour exemption until the end of 2017.

Titleist ups the ante on its Performance Institute

June 5th, 2007 | Biomechanics Consultancy, Golf Biomechanics

Biomechanist and MD of Quintic Consultancy, Paul Hurrion has been invited to join the Biomechanics Advisory Panel of the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI).

The TPI was born out of an ongoing search for knowledge about bodies in sports motion. Morphing out of a private facility that was created for the benefit of Titleist staff players worldwide, the public side of the TPI was first opened in 2004.The TPI was born out of an ongoing search for knowledge about bodies in sports motion. Morphing out of a private facility that was created for the benefit of Titleist staff players worldwide, the public side of the TPI was first opened in 2004.It is one of the most technologically advanced golf evaluation facilities in existence focusing on swing efficiency, physical conditioning, and custom equipment fitting. It combines industry leading experts, state of the art technology, and world class facilities to enhance the performance and physical well-being of golfers of all skill levels. You’d find that a good deal of what is discussed and debated by the members of the Institute is over the heads of most club golfers, but it’s meat & potatoes to professional athletes for whom the game is a livelihood.There are eight people in total currently consulting just on the TPI biomechanics panel – each with discrete disciplinary skill-sets and in different sports. The idea is that physiological & biomechanical aspects of all sports have information that can be applied to golf. Considering that this will involve processing vast amounts of data to extract valid components, an exhaustive degree of knowledge is needed. “We met Paul through Padraig Harrington and knew that he was doing research on shoes and motion analysis of elite athletes,” explains Dr Greg Rose of TPI. “We look for advisors that can help direct us in each discipline and we try to get experts from different sports that may have great information that we could apply to golf. We definitely try to get advisors who don’t think the same so that we can get great discussions on each topic. “We try to meet at least once a year, we pose monthly questions to discuss and debate through email, we all write articles to post on our website, and we will try to publish 6-10 research papers over 12 months from the group.” 2007 and 2008 are going to be very busy years for Paul Hurrion. As demand among PGA players and management grows for Hurrion’s one-to-one consulting time, Quintic itself is poised to launch a range of very special training aids under the Quintic brand. Designed, packaged and priced to have appeal among the broadest range of golfers, these training aids are distinguished by their simplicity and instant feedback. Paul Hurrion and the Quintic team have amassed a vast body of work on the complexities of the professional athletes’ sporting performance. An innate knowledge of this data firstly enables a biomechanist efficiently to target a problem or an opportunity for performance improvement. Secondly, it makes it possible to identify accurately the common problems of most golfers and crucially, the quickest and most effective cure. “At its purest level, yes, biomechanics is probably deathly dull to men and women who simply love the game of golf and always want to play better,” says a sanguine Paul Hurrion. “The point is those people don’t have to bother with exhaustive analysis of their game because we’ve done that. For those that are interested the facts and figures, we can gladly discuss these, otherwise they can just benefit by our research… and play better golf.” The TPI will be a Shangri-La for serious golfers, irrespective of the brand of club they swing. They’ll sell truckloads of very worthy Titleist gear off the back of it, but that’s a given and no secret. What is perhaps a more closely guarded secret is just how coveted a place is in this particular school. Greg Rose : “We are a private facility – used mainly by our professional Titleist staff players worldwide (almost 8,000 players in total). We do offer 35 fantasy camps called ‘experiences’ each year – where 6 amateurs will come in for three days and we treat them like they are Adam Scott for the week. We charge $7,500 per person and it is usually sold out well in advance!”

Sayers’s new UK javelin record under the microscope

June 5th, 2007 | Athletics, Biomechanics Consultancy, Quintic Video Software

Goldie Sayers has broken the British javelin record with a mark of 65.05m at the Loughborough International athletics match on May 20th. The 24-year-old beat her own personal best by 3.60m and eclipsed Kelly Morgan’s previous national record of 64.87m, which was set in July 2002. And the effort also helped Sayers – a Loughborough graduate herself – claim top spot in the 2007 world rankings.

“It’s a shock but not that much of a shock. I knew I was going to throw a personal best because training has been going fantastically well,” said Sayers.

And that training is down to some highly sophisticated sports analysis software, designed and developed in Britain. For the last 6 years, Sayers has been working with Midlands-based biomechanist Dr Paul Hurrion, who in 1997 founded ‘Quintic Consultancy’.

Quintic continues to be responsible for the evolution of some of sport’s most highly regarded analysis and performance development software. Using a combination of high-speed video analysis and proprietary Quintic Biomechanics software, every single aspect of Goldie Sayers’s throwing technique – both in training and competition – was broken down and examined with her coach Mark Roberson to determine areas for improvement and for potential stress.

It’s vitally important, says Hurrion for several reasons.

“Goldie is representative of a type of sportswoman whose best achievements are yet to come,” he explains. “Underlying all our work is the given that at her level of biomechanical ability and preparedness it is possible to make a marked improvement in most components of her performance, but only after the most penetrative understanding of the body’s kinematics.

“Secondly… and thirdly, I suppose,” says Hurrion with enthusiasm. “Goldie is young and there’s no reason she shouldn’t win Olympic medals in 2008 and 2012 – provided she is spared injury.

“And that’s an important preventative benefit of potent biomechanical analysis – it’s no use being the best if you’re always injured.”

In a red-hot field, GB & NI’s Goldie Sayers proved her early season form is no flash in the pan as she won the Norwich Union Glasgow Grand Prix (Sunday 3rd June) competition with a fine second round effort of 63.59m, just less than one-and-a-half metres down on the British record she set at the Loughborough International a fortnight earlier. Last year’s European Champion and current Olympic silver medallist Steffi Nerius (Germany) was 2nd with a best of 62.57m and European silver medallist Barbara Spotakova (Czech Republic) was 3rd with 62.26m. “It wasn’t a bad day as we’ve trained in far worse weather than this! My aim was to throw long and I’d expected to throw that far on a good day so I’m pretty pleased about it. I haven’s backed off training for Osaka (World Championships) so in theory I should have some more big throws.”

A bob’s worth of technology

February 14th, 2007 | Biomechanics Consultancy, Quintic Video Software

What do bobsleigh teams, motor racing manufacturers and the city of Bath have in common? British athletes competing in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City have been given a helping hand in the hunt for medals by the latest aerodynamics technologies developed for racing cars and a practice track at Bath University.

Racing car manufacturer Lola Cars and the British Bobsleigh Association (BBA) have joined forces. To help Britain defend its bronze medal in the four-man bob and to plan for future competitions, the pair have signed a five-year deal to develop bobsleigh designs incorporating the latest in motorsport technologies.

Lola has rebuilt the British sleds using carbon fibres to achieve weight savings. Like most bobsleigh teams, Britain’s uses a standard, off-the-shelf sled, and Lola has not had time to design a new model. Nevertheless, the weight saving is still crucial. When the athletes push off at the beginning of the race, any weight saving will allow them to get away quicker.

More importantly, Lola and the BBA are looking to the future. Only elite teams such as the US and Switzerland have specially designed, unique vehicles, and this is what Lola hopes to achieve for Britain. Christopher Tate, marketing director of Lola, says: “These bobsleighs will be manufactured to racing car standards.”

The partners are aiming to have designs ready for the 2006 Olympics and competitions in the meantime. As well as the manufacturing changes, Lola offers trackside management. When practising, managers can review performances using the latest technologies and make changes, rather than constantly dragging the sled to the top of the slope and trying again.

Bruce Ropner, chairman of the BBA, welcomes the new technical agreement: “Our bob drivers and athletes are already world class in terms of physical, competitive and mental approach. This agreement with Lola should give us, over the years to come, the extra speed we need to compete with the world’s best.

“In Salt Lake City, we will be watched by top engineers from Lola, studying the effects of what they have done in modifications – and working with us to plan the technological future of British bobsleigh.”

While the design of the sled is all important, crewmen have to be highly trained to take into account the split-second nature of the competition. In an effort to help the teams, a unique £300,000 practice track has been designed by Bath University to replicate the opening moments of their runs.

BBA performance director Tony Wallington enthuses about the new facility: “The start is crucial in bobsleigh, and this track mirrors the real thing. Our athletes will be able to practise their starts time and time again, watched by coaches and analysed by biomechanical technology.”

Technology, named Quintic, is a software program that video tapes the actions of each runner and then overlays them upon each other. The best running line and style of each of the crewmen can be worked out and changed to bring the optimum style. The software enables split screen images of performances to be compared and analysed in detail. The distance, velocity and acceleration of the sled can also be calculated and compared with the video and technique of the crewmen of each start.

Additionally, a timing device, designed by German firm Tistronic, provides timing to an accuracy of three decimal places. Lasers embedded in the track walls can measure the speed of the passing sled. Such accurate measurements are vital in a sport where medal positions are determined in hundredths of a second. The athletes travel down the track at speeds of up to 50mph. Athletes who will be taking part in the sports of bobsleigh, bob-skeleton and luge will all benefit from the 125m track which replicates the start of the tracks in Salt Lake City and Turin, Italy, where the 2006 games will be held.

Wallington says: “If a team loses hundredths of a second at the start it is very difficult to make up the deficit on the track. Equally, a good start can make a huge difference to the finish time.

“We are quietly confident of getting good results. Ice-track sports are coming back into their own in this country. We lost the expertise for a while but this track can help us back to the top level.”

The university’s property services department designed the track with input from the engineering and sports department, and its dimensions closely model those on which the athletes will compete. Local firm M J Church built the track. The project was aided by funding from the BBA, Sport England’s lottery fund and sponsor VT Aerospace.

Dr Paul Hurrion invitated to join the Editorial Board of the Annual Review of Coaching.

February 1st, 2007 | Biomechanics Consultancy, Golf Biomechanics

The Annual Review of Golf Coaching will provide authoritative, state-of-the-art reviews on all matters related to golf coaching. In addition, original research studies will be considered for publication. As a technical, scholarly, peer-reviewed journal, the Annual Review of Golf Coaching will strive to bridge the gap between scientific and practical knowledge in golf. Collaboration between golf coaches and experts in sports science will be instrumental in this regard. The Annual Review of Golf Coaching will promote reflective practice in the golf coaching community and become a key source of knowledge for continuing professional development. It will also provide global, economic and political overviews of the golf coaching business.

The review process of the Annual Review of Golf Coaching is ‘open,’ which means that both authors and reviewers know each other’s identity; and acknowledgment of the reviewers’ work is footnoted on the first page of each article. This process has proved to be successful for the International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching.

For further information please visit: www.multi-science.co.uk/golf-coaching.htm

Annual Review of Golf Coaching
Editor: Simon Jenkins
Published Annually • 2007 issue ISBN: 0906522 544 • £25/$45

Technology now plays a vital part in every top athlete’s bid for victory…

February 1st, 2007 | Athletics, Biomechanics Consultancy, Quintic Video Software

To make things that work as efficiently as possible is one of engineering’s goals. But javelins are designed to under perform for one very good reason – safety. By the 1980’s competition standards had risen to such a degree that athletes routinely recorded throws of more than 90m, culminating in a 104.8m throw by Uwe Hohn of the former East Germany at a meet in Berlin in 1984.

International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) officials recognised that one day a javelin would be thrown the length of the field and land among spectators, with potentially lethal result. The solution, introduced in 1986, was elegant in its simplicity: the centre of balance of all javelins was moved forward 4cm.

As a result they now fly in a more pronounced arc, travel 20m or so less and land point first more often. Top athletes use javelins with a narrower point for headwinds and a wider one for tailwinds, yet the range of their throws is more consistent. Competitors, however, can only use IAAF-approved javelins: smooth-surfaced, hollow, made of either aluminium or carbon-fibre and weighing no more than 800g.

Vibration is the big enemy of the javelineer. “When a javelin is thrown you can see how it vibrates in the air” says Claire Davis, senior lecturer at the University of Birmingham’s school of metallurgy and material science, “so the question is how to damp them”.

“New materials are coming in that would change characteristics in flight,” explains Davies. “These smart materials, called piezo-electric ceramics, have active dampening. They can respond to external stimuli, so applying a stress such as vibration will generate an electric impulse within their structure that stiffens the material, causing it to vibrate less.” Andre Aggasi already has tennis racquets made of this material, and it is also used in competition skis.

However, even if technology isn’t allowed to improve the javelin, it can improve technique. Steve Backley, javelin silver medallist at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and who is aiming for Games gold this year, uses biomechanical analysis software developed by Quintic Consultancy Ltd, a Coventry-based company set up by sports scientist Dr Paul Hurrion. The software compares high speed digital video images of athletes in action.

“By synchronising current and best throws at the moment of release, we can analyse the difference,” says Backley. For him, the software tool proved invaluable in his preparation for the Athens Games…

“Being able to synchronise different throws, current and best, proved invaluable in preparation for the games in Sydney 2000 & Athens 2004. I can compare the timing of current training throws with my best 90m efforts from previous years. By synchronising current and best throws at release we could rewind in slow motion and analyse the differences.”

Steve Backley OBE

4 time European Gold
3 time Commonwealth Gold
2 time World Silver
2 time Olympic Silver

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