When gestures make the difference
Year after year, records are broken in almost every sport. Competitions are becoming increasingly fierce, and the differences in scores, times and achievements between top-level athletes are narrowing to the point of impossibility. How do they manage to surpass themselves year after year? What mystery lies behind elite athletes who, like fascinating prodigies of nature, prevail over their opponents to achieve glory, sometimes not just once but in successive editions?
To achieve success, it is logical that multiple factors must coincide (a stellar alignment, so to speak) to the highest degree: adequate physical condition, proper nutrition, an efficient training plan, good equipment and, of course, the necessary motivation and psychological stability. Strict international regulations have meant that many of these factors have narrow margins for manoeuvre, and athletes and technical teams struggle to gain even the slightest advantage over their opponents. This is the case, for example, with sports clothing and equipment, whose characteristics are strictly limited and inspected: the design and materials of golf clubs, tennis rackets or bicycles; the fabric of swimsuits or the composition of athletics shoes, etc.
However, there is and always will be one area in which athletes can constantly improve if they have the right support: sports movements and their biomechanics. In fact, the fight is not only against opponents, but also against oneself, with the aim of optimising performance, reducing the risk of injury and increasing comfort as much as possible. In other words, to achieve higher levels of efficiency.
The study of human body movement, or biomechanics, has experienced a boom in recent years, and today there is a wealth of scientific literature supporting the fundamental principles that promote sporting success in each discipline. In other words, we know theoretically what the athlete’s movement should be in order to promote optimal movement. The question is: Is it possible to measure this movement in the training centre or sports laboratory? How far are we from the optimal movement? This is where motion measurement tools come into play, among which 3D optical capture systems undoubtedly occupy first place. This equipment allows the movement of the human body in space to be measured with sub-millimetre precision and automatically provides a myriad of biomechanical parameters.
Mario Centeno, Head of Biomechanics at the High Performance Centre (CAR) in León, and Juan García López, Professor of Biomechanics and Dean of the Faculty of Sports Sciences at the University of León, have been advising top Spanish athletes and cyclists for years. Their work routines now include well-established ‘biomechanical tests’, in which they monitor the biomechanical performance of these elite athletes. To do this, they have a capture room with eight cameras capable of capturing 240 FPS (frames per second) with a resolution of 1.3 MPx. These capture cameras, together with STT Systems’ Sports 3DMA motion analysis software, monitor the main biomechanical parameters of the entire body in 3 dimensions, in real time and without cables.
Among the capabilities offered by this system, Mario highlights ‘real-time information without post-processing time, the biofeedback utility that allows us to know if the parameters we want to study fall within the desired ranges, and the ability to generate reports with a single click.’ And what parameters do they focus on? They explain that with this technology, they are able to effortlessly monitor ‘symmetries, coordination of movements between various joints, angular velocities and accelerations at key points of movement, trajectories in space of certain anatomical points, and many others.’ With this range of parameters at their disposal, biomechanical specialists have the ability to analyse any aspect of movement and ‘study each case in detail, without giving general prescriptions.’
Athletes of the calibre of Álvaro Martín Uriol, European champion in the 20 km walk in 2018; Diego García Carrera, current European runner-up in the 20 km walk, crossing the finish line just seconds behind his compatriot Álvaro; and Marc Tur, Spanish runner-up in the 50 km walk, have all passed through the CAR Biomechanics Laboratory in León. These athletes, in addition to their undeniable physical fitness, demonstrate a great capacity for hard work and have been receptive to the advice of Juan and Mario.
Another athlete who regularly visits this Biomechanics Laboratory is Jesús Ángel García Bragado, who has participated in seven Olympic Games and 13 world championships, making him the athlete with the most appearances in both competitions in history. Jesús is also the world champion in the 50 km walk and three-time world runner-up in the same category. How does one achieve such a long and successful sporting career? Logically, there is no foolproof formula, but athletes like him, with a long sporting career and always at the forefront, highlight another of the great advantages of a full-body 3D analysis system: objective evaluation over time and the correlation between postural changes, performance and injuries.
Mario He recounts several examples of practical use of the Sports 3DMA system with one of these athletes: “During a test, we realised that his arm swing range was very short. In addition to instructing him on the advisability of extending his arm movement, we used the 3D system’s biofeedback tool. We can monitor his arm movement in real time, i.e. while he is running, and automatically generate an audible alarm if he reaches the desired flexion-extension range. In this way, the athlete practises and internalises the change in movement more easily. Months later, a follow-up test was conducted, where we observed a much more adequate range of motion, and the athlete reported that he perceived a great technical improvement since the original test.
Raquel González Campos is an Olympic athlete and Spanish record holder in the 10,000 km walk. Together with Laura García Caro, Spanish under-20 record holder in the 20 km road walk, she also conducts biomechanical studies at the CAR in León.
‘This technology helps us a lot because our discipline is very technical,’ says José Antonio Quintana, coach of race walkers Diego, Marc and Laura. ‘It provides information on parameters that influence walking: limb length discrepancies, loss of contact, forces… This allows us to improve and avoid injuries.’
José Antonio Quintana‘s training group has been using this service for several years. In principle, the study is carried out twice during the season: first, an analysis of each athlete’s walking is performed, and in the second, they note whether the changes made have yielded results. ‘Walking is a mechanised movement that is difficult to vary,’ says the coach. ‘But we know that by modifying certain parameters, the athlete improves and that generates confidence; you can take risks at certain speeds with greater safety.’
Currently, all of them are training for Tokyo 2021.
The knowledge gained from so many scientific studies, combined with the practical ability to measure athletes accurately and quickly, results in the perfect combination of science and training. Juan, Mario and José Antonio are aware of this, and they put it into practice; and the results speak for themselves. After all, ‘what cannot be measured cannot be improved’.