What are ground reaction forces and why are they important?
In a running task, ground reaction forces are forces that the athlete generates at the foot-ground interface during each foot contact. Force plates allow these forces to be measured in three directions; anterior-posterior (forward and backward), medial-lateral (left and right), and vertical. Every foot contact is an opportunity for athletes to change or maintain their momentum. Therefore, being able to measure ground reaction forces during a skill allows biomechanists to assess an athlete’s momentum control strategy during the phases of their skill. In other words, how the athlete pushes against the ground and the results of these pushes on movement of the athlete’s body. How has this technology been used in the past? Prior to the addition of the fourteen new force plate mounts, the horizontal jumps runway included one force plate mount at the end of the runway just in front of the sand pit. A force plate has been installed in this position to measure ground reaction forces during long
