"Tim Downie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:pmb said:I'm starting this new thread because the "My Achiles heel and my MD"
thread is getting a bit congested.
<snip>
Interesting stuff although I won't pretend that I can follow all your
arguments. That said, I've always felt that an awful lot is *said* about
how we run without reference to video confirmation of what we *actually*
do
Quoted message said:and your searches would seem to bear this out.
This remark of yours reminds me of a science programme I saw on TV about 15
years ago. Some university team was taking force and velocity readings of a
long-jumper, Fiona May, with some expensive-looking equipment. They shook
their heads at the big deceleration that showed up on their instruments when
she hit the board. They thought she might be able to reduce it by "pulling"
with the foot instead of "pushing". But if they'd been watching her instead
of their instruments, they'd have noticed that her last stride, the one she
hits the board with, was an *extra* long one, planted *extra*-far in front,
giving an *extra*-large deceleration. But that's what all long-jumpers do.
And if they'd noticed that, they might have asked why. The reason is that
although the long-jump is called a jump, more accurately it's a vault. Just
as the vaulter plants the pole into the box (getting a huge deceleration, of
course), the long-jumper plants a more or less rigid leg onto the take-off
board, and vaults off it. That's how they both get the height. And the
vaulter is pushing, he ain't pulling.
As you say, it helps a lot if you merely pay attention to what athletes
*actually* do. The professors have got too much equipment, I guess. It's
fogging up their vision.
(I'm off to Holland for a few days. Their beer is likely to fog up *my*
vision)
Pat B
