Biomechanics of Training and Testing - Innovative Concepts and Simple Field Methods

This book presents an account of innovative methods and, for most of them, gives direct and practical insights into how practitioners can benefit from their use in their everyday practice. It also explains how to interpret the data measured, and the underlying neuromechanical and biomechanical factors related to sports performance. Written and edited by the same researchers who proposed and validated these methods, this book not only presents innovative methods for an efficient training and testing process (most of which are based on very simple technology and data processing methods), but also discusses the associated background information. Although it is a young scientific discipline, sport biomechanics has taken on an important role in routine sports training, medicine and rehabilitation. It allows both a better understanding of human locomotion and performance and better design of training and injury prevention. In those processes, the testing of athletes is crucial, and the quality and quantity of the variables analysed directly influences the efficiency of physicians', coaches', physiotherapists' and other practitioners' interventions.

Jean-Benoit (JB) Morin is currently Full Professor at the Faculty of Sport Sciences of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (France). He is a member of the Laboratory of Human Motor Function, Education Sport and Health, and an associate researcher with the Auckland University of Technology Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ). He obtained a Track & Field Coach National Diploma in 1998 and graduated in Sport Science at the University of Besançon, France in 2000.

He obtained his PhD in Human Locomotion and Performance in 2004 at the University of Saint-Etienne, France (supervised by Prof. Alain Belli), in collaboration with the University of Udine, Italy (Prof. Pietro diPrampero). He was an Assistant Professor at the Sport Science Department of the University of Saint-Etienne and member of the Laboratory of Exercise Physiology from 2005 to 2014.

Pr Morin's field of research is mainly human locomotion and

performance, with specific interest into running biomechanics and maximal power movements (sprint, jumps). He teaches locomotion, sports biomechanics, and strength training and assessment methods. He has published over 100 peer-review Journal articles since 2002, and collaborates and plays a consultant role with elite sprinters, rugby and football teams (among other sports) all over the world.

Pierre Samozino is an Associate Professor at the Sport Science department of University Savoie Mont Blanc in Chambery (France). His research activities, performed in the Inter-university Laboratory of Human Movement Biology (LIBM)  are mainly based on biomechanical approaches and focus on muscle mechanical properties in relation to sport performance and on human locomotion biomechanics. He obtained his PhD in Human Movement sciences in 2009 at the university of Saint-Etienne (France) supervised by Pr. Alain Belli, Dr. Frederique Hintzy and Dr. JB Morin. After tw

o years as junior lecturer at the Sport Science Department of the University of Saint-Etienne from 2009 to 2010, he worked one year (2011) in the Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology Laboratory of the outdoor sport equipment company Salomon.

The central part of his current research is to propose new concepts and simple methods to better understand the neuromuscular determinants of explosive performance (jumps, sprints, change of direction) and make possible their evaluation to the greatest number of sports practitioners, including strength and conditioning coaches in explosive sports (athletics, soccer, basketball, rugby ... ). Pierre Samozino teaches biomechanics, statistics and strength training for Bachelor and Master degree students. He is the author or co-author of over 60 peer review scientific papers from 2006, and collaborates with various sport teams and athletes.