Sprint start instrumentation

A prototype instrument has been developed to measure the forces generated on the starting blocks and the speed of a sprinter at the start of a sprint event. The starting block forces can be resolved into horizontal and vertical components for each foot, or the various combinations of these four forces can be calculated and displayed along with the resultant angle. The speed of the sprinter is measured by means of a Doppler microwave technique (radar gun). Both static and dynamic tests have been used to calibrate the force transducers and to verify their functional bandwidth. The speed measurement technique has been validated by four independent procedures: measurement of a constant velocity object; measurement of an object undergoing constant acceleration; determination of distance travelled by an athlete; and comparison with high-speed cinematography. Both the force and speed profiles can be displayed immediately on the screen of a microcomputer for feedback to the coach and athlete during training sessions