At its essence, performance enhancement breaks down a sport into its intrinsic movements and makes those movements better—whether stronger, more agile, faster, more stable, or less fatigued. But to truly enhance them, those movements must be dissected and diagnosed so that athletic domination can occur.



3-D analysis reveals proper sequencing for increased power and distance

The need for biomechanical analysis has become fundamental in any sport with complex movements. New to the amateur sports world, Athletic Edge...in 3-D is a Biomechanical Motion Analysis which displays for coaches, parents and athletes definitive data on joint angles, body positions, velocity, and energy transfer during a repeatable sport-specific (and often position-specific) movement. Even at the top levels, athletes eventually break down after their physical compensations create enough stress on the system. Baseball pitchers, for one, are notorious for their problems with mechanics—think of the number of pitchers getting "Tommy John Surgery," a now-common procedure named after a successful Major League pitcher!



Biomechanical analysis can help increase both pitching velocity and accuracy

For pitchers and varied athletes alike, 3-D Biomechanical Motion Analysis will directly lead to improved performance and injury prevention. It will identify "power leaks" and their causes, so that incomplete sports training can develop into superior performance-enhancement. To detail a few achievable goals: throwers will see better command of pitches, increased velocity and number of pitches, with significant reduction of elbow, shoulder and back pain; hitters will see more power output and higher batting average; runners will benefit from increased stride rate, stride length and lowered risk of leg muscle strains; golfers will get more distance and straighter drives from a more consistent swing, with less fatigue and body aches.



Motion analysis can also significantly help reduce the risk of injury

Regardless of a particular style or school of thought for sports techniques, from a mechanics standpoint, the body can only move optimally in one way. This is due to the alignment of bones, the direction of muscle fibers and the designated contractile properties of those fibers. For example, think about a complex rotational movement: hitting a baseball, swinging a golf club, serving a tennis ball, throwing a javelin, taking a lacrosse shot on goal, hitting a hockey puck into a net, etc. These very different sports all rely on rotational movements, and since the body can only rotate its parts in one ideal way, these seemingly individual sports rely on the same sequencing of parts.



The planes of the action might be different, but the ideal chain of movements, or kinematic sequence, is the same. Starting with the feet, each body segment must transfer energy efficiently to the next. Power created from the push of the feet travels up the legs and then through the rotating 1) pelvis, 2) torso, 3) arms and finally to the 4) bat/driver/racquet/stick/etc. This sequencing is what creates optimal power and consistency and reduces the risk of injury. But the subtleties of such movements are undetectable by the naked eye and even standard 2-D video.

With the Athletic Edge…in 3-D system, an athlete’s mechanics — whether for running, throwing, swinging, kicking, cycling, squatting, jumping, etc. — are analyzed using electromagnetic body sensors, real-time motion-capture video, and state-of-the-art computer software. The analysis generates a 3-D digital animation, which allows people to understand every aspect of their movements, while assessing proper kinetic sequence, body posture, range-of-motion, etc. Seeing data broken down to 240 frames per second (the human eye can only see between 30 and 60 frames per second) and with accuracy up to 1/10th of a degree, it becomes easy to pin-point the exact, undetectable moment when a complex motion might be creating stress or negatively affecting performance. And with that detailed biomechanical data, training or rehab can become completely individualized and, therefore, markedly more dramatic.

Before submitting to any 3-D motion analysis, athletes and their coaches should be sure that the professionals administering the tests can intelligently decipher the data and actually dismantle it to facilitate the necessary development. Athletic Edge...in 3-D is the culmination of our staff having studied with some of the world's most renowned biomechanists. And taking our knowledge where no scientists had gone before, Athletic Edge conducted the country's first biomechanical research study on the Lacrosse shot. This commitment to the importance of the offering and of the excellence that it brings to training puts our staff in a unique position within the field.

In addition to the computerized assessment, Athletic Edge...in 3-D can provide physical screens to divulge whether the biomechanical errors are a result of technical problems or physical limitations. Factors affecting performance could include posture, functional strength, power, balance, mobility, stability, endurance or coordination. This deduction is also crucial to getting the motions truly corrected and the athlete's training devoted to success.

While 3-D Biomechanical Motion Analysis and corresponding physical screens are conducted one-on-one at our Scotch Plains facility, the portability of the system allows us to travel to accommodate groups or teams as well. For more information, please contact us.