Browsing by Author "Lombard, Daniel George"
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- ItemA biomechanical analysis of the rugby place kick.(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Lombard, Daniel George; Van den Heever, David Jacobus; Cockroft, Stephen John; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Compared to other professional sport codes such as soccer, the availability of rugby-based studies rooted in scientific principles is limited. This study forms part of a larger project that aims to broaden the knowledge base surrounding the rugby goal kick. This study set out to achieve the following three objectives: to determine the ideal frequency parameters for the use on kinematic variables during the analysis of the rugby goal kick, testing the validity of possible automatic filtering algorithms applied to the kinematic variables and the identification of a concrete kinematic sequence performed during the rugby goal kicks, by implementing biomechanical analysis principles. In order to achieve this, the three-dimensional kinematic data of twelve elite level kickers were recorded using an 8- camera Vicon system sampling at frequencies of 200 Hz. The testing was conducted at the motion-analysis laboratory at the University of Stellenbosch. The participants were all of national calibre at the time of testing. Each participant performed ten consecutive goal kicks. The testing was conducted on hard rubber floors with the participants wearing running shoes. The effect of the filtering process was visually observed in order to determine the ideal filtering parameters for the kinematic variables. Based on these findings, the validity of several automatic filtering algorithms was tested. It was established that none of the automatic filtering algorithms tested during the study achieved satisfactory results for the use with rugby goal kick kinematic data. The study, however, successfully identified an ideal filtering frequency that could be applied to biomechanical data of such a nature as a rugby goal kick. It furthermore established a kinematic sequence that is performed during the execution of a rugby goal kick.