Biomechanics of Surfing
How do biomechanical understandings influence the learning of and performance in surfing?
Problem:
The problem with my surfing is my paddling technique.
Understanding the fundamental relationships in mechanics, helps form a foundation for the analysis of human movement in surfing. The main principle or law of motion I am going to look into is Newton’s Law of Action and Reaction. This law of motion is mainly applied when paddling. It helps me understand how the application of force to my arm and hand determines the speed and movement of my surfboard and this allows such movement to become more efficient.
The most important skill in surfing is learning the correct paddling technique. A good paddler catches plenty of waves while poor paddlers spend most of their time and energy missing them.
I am now going to present my 1st video to you, which shows my paddling.
Paddling
* Show video footage of myself
My paddling technique in this video footage I just showed you contains a lot of errors: * Short low strokes * Strokes are out wide causing the board to move around * Angle pitch is incorrect * Short stroke pathway * Lack of propulsive forces * Hands not being cupped
In the video I frequently had difficulty catching waves because of my poor paddling technique. Short slow wide paddling strokes caused very little movement and propulsion through the water, which resulted in me falling off of a lot of waves. There are two biomechanical principles that help explain propulsive forces produced by a surfer when paddling through the water, these include: * Drag force * Lift force
Drag force:
Definition: Drag force is due to pressure difference (Amezdroz, et al,. 2010). Drag force is used to propel a surfer in water.
“As the hand is pulled back in the water, the water then flows or travels past the hand and becomes turbulent at the back of the hand. This fast moving water results in a low-pressure zone at the back of the hand
Problem:
The problem with my surfing is my paddling technique.
Understanding the fundamental relationships in mechanics, helps form a foundation for the analysis of human movement in surfing. The main principle or law of motion I am going to look into is Newton’s Law of Action and Reaction. This law of motion is mainly applied when paddling. It helps me understand how the application of force to my arm and hand determines the speed and movement of my surfboard and this allows such movement to become more efficient.
The most important skill in surfing is learning the correct paddling technique. A good paddler catches plenty of waves while poor paddlers spend most of their time and energy missing them.
I am now going to present my 1st video to you, which shows my paddling.
Paddling
* Show video footage of myself
My paddling technique in this video footage I just showed you contains a lot of errors: * Short low strokes * Strokes are out wide causing the board to move around * Angle pitch is incorrect * Short stroke pathway * Lack of propulsive forces * Hands not being cupped
In the video I frequently had difficulty catching waves because of my poor paddling technique. Short slow wide paddling strokes caused very little movement and propulsion through the water, which resulted in me falling off of a lot of waves. There are two biomechanical principles that help explain propulsive forces produced by a surfer when paddling through the water, these include: * Drag force * Lift force
Drag force:
Definition: Drag force is due to pressure difference (Amezdroz, et al,. 2010). Drag force is used to propel a surfer in water.
“As the hand is pulled back in the water, the water then flows or travels past the hand and becomes turbulent at the back of the hand. This fast moving water results in a low-pressure zone at the back of the hand