The wearable devices application for evaluation of 110 meter high hurdle race

Abstract

Purpose: This study was intended to explore the continuous changes in the kinematic parameters of hurdlers in a 110 meter (110m) high hurdle race from hurdles 1 through 10. Method: Ten excellent college athletes who specialized in the 110m high hurdle race volunteered for this study. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) strapped to the back of the athlete’s feet and 10 high-speed cameras were used to document the movements of the hurdlers as they were hurdling along the entire track. Kwon3D and MATLAB computer programs were employed for the analysis of kinematic parameters (take-off distance, landing distance, take-off distance percentage, landing distance percentage, flight time, time between hurdles, hurdle cycle time, hurdle cycle velocity, height of centre gravity above the hurdle and take-off angles). The trend analysis was introduced to test the changes of the parameters between hurdles. The level of significance was set to α =.05. Results: The results showed that the subjects averaged 14.31±0.29 seconds in their 110m high hurdle tests. Regarding the trend analysis, all kinematic parameters except landing distance displayed quadratic linear patterns along the 110m race. Conclusion: The athletes rapidly gained speed as they sprinted from the starting line and reached their maximum speeds between hurdles 5 and 6, after which their speed declined. In addition, the kinematic parameters changed as the running velocity varied.

Keywords

• inertial measurement unit
• flight time
• time between hurdles
• take-off angles