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DR.ROMANOV'S ARTICLES Dr.Romanov has written many articles. Easy to read and understand, these articles will help you understand Pose Method® better and will introduce you to a new approach to running and training.
11th annual Congress of the EUROPEAN COLLEGE OF SPORT SCIENCE (SWITZERLAND)
July 5-8, 2006
GEOMETRY OF RUNNING.
BOOK OF ABSTRACTS, ECSS LAUSANNE 06
by Romanov, N., Pyanzin, A.
Romanov Academy of Sports Science, United States
Introduction
Muscular contraction is considered to be the main force moving and accelerating the runner on support. This assumption doesn't explain the so called "extensor paradox"(1), when the extensor muscles of the leg are off immediately after the runner passes the vertical position on support (midstance). This contradiction can be resolved, if we assume that gravity is the main moving and accelerating force in running. The role of muscles then is reduced to regulating the direction of gravity's action on the body, having one degree of connection with support and being in the state of unstable balance.
Methods
The movement of the runner on support, after it passes the midstance is nothing else, but tipping the body, rotating around the point of support. This type of movement can be described using the model of a falling rod. We modeled the process of falling of the rod from its vertical position on support, with a graphic analysis of the dynamics of vectors of forces participating in this movement (gravity, ground reaction, resultant forces) and their components.
Results
When the angle of deviation of the rod changed from its vertical position to its complete fall the values of horizontal components of ground reaction and resultant force between gravity and ground reaction changed in the form of a bell-like curve from zero at its vertical position to maximum at 45° angle and went back down to zero at 0° angle. The dynamics of vertical components of the same vectors completely different with a constant increase from minimum at the vertical position to maximum at 0° degrees for the resultant vector of gravity and ground reaction and the same mirror-like symmetrical increase of the vector of ground reaction. Of most interest was the dynamics of correlation between the horizontal and vertical components of resultant vector between gravity and ground reaction, for every angle of deviation. The maximal prevalence of the horizontal component occurs at 22.5° angle, after which the vertical component starts dominating.
Discussion/Conclusion
The forward displacement of the runner's body is determined by the geometry of the falling body on support. The horizontal movement (acceleration) of the body is a function of the angle of deviation of the body from its vertical position that is a function of the vector of gravity and ground reaction force. Our analysis of the geometric relations of force vectors confirms our hypothesis of the leading role of gravity in the movement of the runner forward, and explains why support in running ceases at a certain angle of deviation of the body from its vertical position. On support the muscles do not work to push the body forward, they work to transform the gravity-force downward movement into a horizontal one.
References
- McClay I.S., M. J. Lake, P R. Cavanagh. The Extensor Paradox Experiment. Biomechanics of Distance Running. Editor P. Cavanagh, Human Kinetics Books, 1990, l.
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