ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we identified four stages in a structured approach to movement analysis, considered the main aspects of the first three stages and noted that the value of each stage depends on how well the previous stages have been implemented. We saw that the most crucial step in the whole approach is how to identify the critical features of a movement, and we looked at several ways of doing this, but found that none is foolproof. We worked through a detailed example of the best approach, using deterministic models, and considered the use of ‘movement principles’. Another focus of this chapter was movement and coordination patterns and their qualitative interpretation. The importance of being able to interpret graphical patterns of angular displacement and to infer from these the geometry of the angular velocity and angular acceleration patterns was stressed. We looked at how to assess joint coordination using angle–angle diagrams and cross-correlation functions, and, through phase planes, relative phase; we briefly touched on the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. Finally, we looked at some of the options provided in software packages for qualitative movement analysis, which can help the qualitative analyst to improve the performance of an athlete.
