Power Patterns of the Leg during the Recovery Phase of the Sprinting Stride for Advanced and Intermediate Sprinters

Abstract

This paper describes and interprets joint and segmental power patterns as functional characteristics of the leg movement in terms of generation, absorption, and transfer of power during the recovery phase of the sprinting stride. In addition, a comparison of the power patterns between advanced and intermediate sprinters was undertaken. Two advanced and two intermediate sprinters, each executing six trials of a 100-m dash, served as subjects. The results revealed that the power patterns for both the advanced and intermediate sprinters were similar in shape, depicting the same number of power phases. The hip joint musculature acted primarily as a power generator in comparison to the knee muscles, which acted mainly as absorbers (controllers) during the recovery phase of the sprinting stride. Differences between ability levels were identified using peak power values, with the advanced sprinters producing higher peak powers earlier in the recovery phase.