Current techniques for measuring motion

The sports scientist and the ergonomist, although sharing a common disciplinary background, pursue fundamentally different goals. The patterns of approach to the analysis of movement they adopt are, nevertheless, similar and a model of this approach is presented. Some potential sources of error associated with each stage of the process are identified. In measuring motion in sport, cinematography has played a dominant role. The method has obvious advantages; but analysing film is a slow, pedestrian task, and subject to human error. Where an investigator is experienced and understands his problem clearly he can often achieve his aims with a limited number of measurement variables. This may also mean he can adopt automatic and specific techniques of acquiring information. Such methods include alternative photographic techniques, but also involve the specialised transducers and automatic analysers that are now burgeoning in the field. Some of these techniques are discussed.