Fundamentals of Biomechanics

This section of the book provides applied
laboratory activities. These labs are designed
to illustrate key points from the
chapters of the text. The labs are also designed
to be flexible enough to be used as
full labs for universities with 4-credit courses
or as short activities/demonstrations for
3-unit courses. The emphasis is on using
actual human movements and minimal
research equipment. While quantitative
measurements and calculations are part of
some labs, most of them focus on students'
conceptual understanding of biomechanics
and their ability to qualitatively analyze
human movement. Most labs are structured
L-1
Lab Activities
for work in small groups of three to five
students.
Citations of background information
are provided for students to prepare for the
labs. Space does not allow for all relevant
research citations to be included on each
two-page lab. If instructors assign background
reading prior to labs, they should
assign specific sections of the resources
suggested. I am indebted to many of my
peers who have shared their teaching ideas
at professional meetings, especially those
who have attended and contributed to the
last few national conferences on teaching
biomechanics.