The Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling

Dr. Ralph Mann is a pioneer in conducting sports research, and using these results to produce computer-based teaching technology. An authority in the field of Sport Biomechanics, Dr. Mann has become a leader in analyzing the performance of top amateur and professional athletes.A world class Track athlete himself, Dr. Mann won 5 national championships and 3 collegiate championships in the hurdles. He set the world record in the intermediate hurdles, was ranked number one in the world numerous times, and won several international titles. In the 1972 Munich Games, he won the Olympic Silver Medal in the 400 Meter Hurdles. In 2015 he was elected to the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame. In 1982, Dr. Mann was one of the six individuals that created the Elite Athlete Program that brought Sports Science to USA Track and Field. Since that time, he has served as a consultant to USATF for the Elite Sprint and Hurdle Program. Virtually every Elite US sprinter and hurdler during this time period has been biomechanically analyzed, with the goal of understanding the characteristics of the great sprinters and hurdlers. This information has been used to evaluate and improve the performance of every one of these athletes since the program’s inception. This book contains the findings of this unique effort.Dr. Amber Murphy has been researching Sprinting and Hurdling for over 30 years. During that time, she has performed the data collection and analysis of thousands of Elite Athletes. Her expertise in statistics has led to the constant improvement of the results presented herein. This edition represents a major update in the research effort on Sprinting and Hurdling, including an update of all of the performance variables to include every athlete analyzed over the past 40 years; the addition of several new variables; new insights into the Mechanics of the Sprint, Start, and Hurdles; as well as a re-evaluation of the importance of Fatigue. Read more