Biomechanics and Performance Analysis Give Athletes the Winning Edge

Although they have played a part in many athletes' careers, the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary's Biomechanics and Performance Analysis Team of Pro Stergiou and John Horton often do not get the credit they are due. Working behind the scenes to help athletes in summer, winter, and para sports shave precious hundredths and thousandths of seconds off of their times, Stergiou and Horton are experts in what they have labeled the "fine, fine details."

The skills and services of Stergiou and Horton cover a wide range of needs that are customized based on the goals of the teams that they are working with. For some groups, biomechanics assessments for athletes and coaches include the measurements of force, pressure, velocity, or muscular activation through various technologies. This was the case with Olympic Gold Medallist speed skater Lucas Makowsky, who worked with Horton using pressure sensors to determine where force was being applied within a new pair of skates. For other teams, performance analysis through simple video capture and reviewing in order to compare technique at competitions is their main requirement.

The most recent success story for the Biomechanics and Performance Analysis Team is the introduction of methods that they have created to help the National Luge Team improve their start technique. Using high-speed 3-dimensional motion analysis cameras combined with reflectors worn by the athletes, Stergiou and Horton have been able to analyze movements of the body that cannot be seen by the naked eye. In a sport where medals are won and lost by thousandths of a second, this is the type of project that can be the difference between an athlete's dreams of an Olympic medal being realized or standing just off of the podium.

Sport science services such as Biomechanics and Performance Analysis are always great in theory, but where the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary's team gains much of their world-leading edge is through their ability to find innovative ways to incorporate their work into situations that are applicable to the athletes' training and competitions as opposed to the protected environment of a laboratory. Team lead Pro Stergiou describes this concept as being "the main goal of our department. Our laboratory is the athletes' training environment and we must bring our techniques into their environment in order to collect and analyze data that is specific to the technique that they are trying to improve."

With the improvements that are constantly seen in the equipment and techniques of sports around the world, and the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary's athletes maintaining their positions on the podium year in and year out, it is clear that the Biomechanics and Performance Analysis Team of Pro Stergiou and John Horton are on the right track. They definitely have the data to prove it!

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Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Brittany Schussler: @bschussler
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto