The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Barefoot Running by Dr Craig Richards and Thomas Hollowell was released in March 2011. It covers:

• An overview of what barefoot running is all about, including a closer look at running shoes – and why you don’t need them.
• A thorough transitioning program designed to slowly strengthen and stretch your feet as they acclimate to going barefoot.
• Tips for running on all kinds of surfaces and in all types of weather, along with advice on determining if “barefoot running shoes” are for you.
• Training pointers to help you successfully increase your barefoot running distance and speed.
• Guidance on taking care of your feet, legs, and body to prevent injury and keep you on the shoeless path.

I have personally followed his advice and have found it extremely useful for reconditioning my feet and greatly improving my plantar fasciitis. I also use Newton Trainers to give my feet and legs some variety depending on my training schedule.

Two essential tools to help nurture your feet are the AOK Massage Ball and the Small Hard Thera-Roll

Technology is hard to keep up with – nowhere more so than in the video capture and evaluation of human movement.  When I completed my biomechanics thesis in the mid 1980’s this meant filming in high speed – 35 fps or better (TV is about 24 fps) then digitising 16 marker points for each consecutive frame, printing stick figures from each frame, hand measuring each joint angle with a pencil and protractor of each stick figure, then using this data to calculate angular velocities. For a single 10 second exercise it would take nearly 2 days to extract any meaningful data – my study had 8 woodchopping subjects each doing three repetitions – weeks of data analysis. Today this could be done in a day with more accuracy and analysis of more variables. Here is an interesting post on woodchopping.

Motion Analysis of Woodchopping 1984

Why is this important? Motion capture gives a researcher, coach, health practitioner or personal trainer  a quantitative tool to study “dynamic ergonomics” (physical parameters both in two & three dimensions) and qualitative tool in observing pure motion. This provides insights for understanding the physical limitations of users and/or a therapy/exercise products’ suitability for a task (particularly  in the early stage of a product development process rather than the later usability testing stage).

For some great research articles on motion capture and analysis in sport and exercise visit the Motion Time Journal. Subscribe for regular updates and abstracts.

Motion capture and analysis has been used extensively in sports such as golf and tennis for many years.  Here you have applications for teaching/coaching skills, competitor analysis and racquet or club suitability.  There have been a number of workshops held internationally that are worthwhile investigation – here is an example from the University of Sussex in 2010. There are also a number of very good short courses on the technology of motion capture – broad ranging as this technology is used primarily for CGI special effects (Movies like Iron Man 2) or video game development. Deakin University in Australia has a very well regarded course.

The ready availability of technology for home users that was once the exclusive province of scientists, will mean that more and more innovative applications are developed on a weekly basis.  We have seen its applications in Wii Fit and my mind boggles at the future applications of the Microsoft Kinect System – currently a gaming system – but the future??

MultiSport Solutions (MSS) is one of Australia’s leading Triathlon Coaching Companies.  We’re based in Newcastle but deliver personalised programs to people who want to improve their performance all over the world.  MSS was created by Aaron Lean over 10 years ago and is now managed by Aaron and his wife Caroline Lean (nee Cooksley), a former professional Triathlete.  So they know what it’s like to be a beginner, an age grouper and an elite athlete. They’re all about improving your performance whether you want to represent Australia or just finish your first race!

3D Dynamic Bike Fit using Retul

RETUL is a bike fit system that is used by world’s elite.  Athletes like Lance Armstrong, Team Sky and Craig Alexander have incorporated RETUL to gain an advantage.  RETUL is the most advanced bicycle fitting system available today. The system incorporates an amazingly precise three-dimensional motion capture technology, immediate report capability, and millimeter-specific digitizing tool to provide the most accurate dynamic fitting solution in the industry.

Retul Offers Fast and Accurate Assessment

“The improvement gained in position will allow the rider to maximize efficiency and performance while avoiding discomfort or injury. Best thing of all is that this technology isn’t limited to elite athletes only, everyone can leverage this for their own benefit where the same advantage can be gained,” states Aaron Lean, Founder at MSS

The system uses infra-red LEDs (light emitting diodes) that get placed on the body in specific skeletal locations. Active systems differ from passive systems in that the tripod mounted LED sensor is tracking the light directly from the source (the LED diodes).

The active system flashes each LED discreetly as the infrared light travels from the LEDs on the body points to the sensor on the tripod. The sensor then triangulates the position of the LED in true 3D space. Our system can track these points to within a millimeter of true position. Data collation is immediate and fast.

Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA), formerly know as the Australian Association for Exercise and Sports Science (AAESS), is a professional organisation which is committed to establishing, promoting and defending the career paths of tertiary trained exercise and sports science practitioners, who are in turn committed to best practice and client well-being. The central tenet of our profession is that:

“Exercise and Sports Science is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the understanding and enhancement of human movement in the broadest sense, including general physical activity pursuits such as goal oriented fitness regimens and recreational sport as well as elite sport and the area of performance enhancement. It includes the knowledge, methods and applications of subdisciplines (ie. exercise physiology, biomechanics, motor control and motor development, exercise and sport psychology) as well as how they interact”.

AAESS was officially founded in 1991, and changed its trading name to ESSA in 2010. It was founded to meet the professional needs of exercise and sports scientists in Australia. It is directed by an Executive Board comprised of leading academics and practitioners in these fields and is supported by a growing number of regional chapters throughout Australia.

AAESS Pty Ltd (trading as ESSA) is an incorporated body and its constitution has been registered with the Australian Securities Commission.

Why is ESSA needed?

Current research emphatically confirms the importance of regular moderate physical activity for public health. Authorities that recognise and support these findings include World Health Organisation (Position Statement 1995), the US Surgeon General (Position Statement 1996), the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (1997) and American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association (2007) .

As a result, there is considerable interest in the exercise and sports science fields from within the government/public and private sectors.

Responsible advocacy of broad based public participation in physical activity necessarily requires that professional service providers are available.

ESSA members are qualified to comprehensively assess an individuals exercise capacity and can ensure that participation is safe and achieves the optimum outcomes for all sectors of the population.