Biomechanics

Biomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to living organisms.

I consider myself a bit of a geek when it comes to mechanical systems. I love figuring out how things work and why and I tend to apply that inquisitive part of me in analyzing all things sports related. I try to break down simple motions into even simpler motions to answer questions about the motion.

In hockey, I'm constantly deconstructing the strides, shots, turns and passes of myself and others in order to correct flaws or simply get better. As I haven't been able to shoot a puck over 100 mph, clearly I have some more work to do.

I recently read an article about a baseball pitcher, 2008 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. Lincecum, you see is only 5'10" tall and weighs only 175 pounds, but is somehow able to throw a baseball 97 mph. It's not a fluke though. Lincecum has a unique delivery; he drives hard off his back leg and severely torques his body, allowing him to accelerate his arm without putting stress on his shoulder.

The article gets pretty deep into the study of sports biomechanics and, while it deals entirely with baseball pitchers, much of the science can be directly related to hockey. It's a fascinating read...I highly recommend it.

Then again, I geek out over this stuff.