Sunday, August 4, 2013

My e-Textbook is Now Available for Purchase

Hi all,

The 2nd edition of my e-textbook is now available for purchase.  This is the e-textbook I use in my Biomechanics classes.  It presents all of my ideas and examples for how I believe Biomechanics explains and can be used to improve movement.  Here are links to the Table of Contents and a sample section from Chapter 2: Real-World Biomechanics Chapter 2.1.  If you would like to purchase my e-textbook, click on the PayPal link under the heading "Purchase Dr. Kao's e-Textbook".

Once you complete your purchase on PayPal, I will contact you.  The e-textbook is security protected, so you will need a one-time activation code for the PC, Mac, iPad, or Android device you want to install the e-textbook on. You won't be able to "copy and paste" or "print" the text.  But, I will send you copies of the Biomechanical Models for each movements presented in the e-textbook.  You can print these out and refer to them as you read the e-textbook.

Thank you for following my blog.  I think you will find my e-textbook very informative.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

The Biomechanical Model for Minimum Movement Time during Running Walking and Road Cycling 07: The Joint Torque Principle


The sixth fundamental Biomechanical principle included in this model is the Joint Torque Principle.  This principle states that an increase in joint torque (TJ) is caused by an increase in a muscle force (FM) pulling on the bones that are held together at the joint and/or an increase in the moment arm (dMA) (i.e., the linear distance from the joint’s axis of rotation to the line of pull of the muscle force).  The line of pull of the muscle force is determined by connecting a line between the attachments (origin and insertion) of the muscle.

The equation for the Joint Torque Principle is given here.


A graphical representation the Joint Torque Principle is presented here.


Click on "read more" to view my description of the Real-World application of the Joint Torque Principle to real-world running.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

The Biomechanical Model to Achieve Maximum Jump Height or Maximum Horizontal Distance 02

Hi all,

It's summer break for me.  Hurray!!  I will be posting regular updates to the blog from now until the end of August.  Thanks for your patience.  Here we go!

The Sum of Joint Linear Speeds Principle is the second fundamental Biomechanical principle included in the Biomechanical Model to Achieve Maximum Jump Height or Maximum Horizontal Distance.  This principle states that the jumper’s linear speed is the result of an optimal combination of individual joint linear speeds. The identification of this optimal combination of joint linear speeds is a skill that all individuals interested in understanding human movement must develop.

Click on "read more" to view my description of the Real-World Application of the Sum of Joint Linear Speeds principle to the Biomechanical Model to Achieve Maximum Jump Height or Maximum Horizontal Distance and to see a graphical representation the Sum of Joint Linear Speeds Principle.


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

May 8, 2013

Hi all!  This semester has been a hectic one for me.  I have written a book and I am testing it out in my classes.  Putting my thoughts into words has been an enlightening process for me.  I have refined, revised, added, and eliminated some of my ideas.  I will be editing the book this summer and as I do, I will be updating the blog site.  By the end of the summer, I will be making the book available for purchase to anyone following my blog.

So, look for new posts shortly.  Thanks for following my blog!

Jim Kao

Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Biomechanical Model for Minimum Movement Time during Running Walking and Road Cycling 06: The Angular Impulse-Momentum Principle


The fifth fundamental Biomechanical principle included in this model is the Angular Impulse-Momentum Principle. This principle states that an increase in angular velocity of a body segment is caused by an increase in the joint torque (i.e., the turning effect caused by a muscle force), and/or an increase in the application time of the joint torque (i.e., the amount of time the joint torque is applied at the joint) and/or a decrease in the body component’s angular inertia (i.e., the resistance of the body component being moved to the angular motion).

The equation for the Angular Impulse – Momentum Principle is given here


Here is a graphical representation of the Angular Impulse – Momentum Principle.


Click on "read more" to view my description of the application of the Angular Impulse-Momentum Principle to real-world running.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Biomechanical Model for Minimum Movement Time during Running Walking and Road Cycling 05: The Linear Speed - Angular Velocity Principle


The fourth fundamental Biomechanical principle included in this model is the Linear Speed - Angular Velocity Principle. This principle explains how we create joint linear speed. This principle states that an increase in joint linear speed (s) (i.e., the straight line speed) of a point on a rotating body segment is caused by an increase in the body segment’s angular velocity (ω) (i.e., the rotational speed of the body segment) and/or an increase the radius of rotation (rrot) (i.e., the linear distance from the axis of rotation to the point of interest on the rotating body segment). For most human movement, the radius of rotation is the distance from one joint to the next joint connected by a body segment (e.g., the radius of rotation for the upper leg segment would be the distance from the knee joint to the hip joint).

Click on "read more" to view my description of the application of the Linear Speed - Angular Velocity Principle to real-world running.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

I'm back!!


I finished Fall Semester and I began working on my book.  I just finished the first draft.  My teaching experiences during Fall Semester and the writing of the book led to some updates for my Biomechanical Models.  Click on the links below to see the updated Biomechanical Model for Running, Walking & Road Cycling.  In my next post, I will continue the explanation of the Biomechanical Principles used to construct this model.

Biomechanical Model for Running and Walking

Top of the Model

Speed Up Side

Slow Down Side