All of the presentations from the Symposium on Forefoot Running and Forefoot Walking are now available.  Click on "Read more" to get them.

The Forefoot Strike: A Walking and Running Symposium presented at San Jose State University

Sorry for my blogging absence.  Last October, I offered to prepare and deliver a symposium on the Science of Forefoot Running and Forefoot Walking at my University, San Jose State.  After 5 months of planning and preparation, the symposium took place this past Saturday, March 1, 2014 at San Jose State University.  Presentations were made by me and two of my former students (Krystyna Utzig and Nicole Anecito)  The symposium was well attended and audience participation during question and answer sessions was amazing.

Below is a copy of the Symposium Program.  I will be posting on the this blog the Powerpoint presentations used in each of the four (4) sessions.  In the future, I will also be posting videos of each symposium session.

For now, here is the Powerpoint presentation on the Kinematics of Forefoot Running

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.

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.

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.