Garment mechanical properties on running mechanics

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology that enables to directly evaluate the wearing effect of sport apparel on athletic performance. The torque due to garment is estimated by using the musculo-skeletal model SIMM, The mechanical properties of garment are obtained from a mechanical test. The relationship between exerted garment torque and movement are induced by using motion equations with the components of the body and a garment on it. With the methodology, the possibility of performance enhancement in sprinting was investigated with a world-wide top athlete by calculating the contribution of exerted garment torque to the sprint speed. The results indicate that the exerted garment torque would help to increase the sprint speed and the contribution of the garment to the performance increased gradually toward the end of contact phase. It is suggested that the garment structure that supports plantar flexion movements in sprinting can provide plantar flexion torque even at take off phase.