FORCEAT

Measurement system for reaction forces on a throwing frame for paralympic throwing and shot put

The level of competition in the Paralympic throwing and putting events has been rising for years. To maintain the competitiveness of athletes in an increasingly professional international competition, scientific analysis and individual improvement of their throwing technique are necessary. For a detailed analysis of their individual throwing technique, Olympic athletes can rely on existing systems to evaluate their reactive forces on the ground. However, these systems are not yet available to Paralympic athletes in the seated classes, since they use specifically designed throwing frames. In order to provide comparable scientific support, a system for measuring the reactive forces acting on such a throwing frame was developed in cooperation with the Institute for Applied Training Science (IAT) in Leipzig. Wireless data transmission and a real-time display of the measured values enable the coaching team and sports scientists to evaluate the results directly on site, while the athletes also benefit from immediate feedback. The project, which was funded by the Federal Institute of Sports Science, concluded with the handover of the developed measurement system to the scientists at the IAT Leipzig, who will be able to use it for studies and performance diagnostics in the future.