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Age-related Differences in Rhythmic Coordination in Golf

Kim, Tae Hoon
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1253573217

Abstract Details

2009, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Psychology.
Analyzing coordinative patterns among limb segments can be a cornerstone in studying human movement and the underlying structure of motor coordination. However, there is much unknown about multi-limb movements, such as how the upper and lower parts of the body move together. Sports which involve hitting a ball with some manipulandum (e.g., a bat, golf club, or tennis racket) offer ecologically valid tasks for exploring multi-limb coordination. Observing golf swings can provide important information about coordination patterns for hitting tasks, and is useful because golf is a popular sport regardless of age.This study addresses the three following issues: (1) the timing invariance of the clubhead force pattern and the weight shift, and adaptive capability for different task demands depending on age and skill level; (2) the predominance of an independent timing structure for upper and lower body coordination and change of this predominance with age; (3) the generalizability of previous research findings for chip shots to more forceful shots. In this study, two groups of older and younger golfers of two different skill levels were compared, using a golf swing as the primary task. Participants attempted two different shots with the same club, requiring the ball to travel different distances of 80-yards and 40-yards. Across golfers, the timing of the force pattern applied to the clubhead changed with the required distances but the weight shift timing was approximately invariant. This dissociation was the complement of the temporal adjustment found for chip shots, in which the clubhead timing was relatively invariant and the weight shift timing was adjusted. Analysis of the temporal variations across repeated attempts at the same shot for each golfer showed that temporal variations in the clubhead force pattern were independent or only weakly correlated with temporal variations of the weight shift for most golfers, similar to previous findings for chip shots. These two findings provide evidence for the presence of two separable, relatively independent rhythmic units in this hitting task. The predominance of this independent temporal structure decreased with age. The older adults also used an additional front foot weight shift to begin most of their shots, and this additional movement may simplify the overall rhythmic structure of their golf swings. The poorer balance capability in older adults was accompanied by more limited trunk rotation during their golf shots. This latter limitation may constrain the efficient transfer of force from the lower body to the trunk and in turn to the clubhead. Meta analysis of a previous chip shot study and the present study demonstrated that the applied backswing force magnitude as a function of trunk rotation was approximated by a non-linear spring characteristic. The effects of skill level were limited to decreased variability in some of the timing and force magnitudes. Overall, these findings may guide more detailed quantitative modeling of golf skill, and the methodology may be applicable to other hitting tasks for the analysis of swing components and whole body coordination.
Richard Jagacinski (Advisor)
Steven Lavender (Committee Member)
Thomas Nygren (Committee Member)
Delwin Lindsey (Committee Member)
118 p.
Psychology
coordination; rhythmic units; age-related differences; golf; upper and lower body

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kim, T. H. (2009). Age-related Differences in Rhythmic Coordination in Golf [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1253573217

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kim, Tae Hoon. Age-related Differences in Rhythmic Coordination in Golf. 2009. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1253573217.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kim, Tae Hoon. "Age-related Differences in Rhythmic Coordination in Golf." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1253573217

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1253573217
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© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.