Stuart A. McErlain-NaylorLoughborough University | Lough · School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences
Stuart A. McErlain-Naylor
PhD Sports Biomechanics
Loughborough University.
Twitter: @biomechstu
Web: stuartmcnaylor.com
About
44
Publications
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Introduction
Dr Stuart McErlain-Naylor is a sports biomechanist at the University of Suffolk, UK. Stuart completed a PhD in Sports Biomechanics at Loughborough University. His research interests include kinetic and kinematic analysis of sporting technique (particularly bat/racket sports), eccentric overload training, and shock wave attenuation.
Email: s.mcerlain-naylor@uos.ac.uk;
Website: stuartmcnaylor.com;
Twitter: twitter.com/biomechstu;
Monthly research newsletter: stuartmcnaylor.com/newsletter
Additional affiliations
March 2021 - present
August 2018 - March 2021
February 2018 - August 2018
Education
January 2019 - June 2020
October 2013 - December 2017
October 2010 - June 2013
Publications
Publications (44)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2014.924055
This study aimed to investigate the contributions of kinetic and kinematic parameters to inter-individual variation in countermovement jump (CMJ) performance. Two-dimensional kinematic data and ground reaction forces during a CMJ were recorded for 18 males of varying jumping experi...
A logarithmic curve fitting methodology for the calculation of badminton racket-shuttlecock impact locations from three-dimensional motion capture data was presented and validated. Median absolute differences between calculated and measured impact locations were 3.6 [IQR: 4.4] and 3.5 [IQR: 3.5] mm mediolaterally and longitudinally on the racket fa...
The purpose of this study was to quantify the magnitude and frequency content of surface-measured accelerations at each major human body segment from foot to head during impact landings. Twelve males performed two single leg drop landings from each of 0.15 m, 0.30 m, and 0.45 m. Triaxial accelerometers (2000 Hz) were positioned over the: first meta...
The identification of optimum technique for maximal effort sporting tasks is one of the greatest challenges within sports biomechanics. A theoretical approach using forward-dynamics simulation allows individual parameters to be systematically perturbed independently of potentially confounding variables. Each study typically follows a four-stage pro...
Organismic, task, and environmental constraints are known to differ between skilled male and female cricket batters during power hitting tasks. Despite these influences, the techniques used in such tasks have only been investigated in male cricket batters. This study compared power hitting kinematics between 15 male and 15 female batters ranging fr...
The effect of load on time-series data has yet to be investigated during weightlifting derivatives. This study compared the effect of load on the force-time and velocity-time curves during the countermovement shrug (CMS). Twenty-nine males performed the CMS at relative loads of 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%, 120%, and 140% one repetition maximum (1RM) power...
The purpose of this study was to determine if elite female cricket batters' body or bat kinematics differed when facing fast or spin bowling in a power-hitting task. Six elite female cricket batters completed a straight drive power hitting task against both fast and spin bowling, captured by a 3D motion capture system. Select kinematic variables we...
Accurate ball pitch length in cricket fast bowling is potentially achieved from a redundant combination of four ball release parameters. Yet, it is unknown how parameter co-variations affect pitch accuracy. This study investigates whether pitch length variance is determined by coordinated ball release parameter co-variability. Twelve fast bowlers p...
The aim of this research was to quantify the magnitude and timing of surface measured accelerations during the fast-bowling action. Eleven males performed 6 maximum velocity deliveries with accelerometers positioned over: both ankles; knees; hips; L5; L1; and the C7 vertebrae. Accelerometer signals exhibited decreased peak and increased time to pea...
This study investigated the effect of flywheel moment of inertia (0.029, 0.061, and 0.089 kg·m2) on concentric and eccentric peak power and eccentric:concentric peak power ratio during unilateral flywheel leg curl and hip extension exercises. Moreover, the inter-session reliability of peak power was analyzed during both exercises. Twenty amateur ma...
Jump take-off momentum has previously been proposed as an alternative test to predict sprint momentum. This study used a data simulation to replicate and systematically investigate relationships reported in previous studies between body mass, vertical jump performance, and sprint performance. Results were averaged for 1000 simulated data sets in ea...
Growing evidence supports use of eccentric methods for strength development and injury prevention within elite soccer, yet uncertainty remains regarding practitioners’ application of flywheel (isoinertial) methods. The aims of this study were to investigate how the flywheel training literature is perceived and applied by elite soccer practitioners,...
10 min presentation video: https://youtu.be/BZQ8ABKaiyQ
A modified vector coding technique was used to quantify coordination and control during countermovement jumps by 16 males. Previously reported group-level coordination patterns were confirmed, although substantial inter-individual variation existed. Patterns of thigh-shank coordination and c...
The aim of this study was to determine the inter-unit reliability of IMU Step biomechanical load monitoring metrics using IMeasureU Blue Trident inertial measurement units in tasks common to running-based team sports. Knowledge of variability between units is required before researchers and practitioners can make informed decisions on “true” differ...
(1) Background: The aim of the study was to determine the post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) of vertical and horizontal ground reaction force parameters during jumps and change of direction following flywheel squat exercise using two different flywheel inertias. (2) Methods: Eleven male athletes performed a countermovement jump (CMJ), s...
![Median [lower quartile, upper quartile] goodness of fit for linear and...](profile/Stuart-Mcerlain-Naylor/publication/346673181/figure/tbl1/AS:1102287657275393@1639817265878/Median-lower-quartile-upper-quartile-goodness-of-fit-for-linear-and-non-linear_Q320.jpg)
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of varying flywheel inertia on velocity and power during flywheel squats. Fifteen healthy physically active males performed 6 maximal effort flywheel half-squats at each of 0.029, 0.061, 0.089, and 0.121 kg·m2, with velocity recorded via 3D motion capture and power recorded via inbuilt transducer. P...
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What are the movement patterns and physiological demands of match day performance for high-performance netball umpires?
2. Is there variance in the movement patterns and physiological demands between higher and lower ranked umpires?
The aim of this study was to investigate student experiences of publishing undergraduate research in biomechanics. A total of 29 former students with experience of publishing peer-reviewed undergraduate biomechanics research completed an online survey regarding their perceived benefits, level of involvement, and experiences in aspects of the resear...
The present study investigated the post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) of isokinetic quadriceps and hamstrings torque after flywheel (FW)-squat vs. FW-deadlift in comparison to a control condition. Fifteen male athletes were enrolled in this randomised, crossover study. Each protocol consisted of 3 sets of 6 repetitions, with an inertial...
The purpose of this study was to identify kinematic determinants of shuttlecock speed in
the badminton jump smash. Three-dimensional kinematic (400 Hz) data were collected for 18 experienced male badminton players using an 18 camera Vicon Motion Analysis
System. Each participant performed 12 jump smashes. The trial with the fastest shuttlecock spee...
Speed and accuracy of the badminton smash are critical components for successful
performance. Fifty-two participants data were collected using a Vicon 3D Motion capture
system (400 Hz) at the BWF Glasgow World Championships (2017). The purpose of this
study was to identify and compare spatial speed-accuracy trade-off (SATO) relationships
amongst in...
The aim of this study was to investigate student experiences of publishing undergraduate research in biomechanics. Twenty-nine people with experience of publishing peer-reviewed undergraduate biomechanics research completed an online survey regarding their perceived benefits and level of involvement in aspects of the research process. On average, s...
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of delivery method on upper-body kinematics in cricketers playing a front foot drive and a back foot pull shot. Fourteen male cricketers were played both shots against a bowler, bowling machine, and Sidearm TM ball thrower. The availability of pre-release visual cues appears to affect upper-body kin...
10 min conference presentation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjivOkeGeiw Recent work has challenged the practice of extracting and analysing discrete summary metrics from continuous biomechanical data. This paper presents a practical comparison of candidate data analysis techniques including frequentist and Bayesian discrete analysis, freq...
Editorial - free online access at https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2020.1782555
To compare demands of national netball umpires between levels of competition, 22 Netball New Zealand high-performance umpires participated in this investigation. These included from highest to lowest standard: 9 × semi-professional ANZ Championships (ANZC); 6 × National A Squad (NZA); and 7 × National Development Squad (DEV). Physical (global posit...
Using game-level data, this study examines what impact the mid-season winter break in football fixtures has on technical performance across European football leagues. 38 technical measures pertaining to the actions of passing and shooting are assessed for 3,494 team match observations from the German Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga, French Ligue 1 and...
The forehand jump smash is an essential attacking stroke within a badminton player’s repertoire. A key determinate of the stroke’s effectiveness is post-impact shuttlecock speed, and therefore awareness of critical technique factors that impact upon speed is important to players/coaches. Three-dimensional kinematic data of player, racket and shuttl...
This review has outlined the existing literature relating to activity profiles in elite netball umpires. In particular,
the physical (distance travelled), physiological (heart rate), and technical (movement classifications)
characteristics have been described. The limited available literature report that on average elite netball
umpires travel appr...
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640414.2019.1671688?tab=permissions&scroll=top
The utility of flywheel devices and eccentric overload protocols for inducing post-activation potentiation (PAP) is only recently beginning to be understood. The aim of the study was to determine PAP effects on vertical and horizontal ground reaction force...
Purpose:
To investigate the postactivation potentiation (PAP) effects of different eccentric overload (EOL) exercise volumes on countermovement-jump (CMJ) and standing-long-jump (LJ) performance.
Methods:
In total, 13 male university soccer players participated in a crossover design study following a familiarization period. Control (no PAP) CMJ...
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0222466
The aim of this study was to evaluate the post-activation potentiation (PAP) effects following eccentric overload (EOL) and traditional weightlifting (TW) exercise on standing long jump (SLJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and 5 m sprint acceleration performance. Ten male athl...
Purpose:
To summarize the evidence on postactivation potentiation (PAP) protocols using flywheel eccentric overload (EOL) exercises.
Methods:
Studies were searched using the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, and Institute for Scientific Information Web of Knowledge.
Results:
In total, 7 eligible studies were identified based on the followin...
https://cricketcongress2019.lboro.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Final-Book.pdf
Background: Recent research has investigated the relationships between technique and bat speed during a cricket range hitting task in 20 male batsmen ranging from club to international standard 1. The separation between the pelvis and thorax segments in the transver...
Three-dimensional kinematic data of racket and shuttlecock were recorded for 297 jump smashes performed by fourteen badminton players (8 male; 6 female) at the 2016 All England Championships and the 2017 World Championships. The racket angle and racket head speed at impact, as well as impact location of the shuttlecock on the racket face, were dete...
This study aimed to evaluate the postactivation potentiation (PAP) effects of an eccentric overload (EOL) exercise on vertical and horizontal jumps and change of direction (COD) performance. Twelve healthy physically active male subjects were involved in a crossover study. The subjects performed 3 sets of 6 repetitions of EOL half squats for maxima...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167945718303026
The ability of a batsman to clear the boundary is a major contributor to success in modern cricket. The aim of this study was to identify technique parameters characterising those batsmen able to generate greater bat speeds, ball launch speeds, and carry distances during a range...
Loughborough University, Summer Showcase-conference poster presentation.
Smash Speed, Impact Location, Badminton World Federation, Hawkeye, Glasgow World Championships
https://shapeamerica.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2017.1389484#.XQ1jAe7TWyU
Three-dimensional kinematic data of bat and ball were recorded for 239 individual shots performed by twenty batsmen ranging from club to international standard. The impact location of the ball on the bat face was determined and assessed against the resultant i...
In high impact human activities, much of the impact shock wave is dissipated
through internal body structures, preventing excessive accelerations from reaching
vital organs. Mechanisms responsible for this attenuation, including lower limb joint
compression and spinal compression have been neglected in existing whole-body
simulation models. Acceler...
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1754337117723275
This study aimed to develop a methodology for accurate determination of the impact location of a cricket ball on the bat face, as well as the identification of bat–ball contact timing and post-impact instantaneous ball velocity in a whole-body kinematic data collection environment. Thr...
Impact forces of up to 13 times bodyweight have been observed in dynamic jumping activities such as the triple jump [1]. It has long been accepted that the human skeletal system is capable of damping such impact shock waves and avoiding direct transmission of impact forces to internal structures. The force attenuating mechanisms responsible, includ...
The aim of this study was to identify the technique parameters characterising batsmen who generate large carry distances, ball launch speeds, and bat speeds during a range hitting task in cricket. Kinematic data were collected for 20 batsmen, and a series of ball launch, impact, and technique parameters were calculated for each trial. A regression...
The badminton shuttlecock has a lower ballistic coefficient, a measure of ability to
overcome air resistance, and greater deceleration during flight than any other airborne
sporting implement (Nakagawa, Hasegawa, Murakami, & Obayashi, 2012). Indeed, initial
shuttlecock velocities of 67 m·s-1 have been reported to decelerate in 0.6 s to close to the...
Questions
Questions (2)
Due to the effects of COVID-19, staff and students around the world are transitioning to online learning.
ISBS are supporting a concept in which every sports science student can be provided with access to expert guest lectures on a range of sports biomechanics topics. These can be watched live or integrated into any teaching and learning environment.
The first of these lectures is now scheduled for this Friday 27th March at 11 am GMT (more details in the image attached).
This will be on ‘Biomechanics and Sports Injury Prevention’ by Dr Alasdair Dempsey from Murdoch University in Australia.
Staff and students can view live using the following link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/3277636669
Please share these details with colleagues and students so that as many people as possible can benefit.
Many thanks, and best wishes,
Stuart
Have you, or anybody you can recommend, published applied biomechanics research conducted at least in part as an undergraduate?
If so, please get in touch or recommend others.
I'm asking for 5 mins to complete a survey on your experiences to help others.
I'll get in touch with the survey link (not posting publicly to ensure genuine responses / inclusion criteria are met).
Many thanks,
Stuart
Projects
Projects (8)
This project aims to develop a simple and easily interruptible quantification of training load that is currently lacking in badminton. The main contribution of this project will be the development of a novel training load monitoring system which can be used with a wide variety of commercially available wearable technologies. This system could also be scaled to other related and important areas of badminton-specific sport science such as injury management, training prescription and performance evaluation.
Sports (ISSN 2075-4663) is an international peer-reviewed open access journal published monthly online by MDPI. The aim of this Special Issue is to publish a series of studies that are related to strength and conditioning and/or sports biomechanics. We encourage the submission of research investigating the chronic and acute effect of strength (e.g., traditional and novel forms of resistance training) and conditioning (e.g., aerobic and anaerobic conditioning) protocols as well as investigating biomechanical parameters (e.g., kinetics and kinematics) in sporting movements. Biomechanical investigations relating to athlete screening, training monitoring or prescription, or comparisons of alternative exercises (i.e., the biomechanics of strength and conditioning) are especially welcomed. Review papers of any of the above or related topics are also welcomed.
For more information, or to submit, please see https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sports/special_issues/Strength_Conditioning_Biomechanics_Sports
Understand the demands on netball umpires of different competition levels, and inform umpire training and assessment.
