Moments of Force, Power, and Muscle Coordination in Speed-Skating

These types of experiments, however, yield no information about the source of generation of energy. Another interesting phenomenon in speed-skating, the hampered knee extension connected to the absence of plantar flexion of the foot (13), is also described by means of film analysis only. To gain more insight into these complicated aspects of tech. nique and muscle coordination in speed-skating, more elaborate experiments are necessary. By examining the mechanical power at each joint, for example, an assessment of the relative importance of the muscles around the ankle, knee, and hip can be ascertained. Such an approach, however, is rarely used for complex human movements (19) and was never previously reported for speed-skating.