Force Production & Summation

Most sports require an athlete to be able to generate and control forces. For sports where success is determined by achieving a maximum distance, it is necessary for athletes to produce as much force as possible, such as in a baseball pitch. While it is not always necessary for the force produced to be the maximum possible, certain principles may be used to produce the appropriate amount of force for the skill being performed.

To obtain maximum force it is essential to recruit force generated by as many body parts as possible, this is known as Force Summation.

Force summation is influenced by :

 number of body parts involved.

 timing and order of the involvement.

 the force and velocity generated.

 body balance and stability.