The aim of this thesis was to identify ways in which the velocity of a track cyclist could be increased, primarily through the reduction of aerodynamic drag, and to determine which factors had the most significant impact on athlete performance. An appropriate test method was set up in the wind tunnel at the University of Canterbury to measure the aerodynamic drag of different cycling positions and equipment, including helmets, skinsuits, frames and wheels, in order to measure the impact of specific changes on athlete performance. A mathematical model of the Individual Pursuit (IP) event was also created to calculate the velocity profile and finishing time for athletes competing under different race conditions. The model was created in Microsoft Excel and used first principles to analyse the forces acting on a cyclist, which lead to the development of equations for power supply and demand. The mathematical model was validated using SRM data for eleven, elite track cyclists, and was found to be accurate to 0.31s (0.16%). An analysis of changes made to the bike, athlete, and environmental conditions using the mathematical model showed that the drag area and air density had the greatest impact on the finishing time. The model was then used to predict the finishing times for different pacing strategies by generating different power profiles for a given athlete with a fixed stock of energy (the work done remained the same for all generated power profiles) in order to identify the optimal pacing strategy for the IP. The length of time spent in the initial acceleration phase was found to have a significant impact on the results, although all strategies simulated with an initial acceleration phase resulted in a faster finishing time than all other strategies simulated. Results from the wind tunnel tests showed that, in general, changes made to the position of the cyclist had the greatest impact on the aerodynamic drag compared to changes made to the equipment. Multiple changes in position had a greater impact on drag than individual changes in position, but the changes were not additive; the total gain or loss in drag for multiple changes in position was not the sum of individual gains or losses in drag. Actual gains and losses also varied significantly between athletes, primarily due to differences in body size and shape, riding experience, and reference position from which changes were made from. Changes in position that resulted in a reduction of the frontal area, such as lowering the handlebars and head, were the most successful at reducing the aerodynamic drag, and a change in skinsuit was found to have the greatest impact on drag out of all equipment changes, primarily due to the choice of material and seam placement. The mathematical model was used to quantify the impact of changes in position and equipment made in the wind tunnel on the overall finishing time for a given athlete competing in an IP event. Time savings of up to 8 seconds were seen for multiple changes in position, and up to 5 seconds for changes to the equipment. Overall this thesis highlights the significance of aerodynamics on athlete performance in track cycling, suggesting that it is worthwhile spending time and money on research and technology to find new ways to reduce the aerodynamic drag and maximise the speed of cyclists. Although this thesis primarily concentrates on the Individual Pursuit event in track cycling, the same principles can be applied to other cycling disciplines, as well as to other sports.

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Video modeling and video feedback are behavioral procedures that have been shown to increase skill acquisition over time in a variety of environments. This study investigated the use of a video modeling and video feedback procedure, via a multiple baseline design to enhance skill acquisition in boxing. This study also incorporated multiple dimensions of analysis by including data based not only on a percentage of performance with a task analysis, but also the duration of each particular target behavior. The target behaviors for the study included three different boxing combinations, which were operationally defined based on component steps via a task analysis. Each step was marked as either correct or incorrect based on participant performance. The two participants in the study had little or no previous boxing instruction. During intervention, participants were shown a video of a professional boxer performing the specific combination being trained. The participant was then recorded performing the combination, which was used to compare to that of the professional model. The results indicated that both participants' skill levels increased upon intervention using video modeling and video feedback. Reaction time also decreased substantially for one participant.

Fusion Motion Capture (FMC), a wearable motion capture system was developed, and applied to the optimisation of athlete performance in alpine ski racing. In what may be a world first, the three-dimensional movements of a skilled athlete (with less than 20 FIS1 points) skiing through a complete training giant slalom racecourse were analysed. FMC consists of multiple light weight sensors attached to the athlete including inertial measurement units (IMUs), pressure sensitive insoles and a global position system (GPS) receiver. The IMUs contain accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. Limb orientation and location are obtained by mathematically combining the most reliable data from each sensor using fusion algorithms developed by the author. FMC fuses the signals from the IMUs and GPS without the need for the post filtering, usually applied to motion capture data, and therefore, maintains maximum bandwidth. The FMC results were stable and relatively independent of motion type and duration unlike other inertial systems available in 2005, when the research was initiated. Analysis of data collected from an athlete skiing giant slalom contradict the traditional „going straight turning short? race strategy. The shortest path may not always be the fastest. Instead each gate has a different optimum approach arc. Optimum turn radius increases with both increasing speed and increasing terrain slope. The results also contradict laboratory measurements of ski/snow sliding friction and suggest that snow resistance in giant slalom is of similar importance to wind drag. In addition to gravity, the athlete increased speed using the techniques of „lateral projection? and „pumping?. Race performance was determined from the analysis of the athlete skiing through the entire course. FMC proved, therefore, to be more suitable than traditional optical systems that are practically limited to capturing small sections of a race course. The athlete experienced high and rapidly fluctuating torques about all three axes of the lower joints. This information could be useful in designing training programmes racecourses and equipment to reduce knee injuries. Data driven animations and colour coded force vector diagrams were developed to enhance athlete feedback. Inline skating data was also analysed.