The Mechanical Continuum In Sport

- ”All models are wrong but some are useful”, George Box

- ”All models are wrong but some are deadly”, Nassim Taleb

Caveat: I use “mechanics” and “movement” here interchangeably. While I appreciate that “movement” is more encompassing than “mechanics” because the former accounts for perceptual and neurophysiological inputs and outputs, “mechanics”, really positions, are less esoteric from a coaching standpoint. These positions reflect perceptual influences without having to employ something like an fMRI or PET scan. We coach with our eyes and positions or mechanics are easier to observe.

Like any model, the biomechanical one exists on a continuum, not as an absolute, all encompassing explanation of reality. The alternative to a world without models is nihilism.

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