Application of Biomechanical Principles, Perceived Sports Performance Contribution, And Perceived Injury Prevention in Sports and Physical Activity

Abstract

This study examined the application of biomechanical principles, the perceived contribution of biomechanics to sports performance, and the perceived effectiveness of biomechanics in injury prevention among student-athletes of the University of Makati. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. In the quantitative phase, 110 student-athletes answered a researcher-made four-point questionnaire with excellent content validity (S-CVI/Ave = .99) and reliability (α = .97). The data were analyzed in SPSS using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, the Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis H tests with Dunn's post hoc test, and Spearman's rank-order correlation. In the qualitative phase, twelve purposively selected participants were interviewed, and their accounts were analyzed through manual thematic coding. The application of biomechanical principles was high (M = 2.94), led by movement technique (M = 3.19), while the use of biomechanical technology was the only low area (M = 2.40). The perceived contribution of biomechanics to sports performance was high (M = 3.14), with overall athletic performance rated very high (M = 3.26), and its perceived effectiveness in injury prevention was high (M = 3.00), with the reduction of overuse injuries rated lowest (M = 2.96). Only prior exposure to biomechanics training produced significant differences, in application, H(5) = 24.29, p < .001, and in perceived performance contribution, H(5) = 16.17, p = .006, with athletes exposed to video or motion analysis scoring highest. All three variables were positively related, most strongly performance contribution and injury prevention (ρ = .63, p < .001). Six themes explained these results, describing an application that is technique-rich but science-light, a constrained training environment, a technology access divide, biomechanics as a visible performance advantage, reactive injury management that overlooks overuse, and athletes' call for an accessible, integrated program. The integrated findings showed that visible feedback links exposure to benefit and that the barriers are structural rather than attitudinal. The study proposes MOVE SMART, a guided biomechanics feedback and injury prevention program built on low-cost video feedback, load and recovery monitoring, coach capacity building, and a culture of good movement.