ENS02 - A Turning Point in Running Research: Exploring the Energetic Cost of Rapid Direction Change

Overview

Change of direction (CoD) during locomotion is a fundamental component of both daily activities and sporting performance. In many team sports, athletes may perform a CoD action every few seconds, accumulating hundreds of turns during a single match. The ability to rapidly change direction is therefore considered a key performance indicator, underpinning an athlete's capacity to evade opponents, create scoring opportunities, and respond to game situations. However, due to some of the complexities in measuring energy cost across non-steady state movement, the energetic cost of individual turns and the biomechanical mechanisms underpinning these demands remain largely unexplored.

To better understand the energy demands of turning, this project combines both biomechanical measures and physiological measures of oxygen consumption during specific protocols targeting CoD. The end goal is to be able to predict energetic cost based on markers that can be readily measured during movements or sports. Before these methods can be confidently applied, however, their predictions must be validated against measured energetic cost.

A critical limitation is that there is currently no research evaluating the validity, reliability, and feasibility of different oxygen consumption collection methods during turning locomotion. Therefore, this pilot project aims to compare several oxygen consumption collection approaches during shuttle-running tasks to determine their suitability for quantifying the energetic demands of change-of-direction exercise and to establish methodological foundations for future biomechanical modelling studies.

Research engagement

As a part of this project, you will have the opportunity to participate in lab and field-based data collection, data analysis and scientific communication (writing and presenting).

Research activities

You will be involved in supporting the research team in the collection of field and lab-based data collection of physiological measures of aerobic energy expenditure (oxygen consumption during exercise), anaerobic energy expenditure (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and blood lactate concentration) and heart rate. Following this, guidance will be provided to analyse the data and communicate the findings. If opportunities arise during the VRES timeline, opportunities can be given to gain experience verbally presenting the findings to an audience of academics and practitioners.

Research skills

You will gain experience in multiple methods of exercise energy expenditure collection (Douglas bags, metabolic carts with various collection methods, e.g. breath to breath and mixing chamber, and blood lactate concentration collection). Additionally, we will support you with early development of statistical analysis and presentation / communication of these findings. If times frames allow, and you have keen interest, exposure to the biomechanical aspect of this project can also be provided.

Outcomes

You may be included as an author in the publications which utilise the findings of these interventions (assuming minimum contribution criteria are met). Dependent on the number of participants and power of the findings, a stand-alone publication may be plausible though should not be expected.

Skills and experience

A keen interest in the collection and analysis of physiological or biomechanical measures within performance and exercise settings.

Start date

2 November, 2026

End date

19 February, 2027

Location

QUT Kelvin Grove Campus (Q-Block)

Additional information

Access to a high tech laboratory for physiological and biomechanical measurement. Student will also be able to meet with other reserarch students and researchers.

Keywords

• physiology
• biomechanics
• sport

Contact

Glen Lichtwark

0421929275

glen.lichtwark@qut.edu.au