Sport-Specific Movement Analysis

Dear Colleagues,

Across modern sport, the capacity to quantify how athletes move in the exact context in which they compete is very important. Movement analysis, including inertial measurement units, force‑measuring wearables, and emerging marker‑less motion‑capture powered by computer vision and artificial intelligence, is now popular among different sports and in sport-specific environments. These tools provide unique insights into the biomechanics, neuromuscular control, and energetics that underpin sport‑specific skills. However, many fundamental questions remain unanswered, such as the following: how reliable are field‑based movement measures? What are the variables discriminating performance levels? How can coaches translate these data into training demands? This Special Issue will enhance our understanding of athlete movement in sport-specific contexts and apply this understanding to optimize performance and reduce injury risk. We welcome contributions that explore, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Biomechanical profiling of technical and tactical actions across sport disciplines and performance levels;
• Movement pattern analysis in ecological settings using field-based tools (e.g., wearables);
• Sport-specific neuromuscular strategies, motor control adaptations, and variability in elite and developmental athletes;
• Injury-risk indicators derived from kinetic, kinematic, or neuromuscular parameters during sport-specific tasks;
• Acute fatigue effects on movement mechanics during training or competition, as well as their implications for injury and performance;
• Longitudinal monitoring of movement adaptations following training interventions, return-to-play protocols, or athletic development programs in different sex-, age-, and level-based populations;
• Integrative approaches combining biomechanics, physiology, and data science to model performance and injury risk in sport-specific tasks.

Original research articles, systematic reviews, short communications, case studies, and methodological notes are all encouraged. Manuscripts will be peer‑reviewed and published online upon acceptance, ensuring rapid dissemination to provide valuable information for athletes, coaches, sport scientists, and strength and conditioning professionals.

We look forward to receiving your work.

Dr. Jaime Fernandez Fernandez
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• sport biomechanics
• movement analysis
• wearables
• injury prevention
• performance analysis