Applied Sport Mechanics

Applied Sport Mechanics, Fifth Edition, explores how the fundamental laws of human movement affect athletes’ performances. Foundational principles of kinetics, kinematics, and sport technique are clearly presented and then explored through a variety of applied scenarios.

Brendan Burkett, PhD, is a professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees in engineering and attained his doctorate in biomechanics. Burkett’s teaching specializations are biomechanics, sport coaching, and performance enhancement. His research revolves around technology developments in human health and performance, and he has written more than 180 peer-reviewed articles and 240 conference publications for journals in sport science, biomechanics, and coaching.
As an international elite athlete, Burkett represented Australia for 13 years as a swimmer. He was a Paralympic champion, world champion, and world-record holder, and he was the winner of multiple medals in the Commonwealth Games and Australian national championships. He served as the Australian team captain for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games and as the flag bearer for the opening ceremonies of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Following his sporting career Burkett has been the sport scientist for the Australian Paralympic team for the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Championships and the 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Paralympic Games. He has attended the past nine consecutive Paralympic Games, from 1988 to 2020, and was the head coach of the Australian Paralympic Swim Team from 2018 through 2022.
Burkett has received several awards, including the Australia Day Sporting Award and the Order of Australia Medal (OAM), as well as induction into the Sunshine Coast Sports Hall of Fame, Swimming Queensland Hall of Fame, and the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.