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BIG Event 2025

About

Welcome to BIG2025!

The annual event of the CASES Division of Biomechanics and Motor Control

Wednesday 16 April 2025 – University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham

The BIG Booklet, containing our sponsors and abstracts is now available in both online
and PDF versions.

Join us for this must-attend event which has been bringing biomechanics enthusiasts together for over 30 years. Whether you are an academic, researcher, student or an industry professional this conference promises to be an invaluable experience, packed with knowledge and inspiration. BIG (Biomechanics Interest Group) is the only national forum to explore the latest trends shaping the future of sport and exercise biomechanics and to connect with like-minded professionals.

In addition to thought-provoking presentations and discussions, the event will feature an exhibition showcasing the latest advancements in biomechanics technology. From sophisticated motion analysis systems to state-of-the-art wearable sensors and testing equipment, attendees will have the chance to explore and interact with cutting-edge innovations shaping the field.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to immerse yourself in the latest advancements in biomechanics while enjoying the charm of Cheltenham—renowned for its Regency architecture, vibrant cultural scene, and gateway to the stunning Cotswolds.

For this year, non-member students have an option to register for this event for £10, or can alternatively register for the event and become a CASES student member for only £25.

Join us for an inspiring conference in one of the most beautiful regions of the South West by registering here!

Organising Committee

Professor Athanassios Bissass Professor of Sport and Exercise Technologies
Dr Martine Deighan Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise
Dr Nicola Theis Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise
Anna Ferguson Technician Demonstrator
Ashish Balagopalan Technician Demonstrator

Division

Beyond the dedicated team organizing this year’s event, BIG is led by the CASES Division of Biomechanics and Motor Behaviour.

DIVISION

Dr Andrew Mitchell Chair
Professor Athanassios Bissas Deputy Chair
Dr Theodoros Bampouras Members representative
Rachel Mason CPD Representative
Dr Diana Soares PG Representative
Julia Suchanecka Student representative
Dr Romanda Dillon Co-opted member
Dr Lauren Forsyth Co-opted member

Agenda

Keynote speaker - Professor Andrea Cereatti

Andrea Cereatti is a Full Professor of Bioengineering at the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Polytechnic University of Torino. He currently serves as President of the Italian Society of Clinical Movement Analysis and has been a board member of the 3-D AHM Technical Group of the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB). He is also a founding member of the National Association of the Italian National Bioengineering Group.

His research focuses on joint kinematics estimation and modeling, wearable sensors for assessing locomotor capacity and performance in clinical and sports applications, and innovative approaches for neuromuscular rehabilitation and motor function enhancement.

Professor Cereatti has organized numerous courses and workshops on wearable sensor applications in human movement analysis at leading conferences, including ICNR, ISEK, EMBC, ISB, SIAMOC, BHI-BSN, and WCB. He has co-authored over 150 publications, including eight book chapters, and holds three patents in the field.

Talk title

To wear or not to wear? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About inertial sensors…but were afraid to ask

Main speaker – Scott Simpson

Scott Simpson is a World Leading pole vault coach from Great Britain. He is currently the coach to four of the World's top-20 female pole vaulters, including 2024 World Indoor Champion - Molly Caudery (GBR) and 2016 Olympic Bronze medallist - Eliza McCartney (NZL). He has coached at four Olympic Games and now coached six Olympians.

He has a background in Biomechanics having completed his BSc. in Sport and Exercise Science and then studied at PhD level in the biomechanics of triple jumping, with further publications in the area of biomechanics of sprinting.

He works closely with integrated support teams from both the UK and New Zealand to best service the athletes he coaches. This includes the applied use of biomechanics in aiding athlete health and enhancing performance.

Talk title

The application of biomechanical data in performance coaching in the pole vault

Main speaker – Tom Cresswell

Tom Cresswell is the Great Britain’s Basketball Men’s Head of Sports Science & Medicine. He is also a Physiotherapist and performance coach at Hintsa Performance.

Tom is a multi-sport physio and performance coach having worked indoors and outdoors, at gyms, pools, courts, pitches, slopes and racetracks. The common theme throughout has been basketball and for Great Britain he has staffed every age group at major tournaments. He is a specialist generalist practitioner as well as clinical leader. But biomechanics is where Tom learned he could do what he set his mind to and it underpins everything he does.

Previously Tom has had roles as Lead Academy Physio at Birmingham City FC, Women’s Team Head of Physiotherapy at Bristol City FC, Williams F1 Racing, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 and Head of Medical Services at Hartpury University.

Talk title

Biomechanics dominates every conversation I have at work, from director to coach to athlete to staff to parent

Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker

Andrea Cereatti is Full Professor of Bioengineering at the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications of the Polytechnic University of Torino. He is currently President of the Italian Society of Clinical Movement analysis, has served as board of directors of the 3-D AHM Technical Group of the ISB and he is founding member of the “National Association of the Italian National Bioengineering Group”. His research interests focus on methods for joint kinematics estimation and joint modelling; wearable sensors for locomotor capacity and performance assessment in clinical and sports applications, and innovative approaches for neuro-muscular rehabilitation and motor-function enhancement. He has organized several courses and workshops on the use of wearable sensors for human movement analysis in different conferences including ICNR, ISEK, EMBC, ISB, SIAMOC, BHI-BSN, WCB. In the field of wearable inertial sensing technology for human movement analysis, he co-authored more than 60 publications and 4 book chapters 3 patents.

Event Day Schedule

Time	Activity
08.45-09.15	Registration, coffee and Exhibitors
09.15-09.30	Welcome
09.30-10.45	Oral presentations Mason Stolycia: In-vivo Achilles Tendon Displacement During Hinged Controlled Ankle Motion Boot Wear Gaspar Epro: Similar muscle hypertrophy of the triceps surae muscle in response to different mechano-metabolic stress exercise Fenja Deister: Stress imaging arthrometry for assessing anterior talofibular ligament strain in vivo Mateus Albuquerque Placido: Improving trip resistance with perturbation-based gait training using a movement restricting knee brace in healthy young adults Joanna Wootton: Interventions to reduce falls and improve safety on stairs: a systematic review of the evidence Qian Qian: Effects of a 4-week tai chi intervention on postural control in individuals with chronic ankle instability
10.45-11.15	Coffee and Exhibitors
11.15-12.15	Keynote Lecture Professor Andrea Cereatti: To wear or not to wear? everything you always wanted to know about inertial sensors…but were afraid to ask
13.00-13.30	Poster defence and Exhibitors Steph Grady: The impact of sedentary behaviour and physical activity on foot muscle strength and fall risk in older adults Phillip Heritage: Analysis of isometric neck strength characteristics in sporting and general populations Diana Soares: The effect of footwear midsole thickness on healthy older adults’ walking gait and footwear perceptions Simon Briley: Mood, gait biomechanics, and cognitive load: investigating the influence of cognitive demands on the mood-motor relationship in young adults Nicholas Ripley: Acute fatigue in peak isometric hamstring force in elite male sixes lacrosse players Rich Collins: Muscle activation of the biceps femoris & semitendinosus in different eccentric hamstring exercises in female football players	7. Gabriella Wilson: Do biomechanical changes explain the decline in CPR chest compression performance over time? 8. Ivan Jukić: Coaching tools and acute performance enhancements: do they come with any trade-offs? 9. Harry Davies: Agreement between ‘Theia3D’ and marker-based performance indicators of the Snatch: a case study 10. Hazel Tucker: Validity and reliability of common wearable technology to estimate running metrics during overground running. 11. Christina Cefai: Can wearables be used to estimate the probability of tibial stress fractures? a simulation study 12. Max Pinckney: Joint mechanical work variability during controlled ankle motion (cam) boot wear
13.30-14.15	Main talk Tom Cresswell: Biomechanics dominates every conversation I have at work, from director to coach to athlete to staff to parent
14.15-15.30	Oral presentations Rylea Hart: The development of template-based models for analysing resistance-training movement performance Liam Houlton: Effect of alternative complex-contrast training set strategies on vertical jump propulsive force Jack Fahey: Force plate-derived isometric mid thigh pull benchmarks in elite female youth footballers Gabriele Azzolini: The effect of stud design on ground reaction force and subjective perception in football-specific movements XI YANG: Wearable technology in tennis: player willingness, usage, and application Logan Wade: The major barriers limiting integration of markerless motion capture within clinical practice in the United Kingdom
15.30-15.45	Coffee and Exhibitors
15.45-16.30	Main talk Scott Simpson: The application of biomechanical data in performance coaching in the pole vault
16.30-16.45	Prizes & Close

Abstract submission

For abstract submissions, please head to the following link: https://tinyurl.com/BIGAbstracts25. Abstract submission deadline is midnight 19 March 2025. You will need to create (a free) Oxford abstracts account, if you don’t already have one, to submit. There is a downloadable abstract formatting template available on the submission platform.

How to get there

Getting to Park Campus (Elwes Teaching Centre) in Cheltenham is easy, whether you're traveling from within the UK or internationally. For detailed directions and travel information, please follow the link below:

https://www.glos.ac.uk/visit-us/our-campuses/park-campus/