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ScienceMathEngineering

Sports Biomechanics Lab

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Grades 6-860-75 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Athletes-turned-scientists film a throw, swing, or jump in slow motion, measure joint angles, and redesign equipment or technique to improve performance.

Budget levels

Amazon prices checked Oct 9-10, 2026 and may change

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Quick Start

Digital downloads only.

$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.

Student time: one class period, one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one class period on a single day.

Scale back: Fit it into a shorter period, use fewer effects, or run a demo instead of a build.

Scale up: Add one extra effect, or spread the share-out across another day.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

  • Kitchen scaleBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • paper cupsBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • meter stickBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • protractorBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • stopwatchBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • teacher-provided slow-motion clipsBorrow or school hasuse what you have

Full Experience

Required materials for the class.

$36.15 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups). Exceeds $25 per class.

Classroom cardboard or boxes can lower the cost.

Student time: one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one school day.

Scale back: Fit the build into one period with fewer effects.

Scale up: Spread the work across days, or add more effects.

  • balls of different massRequired1 x 28 balls + 1 x 1 can (ball count not shown on page)28 balls + 1 can (ball count not shown on page)$6.99 + $3.59AmazonAmazon
  • tape markersRequired1 x 2 rolls2 rolls$5.58Amazon
  • rampRequired1 x 20 boards20 boards$19.99Amazon

Total Transformation

The bigger kit, with every optional item included.

$36.15 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day (one session, one-day event).

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one session, a one-day event.

Scale back: Shorten the event, or run a demo for a smaller audience.

Scale up: Spread the build and the event across days, or invite a bigger audience.

  • optional school device for recordingOptional0 (nothing to buy)use what you have

Choose your version

Every level teaches the same core idea — pick the one that fits your time, budget, and energy today.

Student time: 35 min, one class periodTeacher prep / build-ahead: 15 min$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.One table or a clear section of floorBeginner-friendly

Setup

Print or hand-copy the essential prompt for Sports Biomechanics Lab, then set out only paper, pencils, and the common or recycled items needed for one test. Use a tabletop representation whenever the original version mentions a room, specialized device, or digital tool; the learning comes from the decisions and evidence, not elaborate scenery.

Activity

  1. Watch slow-motion footage of a throw or jump and predict which joint angle most affects the distance or height achieved.
  2. Set up markers and film a teammate performing the motion several times under the same conditions.
  3. Measure the joint angles frame by frame, notice the data contradicts the initial prediction, and revise the technique or equipment tweak being tested.
  4. Present the biomechanics findings with slow-motion clips showing the before-and-after improvement.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

Done when: The group has completed Sports Biomechanics Lab when it can present the biomechanics findings with slow-motion clips showing the before-and-after improvement and point to the observation, measurement, comparison, or trial that supports its conclusion.

Materials

teacher-provided slow-motion clips (optional school device recording, with consent), protractor, measuring tape, tape for floor markings, notebook; Kitchen scale; balls of different mass; tape markers; ramp; paper cups; meter stick; stopwatch; teacher-provided slow-motion clips; optional school device for recording

Shown for the Quick Start version — switch tabs above to see what changes.

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change.

As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Steps

  1. Watch teacher-provided slow-motion clips of a throw (no faces shown, played on a school computer) and predict how ball mass and release speed affect the ball's energy.
  2. Set up a ramp and a background with tape marks every 50 cm. Record the rolls on a school device in slow motion (only the ramp and ball in frame), or, without a device, time the ball between tape marks with a stopwatch. Place an upside-down paper cup on the floor 1 m past the end of the ramp, with its start position marked.
  3. Speed test: roll the same ball from 4 different ramp heights (3 trials each). Use frame counts (or stopwatch times) between tape marks to calculate speed, then measure how far the cup slides when hit (more slide means more kinetic energy).
  4. Mass test: roll balls of different mass (weighed on a kitchen scale, or one ball with tape weights added) from the same ramp height. Check from the recording or stopwatch times that their speeds are about the same, and measure how far the cup slides.
  5. Record mass, speed, and slide distance for every trial in a data table and average the trials.
  6. Construct two graphs from your data: slide distance versus speed (same ball) and slide distance versus mass (same speed). Choose the axes and scale, plot the averages, and draw a best-fit line or curve.
  7. Interpret the graphs in your own words: describe the shape of each one, what it shows about how kinetic energy depends on mass and on speed, and use your data to compare what happened when speed roughly doubled versus when mass roughly doubled.
  8. Using teacher-provided clips of two different throwing techniques (or optional student filming on a school device with consent and no faces), measure the joint angle with a protractor on a paused frame or still photo and estimate release speed, then use your speed graph to argue which technique gives the ball more kinetic energy. Present findings with the clips or stills.

Standards mapped

  • NGSS · MS-PS3-1

    Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.