Dynamic balance in elite level sport

Leona is a PhD student within CSER researching the assessment of dynamic balance using the Smartfloor, with the intention of investigating the importance of dynamic balance in elite level sports.

The Smartfloor is a custom-built piece of equipment, a three-metre square array of thirty-six interactive force-sensing tiles, designed and manufactured by Ben Heller and Terry Senior in CSER. It is able to determine the ground reaction forces of single or multiple participants as they move over the floor surface and can use multiple video projection to produce an immersive simulation of sporting or other environments.

Prior to her PhD, Leona worked as a graduate intern in CSER focusing on the design, validation and implementation of a research project to validate the runScribe inertial sensor in measuring tibial acceleration with a subsidiary aim of developing a system to provide real-time feedback to be used in gait retraining to reduce lower extremity loads. She was also involved in a number of other projects within the department such as the validation of NEMO software, and has assisted on projects looking at the concurrent validity of tracking the head and thorax in three-dimensions using a commodity depth camera and the effects of FBR in long-distance runners.

Leona graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy and the University of Roehampton with an MSc in Sport and Exercise Biomechanics, with distinction.

In her spare time Leona is a qualified Irish dance teacher and adjudicator. Her success has seen her crowned World Champion in two consecutive years and she has performed alongside Michael Flatley in Lord of the Dance. She regularly provides dance workshops to dance schools in South Africa and the U.S., and has previously provided a workshop in Australia.

Research Output

Brayne, Leona, Barnes, A., Heller, B. and Wheat, J. (2015). Using a wireless inertial sensor to measure tibial shock during running : agreement with a skin mounted sensor. In: 33rd International Symposium on Biomechanics in Sports, Poitiers, France, 29 June - 3 July 2015

McCarron, L., Smith, T., Carlisle, A., and Lee, R. (2011) Analysis of kicking using inertial sensors. The 23rd Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics. Brussels, Belgium, 3rd - 7th July 2011

Email l.brayne@shu.ac.uk