kinetic link principle
The principle that body segments generate high end-point velocity by accelerating and decelerating adjacent links, using internal and external muscle torques applied to the body segments in a sequential manner from proximal to distal, from massive to least massive, and from most fixed to most free. The kinetic link principle is applied when different body segments rotate during throwing and kicking. These actions have been likened to the motion of a bullwhip. If segmental rotations are free to occur at the distal end, the body's base-segments in contact with the ground act like the handle of a bull-whip. Just as the tip of the bullwhip can be made to travel at supersonic speed, the small distal segments of the hand and foot can be made to travel very fast by the sequential acceleration and deceleration of the body segments.
