Comment on "Use of deterministic models in sports and exercise biomechanics research" by Chow and Knudson (2011).

Although deterministic models may provide a useful starting point for sports biomechanists examining the mechanical aspects of athletic performance, they have inherent weaknesses that limit their proctical application. Specifically, their inability to provide substantive information about coordinative movement patterns or 'technique' suggests that sports biomechanists must explore alternative paradigms and theoretical frameworks if they are to fulfil their main aims of improving performance and reducing injury risk. We believe that dynamical systems theory and its associated analytical tools can provide a useful adjunct to more traditional paradigms in sport biomechanics, such as deterministic modelling, which have only made a limit contribution to the enhancement of knowledge.