Gerhard Hochmuth

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gerhard Hochmuth (born November 2, 1927 in Georgenthal , Auerbach district ; † July 14, 2011 in Leipzig ) was a German biomechanic whose approach to the profession through physics and mechanical engineering shaped external biomechanics in Germany. He was referred to as the "Nestor of Biomechanics in the GDR".

Live and act

After the Second World War interrupted school attendance , Gerhard Hochmuth was able to take his Abitur in 1947. He then studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Dresden . He completed his studies in 1952 as a graduate engineer (Dipl.-Ing.).

Coming from the mountains, he practiced ski jumping as a sport . During his studies he took part in the student world championships in ski jumping in Poiana Brașov in Romania. The preoccupation with ski jumping became his professional life.

He got his first job at the German University for Physical Culture (DHfK) in Leipzig, founded in 1950 . Here he was appointed lecturer for biomechanics and head of the department of the same name in 1953. He remained loyal to the DHfK and its affiliated institutions throughout his professional life. His main field of work was the scientific foundation of ski jumping, studying and optimizing its movement sequences to improve competition results. To this end, he developed measuring methods and devices in order to draw conclusions about sports equipment and training methods from the results. The great successes of the ski jumpers of the GDR in international competitions are based not least on these studies. Also his graduation papers for obtaining the academic degrees - 1957 doctorate at the TH Dresden as Dr.-Ing. and in 1965 habilitation at the DHfK Leipzig as Dr.-Ing. et paed. habil. - deal with questions about ski jumping. (see section Fonts).

In 1956 Hochmuth became director of the research center affiliated with the DHfK and in 1959 head of the Institute for Biomechanics of the DHfK. In 1966 he was appointed professor with a teaching position for biomechanics of sport, and in 1969 he received a professorship with a chair for biomechanics of athletic movements.

When the Research Institute for Physical Culture and Sport (FKS) was founded in the DHfK in 1969 , Hochmuth became head of the FSK's research department for high-speed sports . In 1973 he became Deputy Director of Science Development in this institution, and from 1977 to 1990 he was head of the Biomechanics Laboratory. In the 1960s, his research extended beyond ski jumping, and he established the first biomechanical principles, which are an integral part of the training content in sports science as basic instructions for the execution and assessment of sporting movements, some of which have been modified. The international success of his book Biomechanics of Sports Movements with licensed editions in four languages ​​was an expression of the topicality and value of his work results .

In addition to his professional activity, he was involved in numerous committees. From 1963 to 1970 he was chairman of the ski jumping coaching council in the German Skierverband (DSLV) of the GDR and from 1970 to 1974 its president. From 1974 he was also active internationally, initially until 1983 as a member of the jumping committee of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and then from 1983 to 1998 as chairman of the sub-committee for rules and controls in the FIS jumping committee. In the early 1990s, Hochmuth made a significant contribution to the development of the video-based distance measurement used as standard today in ski jumping. From 1998 to 2003 he was Technical FIS Expert Jumping and advisor to the FIS.

Honors

  • In 1987, Gerhard Hochmuth was the first to be honored with the Geoffrey Dyson Prize by the International Society of Biomechanics in Sport in Athens for his life's work.
  • In 2004 the World Ski Federation FIS made him an honorary member at its congress in Miami .

Fonts

  • Investigations into the influence of the take-off movement on the jump distance in ski jumping . Doctoral thesis at the Technical University of Dresden, 142 pp.
  • Investigations into the most appropriate body and ski posture during the flight during ski jumping . Habilitation thesis at the DHfK Leipzig, 106 pp.
  • Biomechanics of athletic movements . Berlin: Sportverlag 1967 and at the same time Frankfurt (M.): Limpert, 1967 (5 editions, translations in English, Spanish, Japanese and Italian)
  • Over 60 relevant articles in specialist journals (see short biography)

literature

  • Arnd Krüger , Paul Kunath: The Development of Sports Science in the Soviet Zone and the GDR. In: W. Buss, C. Becker u. a. (Ed.): Sport in the Soviet Zone and the early GDR. Genesis - structures - conditions. Hofmann, Schorndorf 2001, pp. 351-366

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 50 years ago - the research center was founded at the DHfK. In: Contributions to the history of sport, issue 22nd 2006, accessed on February 9, 2019 .
  2. ↑ ISBS website ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.isbs.org
personal data
SURNAME Hochmuth, Gerhard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German biomechanics
DATE OF BIRTH November 2, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Georgenthal
DATE OF DEATH July 14, 2011
Place of death Leipzig