THE ANALYSIS OF FORWARD ACCELERATION ASYMMETRIES DURING ON-WATER SPRINT KAYAKING

The study’s aims were to (1) determine normative values of the critical features of forward acceleration asymmetries in sprint kayaking, and (2) to investigate the effect of stroke rate (SR) on these asymmetries. Fifteen national-to-world class level sprint kayak athletes completed four, 30-second on-water trials at four different SR’s (60, 80, 100, and maximum strokes per minute). Critical features (i.e., maximum, minimum and range) from forward acceleration waveforms were extracted from ten single stroke cycles (i.e., five left and five right) for each trial. An asymmetry index (ASI) was used to determine the amount of asymmetry between left and right strokes for each critical feature. ASI’s of at least 8.0±11.7% up to 19.3±12.4% existed for all critical features combined. A one‑way repeated measures ANOVA with linear trend analyses showed all critical feature ASI’s increased with SR. These results provide appropriate asymmetry benchmarks for coaches to assess technical efficiency during on‑water sprint kayaking and exude the importance of analyzing left and right single strokes separately

SPRINT KAYAKER’S KINETIC ASYMMETRIES AT INCREASING STROKE RATES

Kinetic movement asymmetries are known to affect factors of performance, increase the likelihood of injury, and to decrease with increased cadences. The aim of this study was to determine if stroke rate affects asymmetry indexes (ASI) in the kayak ergometer footboards and seat. A significant main effect of stroke rate was found on footboard mediolateral total stroke cycle impulse (TSI) ASI (p\u3c0.005) where asymmetry index increased with stroke rate, footboard anteroposterior TSI ASI (p\u3c0.005) where an inverted U-shaped relationship was found with stroke rate, and footboard roll total stroke cycle angular impulse (TSAI) ASI (p\u3c0.001) where an inverted U-shaped relationship was found with stroke rate, and seat mediolateral TSI ASI (p\u3c0.05) where it decreased with stroke rate. The results of this study show that footboard and seat lateral forces counteract each other

FOOTBOARD AND SEAT KINETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH STROKE RATE ON A KAYAK ERGOMETER

The purpose of this study was to determine if stroke rate effects anteroposterior, lateral, and vertical forces on the kayak’s footboard and seat. Participants (n=10), with a year or more of competitive kayaking experience, completed four 30-second trials on a kayak ergometer at different stroke rates (60 strokes per minute (spm), 80 spm, 100 spm, and maximum spm). Mean force, impulse, and impulse*stroke rate were identified for the footboards, and seat, separately within each trial (ten single strokes). Interestingly, both anteroposterior and lateral axes kinetic adaptations to stroke rate occurred on the left footboard whereas the right footboard presented only lateral adaptations

FUNCTIONAL DATA ANALYSIS: A NEW METHOD TO INVESTIGATE PACING STRATEGIES IN ELITE CANOE KAYAK SPRINT

The purpose of this study was to investigate pacing strategies used by elite flatwater canoe kayak sprint athletes in 12 Olympic events. Boat velocity data for canoe and kayak A-final races were extracted from the International Canoe Federation’s website for five major international competitions during the 2016 and 2017 seasons (n=374 boats; n=87 races). Principal component analysis was used to determine pacing strategies in 200, 500, and 1000 m races. Differences in pacing strategies between medalists and non-medalists were found only in 1000 m races. These findings reflected overall differences in boat velocity but also the timing of changes in boat velocity throughout the 1000 m race. This research shows that certain pacing strategies are associated with more success in canoe kayak sprint during long duration races