Canoe Slalom Research Articles

Twelve-week sensorimotor training as a factor influencing movement patterns of canoe slalom athletes, assessed by the Functional Movement Screen

Summary Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate whether our own twelve-week Sensorimotor Exercise Programme (SEP) affected FMS results in canoe slalom athletes. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a tool for detecting asymmetries and movement range limitations in order to prevent sport injuries. The screen evaluates mobility and stability in seven fundamental movement patterns. Material and methods: The study population consisted of 16 athletes from the Canoe Slalom National Team of Poland who competed in three sports categories: kayak single, canoe single, canoe double. The athletes, 13 men and 3 women, undertook the FMS screen twice before the starting season. Between the first and the second screen the athletes undertook a twelve-week long sensorimotor training programme. Results: The result analysis showed a statistically significant difference in FMS results. The mean FMS screen result after twelve weeks of training increased from 16.6 points to 19.6 points. Conclusions: An adequately designed SEP can lead to an improvement in athlete movement patterns. The FMS screen allows for assessment of changes in athlete movement patterns after twelve weeks of SEP training.

Coaches' Evaluations of the Utility of the Basic Performance Demand Model for Sport

The Performance Demand Model for Sport (PDM; Males, Hudson, & Kerr) is based on four psychological fundamentals: mastery motivation, decision making, execution, and teamship. Four elite coaches from canoe slalom, rugby sevens, rowing, and athletics evaluated the utility of the PDM model and later trialed it with elite athletes. Two sets of semi-structured interviews provided subjective statements that generally: (a) supported PDM process-based principles and (b) post-field trials, endorsed the PDM for elite athlete use. With one exception, coaches used the PDM with athletes in different ways, recommending customization, simplification, and a focus on specific training contexts to enhance utility.

Comparison of results in C1 paddling functional test and in arm crank ergometrics in canoe slalom elite athletes

Background: Recently, there have been rising demands on the specifics of functional load testing, which should with its motor structure correspond or at least draw near the sport specialization. However, evaluation of specific forms of diagnostics is very pure in canoe slalom. Objective: The aim of the study was to compare a physiological response based on results in graded functional test when paddling in a single canoe (C1) and results reached in the standardized arm crank ergometrics. Methods: The research sample consisted of 6 elite Czech single canoeists, members of Czech senior national team and the Czech national team up to 23 years. Their average weight was 79.7±6.6 kg, height 183.4±6.6 cm and age 23.6±3.9 years.Results: When comparing the result values of physiological indicators measured in both functional tests, we have found out significant differences (statistical and substantive) in variables: VO2peak (p=0.00; 15.1%), VEpeak (p=0.06, 11.1%), HR (p=0.02; 5.7%), RR (p=0.18; 9.3%), VT (p=0.00; 18.8%) and RER (p=0.26; 4.0%). With the exception of respiratory rate, significantly lower values of all physiological variables were found in on-water testing (C1). Although there was a strong correlation between the VO2peak indicators (r=0.79, p=0.06) found between paddling and crank ergometrics, this relationship cannot be considered significant (p=0.06) due to the small research sample. Conclusions: To evaluate on-water testing and to determine the external validity of arm crank ergometrics for C1 diagnostics, it is necessary to test a bigger research sample. Therefore, it is a pilot study. However, the results indicate that the physiological load requirements in the C1 category are different from those of the kayak category (K1). Although C1 paddlers reached similar VO2peak values in the arm crank ergometrics as kayakers, in the on-water test they reached about 10 ml.kg.min-1 lower oxygen uptake compared to kayakers (Busta, Bílý, Suchý, & Kovářová, 2017).

Is the aerobic power a delimitating factor for performance on canoe slalom? An analysis of Olympic Slovak canoe slalom medalists and non-Olympics since Beijing 2008 to Rio 2016

Information regarding the aerobic power on canoe slalom performance is scares. Moreover, the comparison of maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) via specific and non-specific ergometer for slalom kayakers may improve training prescription and controlling over Olympic cycles. Lastly, it is still unknown to what extent the VO2max delimitate the high performance in this sport. To test this perspective, a highly qualified sample is desired. In overall statistics, Slovakian athletes gathered 14 Olympic medals over the last sixteen years. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to compare the aerobic power of Olympic medallists and Non-Olympic Slovakian kayakers via specific and non-specific evaluations from Beijing 2008 to Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Forty-two male canoe slalom athletes from Slovak national team were evaluated between the years 2006 and 2016. Slovakian athletes were tested for specific (i.e. paddling ergometer) and non-specific (i.e. treadmill) incremental protocols for VO2max determination. Over the last three Summer Olympic Games, the VO2max of Slovakian Olympic medallists was consistently lower than most of the Slovakian team. Moreover, disregarding the medallist characteristic or the moment, Slovakian kayakers presented higher VO2max on treadmill (57.7±6.8 mL.kg-1.min-1) when compared to paddle ergometer (46.9±6.5 mL.kg-1.min-1) (p=0.000; ES=1.6). Based on the collected data over the last ten years, we suggest that although aerobic power may play a relevant and indirect role on performance of slalom kayakers, does not delimitate the high performance in this sport.

Coach-Created Talent Development Motivational Climate in Canoe Slalom in the United Kingdom

The purpose of this study was to examine the coach-created talent development motivational climate in Canoe Slalom in the United Kingdom using achievement goal theory, self-determination theory and...

Localization Method for Canoe Slalom

Localization Method for Canoe Slalom

White Water Rafting Management at Khun Dan Prakan Chon Dam, Nakornnayok Province

The objective of this research was to study and compare the visitor’s opinion towards the level of white water rafting management at Khun Dan Prakan Chon Dam, Nakornnayok Province, Thailand during 2017 Asian Canoe Slalom Championships event week and an ordinary week. This research focused on the visitor’s opinion towards the white water rafting management with overall adventure tourism potential of the destination, its present destination management measures, and availability of skilled professionals, related tools and equipments for white water rafting, safety and security as dependent variables. Structured questionnaire was distributed to 396 visitors participating in white water rafting activity at Khun Dan Prakan Chon Dam, Nakornnayok Province during the period of February 25th 2017 to March 15th 2017. The collected data was later fed into SPSS statistical software and relevant descriptive, t-test and one-way ANOVA statistics were computed to analyze the results. The outcome of the study revealed that, in overall, the White Water Rafting adventure tourism activity management is in the good level on both durations. However, the study also found that comparatively, there is a statistically significant difference in opinion among the visitors from difference provinces towards availability of skilled manpower, tools / equipments and warranty.

Sports injury and illness incidence in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Summer Games: A prospective study of 11274 athletes from 207 countries

ObjectiveTo describe the pattern of injuries and illnesses sustained during the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, hosted by Rio de Janeiro from 5 to 21 August 2016.MethodsWe recorded the daily...

Application of an innovative performance demand model with canoe slalom athletes and their coach

ABSTRACTWe describe how we used the newly developed Performance Demand Model (PDM) with a canoe slalom coach and three junior athletes preparing for the Junior World Championships. The PDM encourages athletes to think of performance as a process and identifies the psychological demands that must be met before, during, and after competition. It focuses on four Psychological Fundamentals: Mastery Motivation; Decision Making; Execution; and Teamwork, each grounded in Reversal Theory. This article discusses how coaches and athletes applied and benefitted from using the PDM and offers lessons learned for its future use by practitioners.

Relationship between Upper Body Strength and Performance at Canoe Freestyle

Summary Performance in all canoe disciplines is based on the physical condition of the paddler and his technique and mental ability to adapt to the racing condition. The strength belongs to the most important physical factors in canoe sprint and canoe slalom disciplines. We believed that in canoe freestyle the strength has an important role in relation to the performance in comparison to other canoe disciplines. The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between upper body strength and special canoe freestyle performance. The study group consisted of 16 senior kayak freestyle paddlers in the age group 26 ± 3 years old. Fitro Dyne Premium was device used to obtain data for analysis of the level of general upper body strength abilities. To determine special upper body strength we used tests on paddle machine and freestyle kayaking flat water tests. Freestyle performance was measured during ECA Euro Cup 2013 competition in Slovakia, Čunovo by official ICF judges. The data obtained were measured by the Spearman Correlation (r) correlation test. The results of the study show significant relations between kayak freestyle performance and test of general strength endurance (p < 0.05), special strength endurance, special dynamic strength (p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant correlations between kayak freestyle performance and general maximal power, dynamic strength, special maximal power.

Measuring Event Quality, Satisfaction, and Intent to Return at an International Sport Event: The ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

ABSTRACTThe purpose of the study is to examine event quality, satisfaction, and intent to return of spectators attending an international sport event. A modified version of the Scale of Event Quality in Spectator Sports (SEQSS) was used in the current study. We added an additional dimension, parking, that was not included on the SEQSS. Skill, operating times, information, valence, and design explained 58.4% of the variance in satisfaction for spectators attending the event. Of this total, more than 30% of this variance was explained by valence. The results also revealed a significant correlation between parking and satisfaction and the fit of the overall model for event quality was good. The study advances the literature on event quality as applied to sport events, provides further development and refinement for measuring event quality, as well as providing a standardized way to measure event quality within multiple types of sport events.

The Use of Compression Garments in Elite Australian Athletes: A Survey

1.1 Objective: The use of compression garments is becoming increasingly popular amongst athletes as a method to enhance performance and/or recovery from exercise. However, little is known about the specific uses of compression garments and the perception of their benefit amongst elite athlete populations, therefore, the current study aimed to gain an understanding of the use of compression garments in the elite athlete setting. 1.2 Methods: The current study surveyed 236 elite Australian-representative athletes (160 male, 76 female) across a range of 16 sports (AFL, athletics, basketball, boxing, canoe slalom, football, gymnastics, netball, power-lifting, rowing, rugby union, rugby league, sailing, swimming, volleyball, wheelchair basketball) including Olympians (n=42) and Paralympians (n=28) from the 2012 London Games. The current use of compression garments, including which garments the athlete’s own, how they are used, duration of wear and their perceived benefit was assessed. Further analysis was performed to assess the use of compression garments in athletes <20 years (n=116) versus athletes >20 years (n=120). 1.3 Results: The majority of athletes surveyed wear compression garments both during exercise and for post-exercise recovery 1-3 times per week. The most common duration for wearing compression garments was 1-4 hours following exercise (55% of athletes surveyed). The most common compression garments owned by athletes were long tights (89%), and 71% of athletes indicated that they sleep in their compression garments at least once per week. Mean ± SD for the benefit of compression tights for recovery (0= no benefit, 100 = definitely beneficial) was; 76.1 ± 17.4. There was a significantly greater perceived benefit of compression garments (p < 0.05) in athletes <20 years compared to athletes >20 years of age. 1.4 Conclusion: The majority of athletes surveyed perceived a benefit in wearing compression garments both during exercise and for recovery. The current study highlights the level of perceived importance of compression garments as a performance and recovery tool in an elite athlete population.

Changes Of Serum Enzyme Activity During World Ranking Races In World-class Canoe Slalom Paddler

Changes Of Serum Enzyme Activity During World Ranking Races In World-class Canoe Slalom Paddler

Characterization and reproducibility of canoe slalom simulated races: physiological, technical and performance analysis

The aims of this study were to characterise and test the reproducibility of canoe slalom race simulations performed on two different days, analysing the physiological, technical and performance responses characteristic of the sport. Six high-performance male canoe slalom K1 athletes (age 17±2yrs) underwent two race simulations with an interval of 72 hours. The artificial course consisted of twelve gates. Each simulation was analysed the runtime, distance travelled, mean velocity; images were captured by the digital camera (JVC) and determined quantitative variables. Heart monitors (Polar, RS800x model) were used to record heart rate during race simulations and recovery; data were stored every 5 s, to determine the blood lactate concentration ([Lac]), blood samples were collected from the earlobe at rest and after 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 min of race simulation (recovery). Tests of normality (Shapiro Wilk) and variance (Levene) were applied. The variables were compared using paired t-tests. Intraclass coefficient correlation (ICC) and Pearson product moment were used for relationship. In all cases, the level of significance was pre-fixed at 5%. Differences between the first and second simulations could not be noticed. Another important indicator was the high correlation found between the runtime (ICC=0.71), distance travelled (ICC=0.77), mean velocity (ICC=0.80) and total number of paddles (ICC=0.79). The lactate levels on minutes 3, 5, 7 and 9 also pointed towards strong correlations (ICC=0.88, ICC=0.90, ICC=0.95 and ICC=0.90 respectively), which may indicate that the adopted simulation model seems to be practicable and of great value to canoe slalom evaluations.

Anaerobic threshold and critical velocity parameters determined by specific tests of canoe slalom: Effects of monitored training

Summary Objectives The aims of study were to determine the anaerobic threshold (AT) and critical velocity (CV) parameters using specific test for canoe slalom and verify the effects of 7-weeks of monitored training on these parameters. Methods Well-trained kayakers were submitted to specific tests on a lake before and after training. The AT was determined by a progressive kayak “shuttle” exercise (50-m course, 3 min/stage, 5.0–9.5 km.h −1 ). The blood lactate (BLC) was determined after each stage and AT was obtained using visual inspection and the intersection of the bi-segmental linear regressions. The CV protocol consisted of four maximal paddling exercises (150–600 m). The slope and y-intercept of the ‘distance vs. time’ model were CV and anaerobic paddling capacity (APC). The training intensity sessions were obtained by the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and the product of daily volume and RPE was the load training. Results The AT and CV were not different in initial tests (6.7 ± 0.2 and 6.8 ± 0.1 km.h −1 ). After program, the AT increased (7.3 ± 0.2 km.h −1 ) without modified CV (6.7 ± 0.0 km.h −1 ). Conclusion The AT protocol detected aerobic capacity increase after 7-weeks of training with small changes in load. Thus, the progressive test seems more appropriate to evaluate the effects of training on slalom kayakers.

Time Course Of Serum Enzyme Activity Changes During Competition In Japanese Competitive Canoe Slalom Paddlers

Time Course Of Serum Enzyme Activity Changes During Competition In Japanese Competitive Canoe Slalom Paddlers

Physiological, psychological and biomechanical parameters applied in canoe slalom training: a review

Canoe slalom is an Olympic sport held in natural and artificial rivers, with peculiar characteristics as compared to other sports. This sport is divided into the subdisciplines of kayak single (K1), canoe single (C1) and canoe double (C2), which also have specific characteristics. As with many other Olympic sports still on the rise, which lack expressive media recognition, few scientific studies have investigated canoe slalom. This information gap minimises possible similarities between theory and practice and advances in the preparation of teams (i.e., coaches, physical trainers and athletes). It is well established that for athletic development, several areas of knowledge must be integrated and applied to the specific nature of the sport, optimising sports training and athletic performance. Accordingly, this review aims to bring together studies on the physiological, psychological and biomechanical parameters, sports strategies and periodisation training applied to canoe slalom, explaining the need for increased knowledge in each of these areas of the practice of this sport.

Sports injuries and illnesses during the London Summer Olympic Games 2012

BackgroundThe Olympic Movement Medical Code encourages all stakeholders to ensure that sport is practised without danger to the health of the athletes. Systematic surveillance of injuries and illnesses is the...

Mark Israney

Abstract What are the odds of an Olympic gold, in football, or archery, or canoe slalom? Julian Champkin meets the man who taps algorithms and the wisdom – and the occasional madness – of crowds.

Delivering London 2012: the Lee Valley White Water Centre

The new Lee Valley White Water Centre is the host venue for the London 2012 Olympic Games canoe and kayak slalom events. The £32 million facility was completed in December 2010, 18 months before the games, and is now open to the public. This paper explains how computational and physical hydraulic modelling validated the design and successfully mitigated design risk. Moveable obstacles were used within a fixed channel geometry to create flow constriction points and fine-tune white-water features, while the addition of a separate channel and highly efficient pumping system helps to minimise energy demand while achieving a world-class white-water course.