Elite Biathletes Research Articles

Effect of Exercise Intensity on Biathlon Standing Shooting Performance and Rifle Movement during Outdoor Roller Skiing.

To investigate the effect of exercise intensity on standing shooting performance and related technical variables in elite biathletes performing roller skiing and live shooting outdoors. Nineteen male biathletes performed two 5-shot series in the following order of exercise intensity: rest, low (%heart rate max 73 ± 4; blood lactate 1.5 ± 0.3 mmol·L-1), moderate (84 ± 3; 2.4 ± 0.6), 'race-pace' (90 ± 2; 4.5 ± 0.8), and 'final-lap' (i.e., near-maximal effort: 93 ± 3; 8.7 ± 1.4). Except for rest, each shooting series was preceded by 1 km roller ski skating on a competition track. Rifle movements and triggering were determined from marker-based motion capture and accelerometer data. The primary variables were shooting outcome (hit/miss) and distance from center (dC), determined from an electronic target, and barrel velocity. Mediation analyses for shooting outcome and dC were conducted with barrel velocity (mean over last 0.25 s before triggering) as mediator and intensity as predictor. Exercise intensity increased the likelihood of miss at 'race' (odds ratio (OR) 2.2, 95% CI 1.0-4.7) and 'final-lap' (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.4-5.8) intensities compared to rest, with no meaningful differences between rest, low, and moderate intensities. Further, intensity affected dC (~32 ± 15 mm at rest, low, and moderate, 36 ± 20 mm at 'race', and 40 ± 23 mm at 'final-lap'; p < 0.001). Barrel velocity was a partial mediator of both shooting outcome and dC, explaining some, but not all, of the effect of intensity. Exercise intensity seems to have a clear negative effect on standing shooting performance in biathlon, which is partially explained by an increase in barrel velocity. Deteriorating effects were mainly seen at the two highest (race-like) intensities. Accordingly, for specificity reasons, more shooting practice should perhaps be performed at higher, competition-like exercise intensities than what is currently the norm.

Ironic processes of concentration and suppression under pressure: A study on rifle shooting in Norwegian elite biathletes.

This study examined how priming attentional and negative cues affected participants' shooting performances toward ironic error targets under cognitive load conditions in Stroop task across two experiments. Semi-elite biathletes (Experiment 1, n = 10; Experiment 2, n = 9) participated in the study. The study used a within-subject quasi-experimental design, particularly a one-way repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance and a 2 × 2 fully repeated measures analysis of variance, to determine the participants' hit rates and shooting response times (RTs). In both experiments, the participants completed the reverse-Stroop-based target shooting performance under low- and high-cognitive load conditions while receiving frequent priming attentional and negative cues. The findings from Experiment 1 suggest that regulating repetitive priming attentional thoughts is efficacious in mitigating the likelihood of ironic performance errors and interference effects. The results of Experiment 2 show that repetitive priming negative cues resulted in negligible ironic error hit rates and slower RTs in target hits under high-cognitive load conditions. The Bayesian analyses provided evidence supporting the null hypotheses. Trying to control repetitive priming attentional and negative thoughts reduces ironic performance errors to a similar degree under cognitive load conditions among biathletes, regardless of interference effects. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of suppressing task-relevant negative instructions in reducing the likelihood of ironic performance errors under pressure.

Effect of cold ambient temperature on heat flux, skin temperature, and thermal sensation at different body parts in elite biathletes.

When exercising in the cold, optimizing thermoregulation is essential to maintain performance. However, no study has investigated thermal parameters with wearable-based measurements in a field setting among elite Nordic skiers. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the thermal response and sensation measured at different body parts during exercise in a cold environment in biathletes. Thirteen Swiss national team biathletes (6 females, 7 males) performed two skiing bouts in the skating technique on two consecutive days (ambient temperature: -3.74 ± 2.32 °C) at 78 ± 4% of maximal heart rate. Heat flux (HF), core (Tcore) and skin (Tskin) temperature were measured with sensors placed on the thigh, back, anterior and lateral thorax. Thermal sensation (TS) was assessed three times for different body parts: in protective winter clothing, in a race suit before (PRE) and after exercise (POST). HF demonstrated differences (p < 0.001) between sensor locations, with the thigh showing the highest heat loss (344 ± 37 kJ/m2), followed by the back (269 ± 6 kJ/m2), the lateral thorax (220 ± 47 kJ/m2), and the anterior thorax (192 ± 37 kJ/m2). Tcore increased (p < 0.001). Tskin decreased for all body parts (p < 0.001). Thigh Tskin decreased more than for other body parts (p < 0.001). From PRE to POST, TS of the hands decreased (p < 0.01). Biathletes skiing in a race suit at moderate intensity experience significant heat loss and a large drop in Tskin, particularly at the quadriceps muscle. To support the optimal functioning of working muscles, body-part dependent differences in the thermal response should be considered for clothing strategy and for race suit design.

The impact of co-acting competitors on shooting performance in elite biathletes

ABSTRACT Grounded in social facilitation theory, this study examined the impact of co-acting competitors (i.e., opponents) on elite biathletes’ shooting performance based on World Cup competition data. To this end, the impact of the number as well as the mean overlapping time with co-acting competitors at the shooting range on both shooting time and shooting accuracy was assessed. Competition data of World Cup races from 2005 to 2020 were analysed. This included 115 mass start and 195 pursuit events of a total of 758 elite biathletes amounting to 57.251 shooting bouts equivalent to a total of 286.255 shots. Data was analysed using a fixed effects model. Results revealed two main findings: First, the more co-acting opponents were present at the shooting range, the shorter (i.e., better) was shooting time. However, more co-acting opponents were also associated with decreased shooting accuracy in mass start, but not in pursuit. Second, a longer temporal overlap with co-acting opponents negatively affected biathletes’ shooting time. There was no effect on shooting accuracy. To conclude, the present study provides first evidence for a link between co-acting competitors and shooting performance in elite biathletes by analysing ecologically valid, real world data.

Biathlon Performance: Heart Rate, Hit Rate, Speed and Physiological Variables

Aim: Biathlon is a sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The athlete is fast in the cross-country skiing section, in the gun shooting section, the heart rate should be low. This study aims to determine the hitting rate of the shots made with different training loads on low altitude in elite biathletes in terms of maximum speed and physiological variables. Methods: To evaluate shooting performances first with the resting pulse and then after 2.5 km skiing respectively with 50%, 70% and 100% pulse rate which is separately calculated for each athlete according to karvonen formula. Results: Our findings show that while there was negative relation between maximum speed and body fat there was a positive relation with lean body mass. It has been determined that low body fat percentage and high lean body mass are effective at the athletes’ maximum speed and the pulse level with the highest target shooting accuracy rate was at rest and 70% in the second level. Conclusion: Since the pulse of the athlete who comes to the shooting area cannot be reduced to a resting level in a short time, focusing the 70% pulse zone may be beneficial in terms of shooting accuracy and acceleration after the shot. The lowest results in target shooting accuracy were seen at 50% and 100% loads. Keywords: Athletes, performance, heart, rate, lean body mass.

Enhanced splenic volume and contraction in elite endurance athletes.

Splenic contraction, which leads to ejection of stored erythrocytes, is greater in athletes involved in regular freediving or high-altitude activities. As this response facilitates oxygen-carrying capacity, similar characteristics may be expected of elite endurance athletes. Therefore, our aims were to compare resting and apnea-induced splenic volume in endurance athletes and untrained individuals, and to assess the athletes' exercise-induced splenic volume. Twelve elite biathletes (7 women) and 12 controls (6 women) performed a maximal effort apnea in a seated position. In addition, the biathletes completed a maximal roller-skiing time trial. Splenic dimensions were measured by ultrasonic imaging for subsequent volume calculations, whereas Hb was analyzed from capillary blood samples and cardiorespiratory variables were monitored continuously. Baseline splenic volume was larger in the biathletes (214 ± 56 mL) compared with controls (157 ± 39 mL, P = 0.008) and apnea-induced splenic contraction was also greater in the biathletes (46 ± 20 mL vs. 30 ± 16 mL, P = 0.035). Hb increased immediately after apnea in the biathletes (4.5 ± 4.8%, P = 0.029) but not in the controls (-0.7 ± 3.1%, P = 0.999). Increases in exercise-induced splenic contraction (P = 0.008) and Hb (P = 0.001) were greater compared with the apnea-induced responses among the athletes. Baseline splenic volume tended to be correlated with V̇o2max (r = 0.584, P = 0.059). We conclude that elite biathletes have greater splenic volume with a greater ability to contract and elevate Hb compared with untrained individuals. These characteristics may transiently enhance O2-carrying capacity and possibly increase O2 uptake, thereby helping biathletes to cope with high intermittent O2 demands and severe O2 deficits that occur during biathlon training and competition.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrates that elite biathletes have larger splenic volume, apnea-induced splenic contraction, and Hb elevation compared with untrained individuals, which is likely functional to cope with high O2 demands and substantial O2 deficits. We believe that enhanced splenic contraction may be of importance during competitions involving cross-country skiing, to regulate circulating Hb and enhance O2-carrying capacity, which may protect [Formula: see text] and increase O2 uptake.

Selection bias in social facilitation theory? Audience effects on elite biathletes' performance are gender-specific

Social facilitation proves robust in conditioning tasks (e.g., running), yet in coordination tasks (e.g., rifle-shooting) some studies report performance deterioration. Recent Biathlon World Cup data offered the unique opportunity to test this task-specificity (conditioning = cross country skiing, coordination = rifle-shooting). Audience restrictions due to COVID-19 allowed to compare athletes' performance in the absence (2020) and presence (season 2018/2019) of an audience. Gender-specific regulations (e.g., course length) necessitated the inclusion of gender as additional factor. Results of 83 (sprint competition) and 34 (mass start competition) biathletes revealed that task-specific social facilitation is moderated by gender: In the presence of an audience male biathletes showed performance improvements in the conditioning task and performance deteriorations in the coordination task; female biathletes showed the reverse pattern. This gender dependency may have gone unnoticed in the past due to sample selection bias (<1/3 female), thereby questioning the generalizability of social facilitation theory.

The impact of physiological fatigue and gaze behavior on shooting performance in expert biathletes

ObjectivesBiathlon is a discipline that combines cross country skiing with rifle shooting. It demands high shooting accuracy and fast shooting times under increasing levels of physiological fatigue. Building on Vickers and Williams (2007), the current study aimed at scrutinizing the impact of physiological fatigue and gaze behavior on shooting performance in elite and sub-elite biathletes. DesignTen members of the German national senior team (elite) and 13 members of the German national junior team (sub-elite) participated in a performance test. They conducted a roller skiing test on a treadmill including four increasing intensity levels followed by shooting blocks of five shots in both prone and standing position. MethodsPhysiological measurements consisted of heart rate and blood lactate, shooting performance data included shooting accuracy and time. Eye movements were assessed, i.e. the duration of the final fixation, using a gun-mounted eye tracking system. ResultsPhysiological fatigue systematically increased across intensity levels. There were no differences between elite and sub-elite biathletes in percentage shooting accuracy. However, elites needed shorter shooting times than sub-elites. Both groups showed increased range times with increased workload levels in prone and standing positions. Yet, there was no effect on shooting accuracy. Finally, analyses of a subset of data did not show any effect of final fixation duration on shooting accuracy. ConclusionsPhysiological fatigue seems to have no impact on shooting accuracy, but rather affects shooting times in expert biathletes. Furthermore, the duration of the final fixation does not seem to moderate shooting accuracy in elite biathletes.

THE STRUCTURE OF A BIATHLON SPRINT COMPETITION

A biathlon sprint competition event consists of a number of segments (variables), i.e. cross country skiing time, range time, so-called time difference (also consisting the time of penalty loops), and shooting performance. In the research part, the study analyzed the interrelations of these variables and their correlations with competitive performance at the Biathlon World Championship sprint competition. Regression analysis showed that total cross country skiing time is the most important determinant of competitive performance (74%). Total shooting performance prone and standing explains for 17%, and total range time accounts for 9% of the criterion variable. Factorial analysis determined five factors which logically complete the competition outcome in a biathlon sprint competition. These factors are: cross country skiing performance, shooting performance in the first lap – prone shooting, shooting time in the second lap, shooting performance in the second lap – standing shooting, shooting time in the first lap. In this sprint competition, cross country skiing time was found to be the determining effect on the overall competitive performance under the assumption of a relatively high shooting performance (at that particular event the average shooting accuracy was 89%). Given the large group of potentially successful competitors and the thinning time gaps between them, the demands for competitive performance are increasing. In sprint competitions, cross country skiing speed has joined high shooting accuracy in the group of factors determining competitive performance, and elite biathletes often win advantage over other competitors by demonstrating very fast and accurate shooting.

Modeling of functional support of sports activities of biathletes of different qualifications

Quantitative assessment of the functional support of sports activities, as a reflection of the systematic approach, allows to identify the features of the body of athletes, to plan the training process and possible deviations in the action of multiple exogenous and endogenous factors. In accordance with the methodology of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the most informative indicators were determined, which determine the success of sports activities. This made it possible to determine the peculiarities of the functioning of the cardiovascular system of elite biathletes, which provides and limits physical performance. As a result of the research, functional models of high-, medium- and low-skilled biathletes have been built that will improve the training process.

Physiological Responses to Rifle Carriage During Roller-Skiing in Elite Biathletes.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the physiological factors affected by rifle carriage during biathlon skiing performance, as well as the sex differences associated with rifle carriage.Methods: Seventeen national- and international-level biathletes (nine females and eight males; age 23.0 ± 3.3 years, O2max 59.4 ± 7.6 mL.kg–1.min–1) performed a submaximal incremental test and a maximal time-trial (TT) using treadmill roller-skiing (gear 3, skating technique) on two occasions separated by at least 48 h. One condition involved carrying the rifle on the back (WR) and the other condition no rifle (NR) and the tests were randomized. Submaximal O2, skiing speed at 4 mmol.L–1 of blood lactate (speed@4mmol), gross efficiency (GE), aerobic (MRae), and anaerobic (MRan) metabolic rates, and O2max were determined.Results: Submaximal O2 (at all intensities) and GE (16.7 ± 0.9 vs. 16.5 ± 1.1%) were higher for WR compared to NR (p < 0.05), while speed@4mmol was lower (3.1 ± 0.4 vs. 3.3 ± 0.5 m.s–1, p = 0.040). TT performance was improved (4.6 ± 0.4 vs. 4.3 ± 0.4 m.s–1, p < 0.001) and MRan was higher (31.3 ± 8.0 vs. 27.5 ± 6.5 kJ.min–1, p < 0.01) for NR compared to WR, with no difference in O2max or MRae. For skiing WR, TT performance was correlated to speed@4mmol (r = 0.81, p < 0.001), MRan (r = 0.65, p < 0.01), O2max (r = 0.51, p < 0.05), and relative muscle (r = 0.67, p < 0.01) and fat (r = −0.67, p < 0.01) masses. Speed@4mmol together with MRan explained more than 80% of the variation in TT performance (WR 84%, NR 81%). Despite a higher relative mass of the rifle in females compared with males (5.6 ± 0.4 vs. 5.0 ± 0.4% of body mass, p = 0.012), there were no sex differences associated with rifle carriage measured as absolute or relative differences.Conclusion: Rifle carriage in biathlon skiing led to significantly higher physiological demands during submaximal exercise and reduced performance during maximal treadmill roller-skiing compared to NR for both sexes. The most important variables for performance in biathlon treadmill skiing seem to be speed@4mmol combined with MRan, both of which were lower for WR compared to NR. To improve skiing performance in biathlon, improving speed at 4 mmol.L–1 of blood lactate and anaerobic energy delivery while carrying the rifle are recommended.

Biathlon Injury and Illness Surveillance project (BIIS): development of biathlon-specific surveillance forms in English, Russian, French and German

ObjectiveThe aim of this project was to adapt the English, French, German and Russian versions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) injury and illness surveillance form to be sport-specific for...

Postural balance and rifle stability in a standing shooting position after specific physical effort in biathletes

ABSTRACTThe aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of maximal specific physical effort on postural balance and rifle stability in biathletes in a standing shooting position. The study included 10 junior elite biathletes. The measurements were taken with the Vicon system and AMTI force platform. Postural balance and rifle stability characteristics were determined at rest as well as 1 and 5 min post maximal specific physical effort which was performed on a ski ergometer and continued until exhaustion. Maximal physical effort exerted a significant effect on all examined postural sway and rifle sway characteristics. The duration of the post-exercise changes was longer than 5 minutes. Higher post-effort rifle sway was observed in the vertical direction than in the across the shooting line direction. Post-effort postural balance impairment in the shooting line was much greater than in the across the shooting line direction. Moreover, a strong correlation was found between postural balance and rifle stability. Maximal physical effort influenced postural balance and rifle stability during aiming. Rifle sway during aiming in a standing shooting position seems to be coordinated with the postural sway of the biathlete’s body. Thus, an increase in postural sway contributes to greater sway and lesser stability of the rifle.

Dynamic rifle stability is not influenced by exercise intensity in young biathletes

The aim of the study was to analyse and find out potential dependence between the dynamic rifle stability during targeting and percentage pressure value on the trigger 1 second and 0.5 second before the shot in different intensities of the physical load. Fifteen national youth and junior elite biathletes (ten women, five men) from a team of the Czech Republic participated in the study. All participants completed measuring of the dynamic behavior of the rifle in rest and after roller skiing in three different exercise intensities: Intensity 1 = 70 % of HRmax (maximum heart rate), average speed 4.1 – 4.6 m·s-1; Intensity 2 = 80 % of HRmax, average speed 4.5 – 5.0 m·s-1; Intensity 3 = 90 % of HRmax, average speed 4.9 – 5.4 m·s-1. Each bout consisted from a distance of one km. They shot in standing position with using their own biathlons rifle with a fixed accelerometer and trigger sensor. The data used in our research showed that the dynamic rifle stability is not influenced by exercise intensity neither in the men nor women group. However, our study demonstrated that the rifle stability is better in time 0.5 second before the shot than in time 1 second before the shot. The measurement of triggering in our study showed that participants are able to work with their fingers on the triggers in similar quality in the racing load as well as without the previous physical load

Comparative Analysis of Female Elite Biathletes’ Sports Results in World Cup Competitions before the World Championship and during the World Championship in the Season of 2010–2011

Research background and hypothesis. Modern training trend for biathletes is the increasing intensity of the training process in competition activities. Competition activities of elite biathletes while preparing for the main competition of the season have received little attention by researchers. Research hypotheses: The number of starts and sports results in the competitions before the main competition of the season for elite biathletes are related to sports results in the main competition of the season. Research aim was to analyse the interaction of biathletes’ sports results and the number of starts, and to establish the relation of this interaction between the results achieved in World Cup competitions and World Biathlon Championship.Research methods. The data have been retrieved from the documents of the International Biathlon Union (IBU): protocols of the World Biathlon Championship of 2011 and World Biathlon Cup competition. We analysed the sports results of female biathletes who took the 1 st –10 th places in the World Biathlon Championship in individual events. Research results. World elite biathletes participated in E.ON and IBU category competitions 16.2 ± 3.74 times before the World Biathlon Championship. The number of starts correlates with the places taken by biathletes in the general account of the World Biathlon Cup before the world championship (r = –0.83). In the individual races in the World Championship, all medals were won by eight skiers, and five of them were among the first ten skiers in the general standing of World Cup competitions before the world championship.Discussion and conclusion. The preparation of elite biathletes for the most important competition of the season – World Biathlon Championship is grounded on the repeated participation in the World Biathlon Cup competitions. Biathletes, taking the 1 st –10 th places in the general account of the World Biathlon Cup, are real applicants for medals in the World Biathlon Championship.Keywords: number of starts, taken places, correlation, sprint, pursuit, mass start, individual start.

The Characteristics of Elite Biathletes Shooting Parameters in the 2013-2014 World Cup and Sochi Olympic Games

The aim of the research was to establish the characteristics of biathletes shooting parameters in the World Cup of 2013-2014 and Sochi Olympic Games. Aiming to achieve this goal athletes from various countries (male, n=88) who had received valid points in Biathlon World Cup were selected. Technical protocols of World Biathlon Cup (2013-2014) and Sochi Olympic Games (2014) as well as detailed shooting protocols were used for the data analysis. To assess shooting data of elite biathletes, parameters of accuracy at readiness in prone and standing positions (%) of season 2013-2014 were analysed; parameters of individual and sprint races shooting cycle (time duration to the first shot (s), time duration between shots (s), time duration between loading the rifle and leaving shooting stand, total shooting time (s)) were established as well as the analysis of inaccurate shoots indices was performed during this research. In total 1310 shootings (655 prone and 655 standing readiness positions) were analysed. The results of the study were processed with SPSS 22.0 for Windows software. The accepted level of significance was p<0,05. After analysing shooting results of the elite biathletes, it was determined that accuracy indices at readiness in prone position at the average reach 85,3±5.94 % (from 63,8 % to 95,8 %) and accuracy indices at readiness in standing position at the average reach 79,1±6,33 (from 62,0 % to 92,5 %). Total athletes’ shooting accuracy reached 82,1±5,03 % (from 67,5 % to 90,9 %).The research revealed that even elite athletes were specific with wide spread of shooting accuracy, especially in shooting at readiness in standing position (V–40,1). Elite biathletes during sprint and individual race shooting at readiness in prone position made their first shot on average in 16,2 s, their second to fifth shots were made in intervals every 2,6–2,8 s. Total time of shooting at readiness in prone position was 30,7±4,12 s. When shooting at readiness in standing position, athletes made their first shot on average in 13,7 s, their second to fifth shots were made in intervals every 2,4–2,5 s. Total time of shooting at readiness in standing position was 25,9±3,12 s. The spread of shooting times is not wide. When assessing the data of individual and sprint races, athletes’ preparation for shooting, and every shot execution, it was estimated that athletes prepared faster and executed the first shot (p<0,001) and other shots when in standing rather than in prone position. During individual race biathletes make their first shot slower and all other four shots faster when shooting in prone position compared to sprint. While shooting in standing position all the shots are made faster in individual race rather than sprint. After studying the data of inaccurate competition shots, it was determined that athletes, when shooting at readiness in prone position, executed more inaccurate shots to the first target (p<0,05), compared to next shots, while shooting at readiness in standing position, executed more inaccurate shots to the fifth, i.e., the last, target (p<0,05). The shooting accuracy of Lithuanian Olympic Team members T.K. is very similar and has no significant statistical differences compared to the average accuracy of elite athletes during the World Cup of 2013-2014 and Sochi Olympic Games. T.K. accuracy at readiness in prone position was 90,1 % while accuracy at readiness in standing position was 70,3%. Total accuracy of T.K. shooting on average was 81,5 %. However the time of shooting in prone position of T.K. is faster (p<0,05) and the time of shooting in standing position has no such statistical importance. Average time of shooting at the readiness in prone position was 27,8 s, while in standing position – 27,7 s. Keywords: biathlon, shooting accuracy, shooting time. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/sm.2015.15

Effect of carrying a rifle on physiology and biomechanical responses in biathletes.

This study aimed to assess the effect of carrying a rifle on the physiological and biomechanical responses of well-trained biathletes. Ten elite biathletes (five men and five women) performed ski skating with (R) or without a rifle (NR) on a treadmill using the V2 (5° incline) and V1 techniques (8°) at 8 and 6 km·h(-1), respectively, as well as at racing intensity (approximately 95% of peak oxygen uptake (V˙O2peak), 10.7 ± 0.8 and 7.7 ± 0.9 km·h(-1), respectively). V˙O2, ventilation (V˙(E)), HR, blood lactate concentration (BLa), and cycle characteristics as well as pole and leg kinetics were evaluated during these trials. Metabolic data were all higher for R than for NR, as follows: V˙O2, +2.5%; V˙(E), +8.1%; RER, +4.2%; all P < 0.001; HR, +1.7%; and BLa, +15.1%; both P < 0.05. Biomechanically, carrying a rifle reduced cycle time and length, poling and arm swing times, and leg ground contact time and increased cycle rate, the peak and impulse of leg force, average cycle force, and impulse of forefoot force (all P < 0.05). With the exception of elevated pole forces when V2 skating at racing velocity, there were no differences between the peak and impulse of pole force. The difference in V˙(E) between R and NR was greater for the women than that for men (P < 0.05), and the difference in BLa also tended to be larger for the women (P < 0.1). Carrying a rifle elevated physiological responses, accelerated cycle rate, and involved greater leg work, with no differences between the V1 and V2 techniques.

Vývoj úspěšnosti střelby elitních biatlonistů

The aim of this study was evaluated the progress of shooting efficiency of elite biathletes fifteen years ago. Shooting efficiency was computed as a proportion of hit targets and number of fired cartridges during all races of World Cup. Values of shooting efficiency in each season were averaged and compared together. It was not able to characterize the shooting efficiency of men by any trend which can describe progress of shooting efficiency. In women category it was recorded progress of shooting efficiency apart from three last seasons. Most of medalists achieved the values of shooting efficiency about 84 – 85. Some biathletes can win with lower shooting efficiency cause of excellent cross country skiing performance. In the average the best three biathlete’s women extend to higher shooting efficiency than the best three biathletes. Shooting and physical performance of average ten elite men is more equaled than by women, probably it is the reason why biathletes have to shorten shooting velocity. Finally it can lead to decrease of shooting efficiency.

Physical exercise speeds up motor timing

This study aimed to examine effect of physical exercise on motor timing: personal, maximum and “once per second” tapping. The acute effect was examined by comparing the baseline tapping with that after acute exercise in 9 amateur athletes, 8 elite synchronous swimmers and 9 elite biathletes. Then the baseline tapping was compared among athletes of different sports and professional levels (15 elite biathletes, 27 elite cross-country skiers, 15 elite synchronous swimmers and 9 amateur wrestlers) with a control group (44 non-athletes) not involved in regular exercise to examine the sport-specific or long-term effects. Maximum and “once per second” tapping speed increased after acute physical exercise and were also faster in elite athletes compared to controls during the baseline condition. However, personal tapping tempo was not affected by exercise. In addition, physical exercise had no effects on the variability of the intertap interval. The accuracy of “once per second” tapping differentiates controls and amateur wrestlers from elite synchronous swimmers and skiers suggesting sport-specific adaptations to play a role. It is concluded that acute physical exercise selectively speeds up motor timing but does not affect its variability and accuracy, and this speeding-up is suggested to transfer into a long-term effect in elite athletes.

A comparison of mechanical parameters between the counter movement jump and drop jump in Biathletes

The main objective of the study was to determine to what degree higher muscular activity, achieved by increased load in the extension phase (eccentric muscle action) of the vertical jump, affects the efficiency of the vertical jump. Sixteen elite biathletes participated in this investigation. The biathletes performed tests that consisted of five, single “maximal” vertical jumps (counter movement jump – CMJ) and five, single vertical jumps, in which the task was to touch a bar placed over the jumping biathletes (specific task counter movement jump – SCMJ). Then, they performed five, single drop jumps from an elevation of 0.4m (DJ). Ground reaction forces were registered using the KISTLER 9182C force platform. MVJ software was used for signal processing (Król, 1999) and enabling calculations for kinematic and kinetic parameters of the subject’s jump movements (on-line system). The results indicate that only height of the jump (h) and mean power (Pmean) during the takeoff are statistically significant. Both h and Pmean are higher in the DJ. The results of this study may indicate that elite biathletes are well adapted to eccentric work of the lower limbs, thus reaching greater values of power during the drop jump. These neuromuscular adaptive changes may allow for a more dynamic and efficient running technique.