The Relationship between Increasing Middle Range Length and Kayak Performance

Tomohiro Nomura, Takeshi Tsuruga

kayaking, Three-dimensional action analysis, Stroke, Evaluation index.

Various biomechanical studies have been conducted to improve performance in canoe sprint kayaking. These studies showed that the middle, the phase in which the paddle generates the most propulsive force, and height of the stroke are important, but these indices have been analyzed in elite athletes, and whether they are beginner or intermediate athletes is unclear. In this study, we defined a new phase, the middle range, and proposed the stroke-middle ratio, which is calculated using the middle range, as a new index. To confirm the usefulness of this index, we measured 3D kayak paddling movements of beginner, intermediate, and advanced kayakers and calculated and compared their stroke rate and stroke-middle ratio. The results showed that there was a strong correlation (r=0.96) between kayaking performance and stroke-middle ratio, suggesting that the stroke-middle ratio and stroke rate can be used to evaluate performance in the field of instruction, including those in beginner and intermediate kayakers. The results suggest that the use of the stroke-middle ratio and stroke rate can be used to better evaluate performance in the field of instruction, including those in beginner and intermediate students.

https://doi.org/10.31871/IJNTR.8.2.8