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Level of kayakers’ skills influence their boat acceleration time series

Das Niveau der Fähigkeiten der Kajakfahrer beeinflusst die Zeitreihe der Bootsbeschleunigung

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Abstract

Paddler ability in kayaking is reflected through boat motion. Through the application of accelerometers, an easy to use and readily available assessment tool, the current study attempts to determine whether skill level can be ascertained through such measures in order to better assess performance and training. In all, 79 male canoe sprint kayakers participated in this study and paddled a 200 m straight course. According to the time they finished the course, they were divided into three skill level groups and labelled as slow, moderate, and fast speed. Tri-axial boat acceleration data were recorded using an accelerometer system mounted on the back of the kayak. The maximum and standard deviation of boat acceleration along superoinferior, mediolateral, and anteroposterior axes were compared among the three groups. Mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) test revealed that maximum and standard deviation of acceleration data along the superoinferior axis were significantly greater in the fast speed group than in the moderate and slow ones, and higher in the moderate group than in slow one. These findings suggest that the kayaker’s body movements will eventually be reflected in the boat’s total acceleration, which could be a measure of overall performance. Given that accelerometers are a small, portable, and easy-to-use devices, and that the results of this study also revealed that boat acceleration differs between different skill groups, it appears that studying acceleration time series in real competition and outside of laboratory environments could open a new window into kayak research.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Iranian National Canoe Sprint Coaches and Kayak team members. We also gratefully acknowledge the support of the Iranian Canoeing, Rowing and Sailing Federation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Iran Canoe, Rowing and Sailing Federation, Tehran, Iran

    Erfan Karami M.Sc.

  2. Biomechanics Laboratory, Rehabilitation Research Center and Department of Basic Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Ali Sanjari

  3. Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box. 14115-331, Tehran, Iran

    Sahar Boozari Ph.D.

  4. Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Alborz, Iran

    Amir Sarshin Ph.D.

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  1. Erfan Karami M.Sc.
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  2. Mohammad Ali Sanjari
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  3. Sahar Boozari Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Mohammad Ali Sanjari.

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E. Karami, M.A. Sanjari, S. Boozari and A. Sarshin declare that they have no competing interests.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants or on human tissue were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1975 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. All participants signed an informed consent form approved by the Islamic Azad University ethics committee before participating in this study.

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Karami, E., Sanjari, M.A., Boozari, S. et al. Level of kayakers’ skills influence their boat acceleration time series. Ger J Exerc Sport Res 53, 309–314 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-022-00864-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-022-00864-5

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