Identifying Key Performance Indicators in Elite Kayak Paddlers Using the E-kayak System
Author
Nielsen, Mia Schmidt
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2023
Abstract
Dette eksplorative studie undersøgte, hvilke faktorer der hænger sammen med præstation i sprintkajak over 500 m hos 14 mandlige eliteroere. De undersøgte variabler blev inddelt i tre kategorier: on‑water‑målinger, kropssammensætning og styrke. On‑water‑målingerne blev udført med e‑kayak‑systemet, som samtidig registrerer kræfter i pagaj og ben (kinetik) samt bevægelse (kinematik), herunder tagfrekvens, forskydning, hastighed, acceleration og vinkelhastighed. Kropssammensætningen blev målt med Dual‑Energy X‑ray absorptiometri (DXA), en røntgenscanning der estimerer fedtfri masse og fedtmasse. Styrke blev vurderet som one‑repetition maximum (1RM) i fire øvelser: bænkpres (BP), bench pull (BPU), pull‑up (PU) og en kajakspecifik enkeltarmsmaskine (SAM). Der blev fundet en signifikant negativ sammenhæng mellem racetid og fedtfri masse (r = −0,60; p = 0,03), hvilket betyder, at roere med mere fedtfri masse generelt roede hurtigere. On‑water‑data viste, at gennemsnitskraft, spidskraft og to impuls‑mål var stærkt indbyrdes korrelerede (multikollinearitet). Styrken målt i SAM korrelerede med styrken i BP, BPU og PU. Den stærkeste sammenhæng blandt styrkevariablerne med racetid var mellem SAM og racetid (r = −0,27; p = 0,38), men denne var lille og ikke statistisk signifikant. Samlet peger resultaterne på, at roerens fedtfri masse er en vigtig præstationsindikator på 500 m blandt eliteroere. Mønstret kan desuden antyde, at en kajakspecifik øvelse som SAM er mere relateret til 500 m‑præstation end generelle overkropsløft, men dette kræver yderligere bekræftelse.
This exploratory study examined which factors relate to 500 m sprint kayak performance in 14 male elite paddlers. The variables were grouped into three categories: on‑water measures, body composition, and strength. On‑water performance was assessed with the e‑kayak system, which simultaneously captures paddle and leg forces (kinetics) and movement (kinematics), including stroke rate, displacement, speed, acceleration, and angular velocity. Body composition was measured with Dual‑Energy X‑ray Absorptiometry (DXA), a scan that estimates lean and fat mass. Strength was evaluated as one‑repetition maximum (1RM) in four exercises: bench press (BP), bench pull (BPU), pull‑up (PU), and a kayak‑specific single‑arm machine (SAM). There was a significant negative association between race time and lean body mass (r = −0.60; p = 0.03), indicating that paddlers with more lean mass generally finished faster. On‑water data showed strong interrelationships (multicollinearity) among mean force, peak force, and two impulse measures. Strength on the SAM correlated with strength in BP, BPU, and PU. Among the strength tests, the strongest association with race time was for SAM (r = −0.27; p = 0.38), though this link was small and not statistically significant. Overall, the findings suggest that lean body mass is an important performance indicator for elite paddlers over 500 m. The pattern also indicates that a kayak‑specific exercise such as SAM may be more closely related to 500 m performance than general upper‑body lifts, but this needs further confirmation.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Documents