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Hip and Shoulder Kinematics During Initial Sled Acceleration in Luging – A Case Study

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Fedotova V., Pilipiv V.

Human Movement

2012

vol. 13

issue 4

344-349

Purpose. The start is treated as one of the most important technical elements in all sliding sports, as it is the only phase when athletes can actively contribute to increasing sled velocity. Nevertheless, start kinematics in luging have seldom been addressed in literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse hip and shoulder movement of lugers during one of the essential start phases - the pull and push-off from the start handles - to further understanding of the velocity development process at its initial stage. Methods. Three experienced female lugers volunteered to take part in the case study. A number of start attempts were filmed and analysed using a motion tracking method. Results. The study found that an athlete and the sled do not move as a whole rigid system, and a hip movement relative to the sled was found to exist. The study participants used two techniques for achieving high sled velocity: by initially pulling on the start handles with a powerful back extension, and sliding the hips forward on the sled in an attempt to increase forward momentum; a combination of both techniques might provide increased performance. Athletes featured two weaknesses in terms of where horizontal sled velocity was lost - at the end of the initial pull on the handles and during the final moment of the push-off from the handles. The latter was previously believed to be another option at gaining increased sled horizontal velocity. Conclusions. As found in the results, athletes have at least two possibilities of increasing horizontal sled velocity. Hip movement relative to the sled appeared to be important for gains in velocity. Additional studies that analyse larger pulls are necessary for understanding the role of hip and sled relative movement in start technique and its impact on increasing initial velocity.

Differences in the Efficiency Between the Grab and Track Starts for Both Genders in Greek Young Swimmers

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Thanopoulos V., Rozi G., Okičić T., Dopsaj M., Jorgić B., Madić D., Veličković S., Milanović Z., Spanou F., Batis E.

Journal of Human Kinetics

2012

vol. 32

43-51

The aim of this study was to determine the differences in the kinematic parameters between the grab and track starts and the differences in these two starts between genders. A total of 27 swimmers at the competitive level participated in the study, 13 boys (mean ± SD: age 15.8 ± 0.8 years, body mass 67.7 ± 7.7 kg and body height 178.6 ± 5.7 cm) and 14 girls (mean ± SD: age 16 ± 0.8 years, body mass 59.2 ± 6.6 kg and body height 166.2 ± 6.7 cm). Each swimmer performed three attempts for both start techniques. The best attempt of the grab start and the track start was taken for further analysis. The following kinematic parameters were analysed: flight distance, flight time, flight velocity, entry angle and reaction time. The males had greater numeric values for the results in all kinematic parameters for the grab start compared with the track start, except for flight velocity and entry angle (flight time 0.42 vs. 0.41 s, flight distance 3.21 vs. 3.14 m, flight velocity 7.76 vs. 7.83 m/s, entry angle 44.22 vs. 43.85 degrees and reaction time 0.86 vs. 0.81 s). The females also had greater numeric values for the results in all kinematic parameters for the grab start compared with the track start, except for flight time (flight time 0.38 vs. 0.38 s, flight distance 2.82 vs. 2.73 m, flight velocity 7.47 vs. 7.31 m/s, entry angle 45.18 vs. 44.79 degrees and reaction time 0.88 vs. 0.82 s). These results indicate that the males had significantly better results for flight time and flight distance compared with the females for the grab start (flight time 0.42 vs. 0.38 s, flight distance 3.21 vs. 2.82 m). In the case of the track start, the males had significantly better results for flight distance (3.14 vs. 2.73 m). Exploring the characteristics of the two starts did not lead to any significant kinematic differences. Therefore, a conclusion that demonstrates the superiority of one of the techniques cannot be reached. The coach, together with each swimmer individually, should devote some time to decide after some tests what type of start is better for the body type and general qualifications of the swimmer.

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1 Human Movement

1 Journal of Human Kinetics

2 2012

1 Batis E.

1 Dopsaj M.

1 Fedotova V.

1 Jorgić B.

1 Madić D.

1 Milanović Z.

1 Okičić T.

1 Pilipiv V.

1 Rozi G.

1 Spanou F.

1 Thanopoulos V.

1 Veličković S.

Search results

Hip and Shoulder Kinematics During Initial Sled Acceleration in Luging – A Case Study

Differences in the Efficiency Between the Grab and Track Starts for Both Genders in Greek Young Swimmers