Investigating the determinants of sprint kayaking performance

Abstract

The over-arching focus of this doctoral research was to investigate the determinants of sprint kayaking performance through a biomechanical lens. Research aims were created using a deterministic model based on the literature. The model influenced the dissertation’s original goal of developing an integrated system to measure body, boat, and paddle kinematics, as well as the kinetics acting on the overall athlete paddle boat system during on water paddling. Due to sub par validation results of two integral pieces of equipment (i.e., an inertial measurement system for measuring body kinematics and a wireless instrumented paddle for measuring force and power output) this goal was not able to be achieved. However, three important, related studies were conducted to fill gaps in the sprint kayaking literature. The first study investigated the pacing strategies used by elite sprint kayakers during international races. The results showed pacing strategies differ due to race distance, and that medallists used different strategies than non medallists (i.e., bottom three finishers). The second study established the role of stroke parameters (i.e., stroke rate (SR) and stroke length (SL)) as determinants of sprint kayak performance and investigated how SR and SL were correlated with kayak speed at different phases of the race. While the first study showed the importance of an end spurt in longer distance races, the second study showed how athletes create this end spurt, which was by increasing SR. The third study established the relationship between boat kinematics in six degrees of freedom and kayak speed during the two phases of the stroke cycle. A stepwise regression analysis indicated pitch, roll, yaw, vertical acceleration, and lateral acceleration impulses were related to kayak speed, with different effects depending on their timing within the stroke cycle. The third study’s results were based on existing theories surrounding hydrodynamic drag. Overall, the results of this doctoral research adds to the performance knowledge in the sprint kayak and sports biomechanics literature. As new technology is developed, researchers should continue to investigate the effects of resistive forces on kayak performance, as currently, more knowledge exists on propulsive forces.