To investigate differences in shooting performance and performance related factors between the HOLD and the TIMING strategy in biathlon standing shooting. Both groups demonstrated similar shooting performance both at REST and in RACE. In HOLD, better shooting performance was related to higher holding time (HT) REST r=-0.88, p=0.001 RACE r=-0.73, p=0.016 higher aiming accuracy (COG) REST r=0.93, p<0.001 RACE r=0.72, p=0.018 (Figure 3). In TIMING, better shooting performance was related to lower mean velocity (MV) REST r=0.77, p=0.009 RACE r=0.88, p=0.001 lower absolute triggering value (ATV) REST r=0.82, p=0.003 RACE r=0.72, p=0.012 (Figure 3).

This study evaluated two approaches for estimating the total propulsive force on a skier’s center of mass (COM) with double-poling (DP) and V2-skating (V2) skiing techniques. We also assessed the accuracy and the stability of each approach by changing the speed and the incline of the treadmill. A total of 10 cross-country skiers participated in this study. Force measurement bindings, pole force sensors, and an eight-camera Vicon system were used for data collection. The coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC) was calculated to evaluate the similarity between the force curves. Mean absolute force differences between the estimated values and the reference value were computed to evaluate the accuracy of each approach. In both DP and V2 techniques, the force–time curves of the forward component of the translational force were similar to the reference value (CMC: 0.832–0.936). The similarity between the force and time curves of the forward component of the ground reaction force (GRF) and the reference value was, however, greater (CMC: 0.879–0.955). Both approaches can estimate the trend of the force–time curve of the propulsive force properly. An approach by calculating the forward component of GRF is a more appropriate method due to a better accuracy.

This study investigated the most important factors determining biathlon prone shooting performance. Ten female and 16 male biathletes (age 19.9 ± 2.9 years) from the national teams of Finland and Vuokatti‐Ruka Sports Academy performed 6 × 5 biathlon prone shooting shots without physical stress under laboratory conditions. Shooting performance and multiple aiming point trajectory variables were measured together with an analysis of triggering force. Based on the aiming point trajectory data principal component analysis, we identified four technical components in biathlon prone shooting: stability of hold, aiming accuracy, cleanness of triggering, and timing of triggering. Multiple regression analysis (MRA) further determined that cleanness of triggering, aiming accuracy, and timing of triggering accounted for 80% of mean shooting performance (p < 0.001). Better stability of hold, aiming accuracy and cleanness of triggering were directly associated with better shooting performance (0.62 ≤ |r| ≥0.79, all p < 0.001). Better stability of hold measures were also associated with better cleanness of triggering, and higher pre‐shot trigger force levels were associated with better stability of hold and cleanness of triggering. These results indicate that with both direct and indirect effects on performance, stability of hold seems to be a general prerequisite for successful biathlon shooting. The results also highlight the importance of aiming accuracy, cleanness and timing of triggering, along with a high pre‐shot trigger force level. The variables identified in this study could be used to assess biathletes’ performance in the most relevant shooting technical aspects to guide the emphasis of their shooting training.

Several methods could be used to measure the forces from skis or roller skis in cross-country skiing. Equipment that could measure medio-lateral forces may be of good help for investigating the relevant skating techniques. The aim of this study was to validate a pair of newly designed two-dimensional force measurement roller skis. The vertical and medio-lateral forces which were perpendicular to the body of the roller ski could be measured. Forces were resolved into the global coordinate system and compared with the force components measured by a force plate. A static and dynamic loading situation for the force measurement roller ski was performed to reveal the validity of the system. To demonstrate whether the force measurement roller ski would affect roller skiing performance on a treadmill, a maximum speed test with the V2 technique was performed by using both normal and force measurement roller skis. The force-time curves obtained by these two different force measurement systems were shown to have high similarity (coefficient of multiple correlations > 0.940). The absolute difference for the forces in the X and Z directions over one push-off cycle was 3.9–33.3 N. The extra weight (333 g) of the force measurement roller ski did not affect the performance of the skiers. Overall, the newly designed two-dimensional force measurement roller ski in this study is valid for use in future research during daily training for skate skiing techniques.

Study aim: As studies from shooting disciplines other than biathlon have observed associations between weapon accelerations and shooting performance, this study investigated whether accelerations of the rifle stock and aiming point (the point on the target where the rifle is aimed at) are associated with shooting performance, and differences in rifle and aiming point accelerations between the most and least accurate shots. Further, associations between rifle and aiming point accelerations were studied. Materials and methods: Shooting performance (HitDist, hit point distance from the center of the target) along with rifle and aiming point accelerations were measured from nine biathletes who performed 6×5 biathlon prone and standing shots. Results: In the prone posture, rifle or aiming point accelerations were neither associated with shooting performance nor with each other. In the standing posture, vertical rifle accelerations right before triggering were negatively associated with HitDist (r = –0.70, p < 0.05), whereas aiming point accelerations were not associated with HitDist. Horizontal rifle accelerations were positively associated with aiming point accelerations in standing (r = 0.74, p = 0.024), whereas vertical or resultant rifle accelerations did not demonstrate associations with aiming point accelerations. In both postures, rifle accelerations were of the same magnitude in the most and least accurate shots. Conclusion: Rifle and aiming point accelerations provide limited description of the technical level in biathlon shooting. Moreover, rifle accelerations alone do not appear to provide sufficient information to deduce the aiming point movements. Angular movement would likely be required for aiming point movement estimation.