Force-Velocity Profile of Competitive Kayakers: Evaluation of a Novel Single Kayak Stroke Test

Abstract

The assessment of the force-velocity (F-V) profile in athletes may have important applications for training prescription, injury management, and fatigue monitoring. This study aimed to assess whether a novel single kayak stroke test (SKST) is able to provide the F-V relationship variables (maximum force, maximum velocity and maximum power) of competitive kayakers with acceptable reliability and external validity. Six female (age: 20.3 ± 3.7 years) and eight male (age: 20.8 ± 2.4 years) elite kayakers performed the SKST, bench press, bench pull, and short Wingate kayak test. The individual F-V relationships were highly linear [median r (range): left stroke = 0.986 (0.897 - 0.998); right stroke = 0.987 (0.971 - 0.999)]. The reliability of the F-V relationship parameters obtained during the SKST was high (within-session: CV ≤ 4.48% and ICC ≥ 0.93; between-session: CV ≤ 8.06% and ICC ≥ 0.65). The validity of the F-V relationship parameters obtained during the SKST was generally very high for maximum power (r range = 0.825 - 0.975), high for maximum force during both the bench press and the bench pull (r range = 0.751 - 0.831), and high or moderate for maximal velocity during the bench pull (r = 0.770 - 0.829) and the bench press (r = 0.355 - 0.471), respectively. The SKST can be considered a feasible procedure for testing the maximal upper-body muscle mechanical capacities of kayakers.

Specificity of weightlifting bench exercises in kayaking sprint performance: A perspective for neuromuscular training

“…Conversely, only the PBP maximum power is significantly correlated with the maximum kayak velocity performance (r = 0.80; p < 0.01) (Figure 1) and the related stroke frequency (r = 0.61; p < 0.05) (Table 2). Probably, the differences found between this study and the previous ones (Lum and Aziz, 2020;Petrović et al, 2021) could be due to the different dry-land test protocols performed (dynamic Vs. isometric) and kayak test performance (50 m sprint flatwater kayak Vs. kayak ergometer). On the contrary, the data obtained from the BP exercise show a poor correlation (Figure 2; Table 2) not only between 1RM but also with the P max and the kinematic parameters of the KST analyzed, showing the scant specificity with the biomechanical parameters and the muscular kinetic chains involved during the paddle stroke.…”

“…Several studies have verified a positive correlation between strength profile and kayak performance, using isometric strength tests performed in BP and PBP and kayak ergometer performance (Lum and Aziz, 2020;Petrović et al, 2021). Nevertheless, these studies have not considered other relevant dynamic and kinematic parameters involved in both bench lift exercises and flatwater kayak performances; in contrast to the studies mentioned above, our findings have shown a poor correlation, for each bench lift exercise, between the maximum dynamic strength (1RM) and the maximum kayak velocity (Table 2).…”

Association of Anthropometrics and Body Composition with Maximal and Relative Force and Power of Kayak Stroke in Competitive Kayak Athletes

“…The sample consisted of 21 male kayakers: 7 sprint specialists and 14 long-distance specialists (age = 21.4 ± 3.14 years [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]; body height = 180.78 ± 6.26 cm; and body mass [BM] = 80.08 ± 7.11 kg). All participants were active competitors at either national ( n = 12) or international level ( n = 9, e.g., Serbian national team), with a minimum competing history of 5 years and a training frequency of a minimum of four times per week (4–12).…”

“…This is partially due to difficulty in assessing isolated stroke performance. For this reason, Petrović et al [ 17 , 18 ] recently developed a kayak stroke test sensitive enough to detect differences between competitors in different disciplines. This test is conducted on a custom-made railing system, which, after a kayaker performs the kayak stroke, rolls forward until the rolling stops.…”

Contribution of Trunk Rotation and Abdominal Muscles to Sprint Kayak Performance

“…Sprint kayaking success is determined by average velocity over a given distance and has been investigated from a variety of approaches ( Li, 2017 ). Predominantly, biomechanical assessment has been conducted using kinematics ( Baker et al, 1999 ; Kendal and Sanders, 1992 ; Lopez Lopez and Ribas Serna, 2011 ; Sanders and Kendal, 1992 ) and kinetics ( Aitken and Neal, 1992 ; Gomes et al, 2015 ; Mononen et al, 1995 ; Mononen and Viitasalo, 1995 ; Petrovic et al, 2021 ; OnariciGüngöret al, 2023), with attention of the research centring on the upper limbs and the paddle. Focus upon force production and the motion of the paddle, resulting from occlusion of the lower limbs by the kayak shell and the significant association between the magnitude of paddle force and average velocity ( Mononen et al, 1995 ; Mononen and Viitasalo, 1995 ),means the contribution of the legs and the trunk is less well understood.…”