Physiology and biomechanics researches of the special preparedness and contention activity of highly skilled kayakers
Authors: Kolumbet Alexandr , Klymenko Ganna , Yeltsov Denis 
Published: March 2024

Purpose — development of methodology for individual evaluating special fitness and competitive activity of highly skilled kayakers.

The rationality of the rower’s movement structure is largely determined by the character of work and interaction of the posterior and anterior bundles of the deltoid muscle, which perform the rower’s arm movements during applying both “pulling” and “pushing” efforts. The following causes of individual rowing technique errors significantly affecting sports result were identified: general muscle rigidity, lack of sufficiently complete and timely muscle relaxation; untimely involvement of muscles in work (appearance of mutual activity zones of antagonist muscles); late start of muscle activity (inertial moments of movement of rower's body biolinks are not provided before water entrapment); protracted, too long muscle activity (movement is performed entirely at the expense of muscular activity, without the use of inertial and propelling forces); low speed of muscle engagement in work leading, as a rule, to the “drop” of efforts on the oar. Two groups of athletes with diametrically opposite levels of physical capacity development and one group, which was characterized by their uniform development, were distinguished. The first group was distinguished by the high indices of power and efficiency of the work performed while covering the competitive distance. Such athletes showed higher sports results on short distances. The second group was distinguished by high indices of the efficiency of applying efforts, symmetry of movements, and successful performances on long competitive distances. Such rowers were classified as athletes with predominant development of special endurance quality. The rowers of the third group differed in the average values of the above mentioned indices and demonstrated equal success on both short and long competitive distances. Athletes with preferential development of speed-strength qualities and rowers with an advantageous development of special endurance have no significant difference in speed of covering 500 m distance and heart rate. However, there are significant differences in other indices of special fitness. Rowers with even development of physical qualities have differences in all recorded indices compared to those of the first two groups.

The individual peculiarities of rowers’ movement coordination during covering a competitive distance of 500 m were determined. All rowers are divided into two groups. The first group is characterized by rational coordination of movements at the beginning of the distance covering and pronounced disturbances in the work dynamics of the muscles of the body turn and the nature of effort applied to the oar at the end of the distance. In the second group, we encounter the opposite phenomenon: with an irrational movement structure at the beginning of the distance, there is a transition of work to a more correct character at the end of its covering. The most preferable option for increasing the efficiency of athletes’ technical preparation is the use of the methodology for designing generalized and individual models of motor action structure. Preparation of rowers with account for their predisposition to the formation of the most important components of sportsmanship is the most preferable option. When drawing up individual plans for the preparation of athletes, the coaches should take into account these practical recommendations and adhere to the recommended directions of training. Repeated examinations (four months later) revealed the effectiveness of managing the process of technical preparation of kayakers based on the correction of intermuscular coordination.