Abstract

Recently, a new type of paddle, the wing paddle has been credited with improving the performance of elite Olympic flatwater kayak paddlers. This study was designed to compare technique across a range of abilities to determine factors which are associated with skilled performance using the wing paddle and to describe the path of the paddle. Five kayak paddlers ranging in ability from novice to elite were each filmed at 100 frames per second from the lateral and frontal aspects while paddling at maximum speed. Among the variables determined from the digitised film record were boat velocity, stroke length, stroke frequency, and the path of the blade of the paddle. It was found that stroke frequency was associated with kayak velocity. The increase in stroke frequency with increasing performance was achieved by reducing both pull time (the time the paddle was in the water) and glide time (the time the paddle was out of the water). Differences in the path of the paddle were also apparent across the range of paddling abilities. Verf.-Referat