Abstract

Slalom in alpine skiing is a complex sport. It is possible to observe some specialization among competitors specific to course settings, slopes, etc. It was expected that different slalom courses would be related to different movement strategies (e.g., vertical jumps). This would reveal specific motor structures that might favor success in specific slalom courses and therefore, could be used for conditioning and technical training. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between different slalom courses and typical movement strategies assessed with vertical jumps. Nine alpine skiers (age 21,6 + 4,3 yrs, body height 182,1 + 7,2 cm, body mass 81,4 + 8,0 kg) volunteered for the study. The subjects performed two types of actions: first, they skied four different courses in the morning, and afterwards performed vertical jumps on a force platform. The vertical jumps included the squat jump (SJ), the countermovement jump (CMJ), and the drop jump from form 25 (DJ25) and 45 cm (DJ45) high platforms. All jumps were performed with the hands fixed on the hips. Ground reaction force during vertical jumps was measured. Force-time curve was analyzed for jumping height (H_jump), duration of decelerating (T1 Jump) and accelerating phases (T2 jump) of CMJ and DJs, mean acceleration during T1 Jump (A1 Jump) and during T2_jump (A2_jump). Notation _jump corresponds to SJ, CMJ, DJ25 and DJ45, respectively. A1 and A2 in SJ corresponded to the first and the second half of the take-off phase. For SJ and CMJ, mean acceleration during the first 100 m after the force-time curve increased over the body weight (SP jump) was calculated, as well. Four different ski courses were set and each was skied twice. Shorter time of both attempts was used for statistical analysis. Additionally, courses time, were normalized to average time of all four courses. The main results of the study are presented in this paper. Aus dem Text geändert