Abstract

A remaining actual topic covers elite rowers’ tactics and peculiarities of changes in distance pacing speed when the time of the winner crew differs from the time of other crews only in the hundredth parts of second. The ways of purposely arranging the powers along the distance are studied and the main tactics variants that decide the success in competition are analysed. The aim of this article is to analyse the tactics variants and changes in distance pacing speed of the rowers of the Olympic boat classes of 2001-2011 world rowing championships. The object of the study – the tactics variants and changes in distance pacing speed of the rowers of the Olympic boat classes of 2001-2011 world rowing championships. The study included the analysis of previously used tactics variants of nine recent world championships (2001-2003, 2005-2007, 2009-2011). The tactics variants and changes in pacing speed in different parts of distance of six A final Olympic female boat classes (324 crews) and eight A final Olympic male boat classes (431 crews) were analysed. According to the methods of V. Kleshnev (2001, 2011), thirteen tactics variants were developed. Every variant is described in two words: the fastest and the slowest 500 m section of 2000 m distance. For example, tactics variant “1-4” means that the first 500 m section was the fastest one and the final 500 m section was the slowest one. When analysing tactics variants used by the rowers it was determined that the most popular variant in 2001-2009 and 2011 was 1-3. In world championship 2010 male and female rowers in the Olympic boat classes used tactics variants 4-2 and 4-3 which include the fastest final 500 m section. In the analysed period of time the tactics variants that include the fastest second 500 m section or the fastest 500 m section were rare. It was determined that the biggest number of medals were won by the male and female Olympic boat class crews who applied variants with the fastest final 500 m. 79.2 % of male crews that used tactics variant 4-2 and 73.9 % of female crews that used variant 4-3 won medals. There was a trend noticed that the winners relatively faster cover the first 500 m section and those who take the second and third places are tend to cover the final 500 m section faster. The analysis of 2001-2011 world championships revealed that the boat speed becomes more and more even, every year smaller speed changes become characteristic to male and female crews in the first 500 section and in the final 500 m section. Verf.-Referat