EFFECTS OF SIX WEEKS OF TRAINING ON INTERSEGMENTAL COORDINATION IN THE ROWING STROKE OF NOVICE INTERCOLLEGIATE ROWERS

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine changes in coordination during the rowing stroke after 1 and 6 weeks of practice. Initially 11 healthy, females who had elected to join a college rowing program volunteered to participate in both testing sessions: Only 3 participants were still on the novice team at wk 6, thus N=3. Participants were video taped on a land ergometer in 2D using the Peak Motion Measurement System. SPC was assessed between adjacent 2-segment combinations of the T-S (trunk-shoulder), K-T (knee-trunk), and S-E (shoulder-elbow) to quantify intersegmental coordination. Mean changes in T-S (78.7% v 74.6 %), K-T (66.5% v 102.9%) and S-E (88.2% v 71.3%) showed that the rowing stroke is primarily a simultaneous pattern. However. individual SPC (shared positive contribution) changes varied indicating that 6 wks is not a long enough for coordination to develop in novice rowers.