FATIGUE AND THE DIAGONAL STRIDE IN CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

Abstract

Within the last decade, cross-country skiing has distinguished itself as a popular recreational pastime, method of aerobic conditioning and lifetime sport. The increased participation o f individuals of all ages at a variety of skill levels, has generated interest in cross-country technique. However, a review of the literature reveals a limited amount of cross-country ski technique research, the majority of which was conducted with highly skilled male and female cross-country ski racers. Since the findings and conclusions reported from these studies cannot be assumed to be applicable to a less skilled, high school age skier, there existed a need for a study of this age group. Thus, this research was designed to determine the effects of fatigue on the biomechanical characteristics of the diagonal stride technique demonstrated by male, high school age skiers.