THE EFFECTS OF STROKE RATE ON BIOMECHNICAL PARAMETERS AND EFFICIENCY OF ROWING

Abstract

INTRODUCTION The purpose of the study was to determine how biomechanical parameters and mechanical efficiency of rowing depend on stroke rate. This problem was studied by Martin and Bernfield in 1980/ I / but it was not fully solved because of limited number of experimental data. There was used the computerized rowing simulator "IGL-In 121, which provide the maximum similarity to real boatrowing motions. A group of elite oarsmen(n = 27, 1,94M,07 cm, 92,7+8,9 kg,23,0+3,8 yr., X+SD) performed three test trials on "IGL-1". The duration of each trial was one minute. The athletes were instructed to maintain the training stroke rate in the first trial, racing rate in the second one and submaximal rate in the third one. The nieasured data were processed using developed algorithm and patterns of primary and derivative mechanical parameters were produced. The patterns and its quantitative criteria were used for stroke rate effect determination. RESULTS An average stroke rate was 26.023.2,32.0Q.4 and 36.5f2.7 strokes per minute in each trial respectively. There was determined a very strong relationship between stroke rate and rowing rhythm that we define as part time of drive phase time in total cycle time. The correlation factor was ~ 0 . 8 5(p <0.001),and regression equation was y=0.84x+25.1. There were also determined correlations between the stroke rate and following criteria: handle force per body weight (r=0.62, pc0.001,y=0.16x+4.59), part time of peak handle force achieving (~0.41, pc0.01,y=0.35x+13.9), handle velocity (r=0.73,p<0.001, y=0.77x+15.5), trunk velocity(r=0.69, p<0.001, y=0.67x+I 1.7) and arms velocity (r=0.82, p<0.001, y=0.97x+I 3.3).calculated boat velocity (r=0.79, p<0.001,y=0.06~+1,82), boat velocity fluctuation(r=-0.58, p