Slalom Water Skiing; Sport-Specific Conditioning; Prehabilitation; Tandem Stance; Balance

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Slalom Water Skiing; Sport-Specific Conditioning; Prehabilitation; Tandem Stance; Balance © National Strength and Conditioning Association Volume 29,Number 4,pages 42–54 Keywords: slalom water skiing; sport-specific conditioning; prehabilitation; tandem stance; balance Slalom Water Skiing: Physiological Considerations and Specific Conditioning Nicole M.Mullins,PhD,CSCS Youngstown State University,Youngstown,Ohio Slalom water ski courses comprise 6 fixed run in match-play format, in which one buoys, 3 positioned 11.5 m (37.7 ft) to the skier must simply outperform another in s u m m a r y right of a centerline and 3 to the left (see head-to-head fashion. This article discusses the unique Figure 1) (41). Two additional rows of biomechanical and metabolic buoys, 2.1 m (6.9 ft) apart, sandwich the Rope lengths range from 18.3 m (60 ft) for demands of slalom water skiing, as centerline and delineate the path through novices to almost half that for world-class well as important considerations which the boat must travel. Skiers enter skiers. The current world records for men for sport-specific training and the course through a pair of buoys and women have been set at rope lengths prehabilitation. constituting the entrance gate, maneuver of 9.75 m (32 ft) and 10.25 m (33.6 ft), their skis around the outsides of all 6 turn respectively (40). Note that merely to buoys, and exit the course through a final reach the turn buoys using these rope Introduction pair of exit buoys. In competition, athletes lengths, the body must be almost ski in rotation and, if they complete a completely extended and that shorter To the spectator, elite-level slalom water successful pass, advance to successive individuals may never be able to beat these skiing may look like an effortless aquatic rounds. With each new round, the records, regardless of skill. joyride. For the skier, however, a towrope is shortened, increasing the successful pass through a slalom course difficulty of rounding the buoys. As rope To add still more to the challenge, boat requires an intricate blend of technique, lengths shorten, both the skiers’ paths speeds increase with skier ability, ranging timing, strength, muscular coordination, behind the boat and their lean toward the from 26–28 mph (42–45 kph) for and dynamic balance. This article will water’s surface must become more novices, to 34–36 mph (55–58 kph) for review the unique biomechanical and angular, intensifying the challenges to experts, with skiers actually accelerating physiological demands of slalom water balance and stability (see Figure 2). The to even faster speeds. At 36 mph (58 skiing and will make several winner is the skier who successfully kph), a calibrated ski boat takes 16 recommendations for injury prevention negotiates the most buoys in the final seconds to travel straight through a and sport-specific training. round. Occasionally, competitions may be regulation slalom course from entrance 42 August 2007 • Strength and Conditioning Journal weather conditions, athletes living in boat maintenance. Although certain regions with cold seasons are at a distinct environmental conditions, such as disadvantage compared with those living extreme cold, high winds, heavy rain, and individual ski time to about 15 minutes in areas with warm weather yearround. electrical storms, impose obvious every 2 hours. Cold climates not only limit technique limitations on ski training (e.g., choppy development to a few months per year, water increases the difficulty of both For all of these reasons, it is virtually but also generate little overall support for skiing and boat driving), even mild winds impossible for many slalom water skiers to the sport via ski enthusiasts, courses, and light boat traffic can thwart ski themselves into peak condition, thus competitions, and boat dealerships and possibilities of peak performance. For this repair facilities. In addition, short ski reason, many elite skiers train on private making supplemental conditioning seasons may contribute to increased risks ski lakes, devoid of recreational boat programs imperative. Program goals of injury by pressuring athletes to sidestep traffic and landscaped to somewhat shield should center on developing and sound skill and conditioning progressions the wind. Others, however, must train on maintaining the neuromuscular in efforts to make up for lost time. public waters and either contend with characteristics consistent with sound rough conditions or limit skiing to times slalom technique, prehabilitating the Other barriers to accumulating quality ski when calm is more likely to prevail (usually muscles and joints most vulnerable to time involve the day-to-day variability of early morning or twilight). injury, and correcting any musculoskeletal weather and recreational boat traffic, the imbalances that stem from chronic ski number of skiers training on a given Most skiers, whether on public or private training. course, and the expense of ski waters, must share access to a slalom course, which can profoundly impact Biomechanical,Metabolic, and to exit gates. Within this time, skiers skiing is to slalom water ski. However, Injury Analyses must cover at least an additional 35 m for several reasons, it is difficult for many All sport-specific conditioning programs (~115 ft) on a zigzag path, which to accumulate enough on-the-water should be based on thorough requires alternately decelerating to 20–22 training to realize their skiing potential. biomechanical, metabolic, and injury mph (32–35 kph) to round the buoys and Most important, because quality ski analyses of the athletic event. Core accelerating to as fast as 70–80 mph individual ski time. In efforts to promote considerations for optimizing program (113–129 kph) (76) through the equitable ski time, courses generally have design include the primary muscle groups, straightaways. policies governing skier turn length and types of muscle actions, joint ranges of rotation motion, movement speeds, and energy (e.g., 1 system contributions required in the event, turn = as well as common injury sites and 6 mechanisms. These features, however, are passes, more difficult to characterize for some events than for others, particularly for those that have been the subject of little scientific research, such as slalom water skiing. Biomechanical Analysis Biomechanically, slalom water skiing can be broken into the deep-water start and several repeating movements for skiing to Figure 2. Increased angulation needed at shorter rope lengths.Blue:boat;orange: and around each of the 6 turn buoys. The skier buoys;____:rope;----- :skier. repeating movements of slalom skiing Figure 1. Major slalom course dimensions.Red:entrance and exit gates;yellow:boat 3 falls, guides;orange:skier buoys; ← and → : skier path. have been described previously by or 15 Eberhardt (20) and Leggett et al. (47) but training depends on amenable water and equipment, course memberships, and will be reviewed and expanded upon for Rationale for Supplemental minutes, whichever comes first). the purposes of this article. For the Training Equitable, however, may be far from It stands to reason that the best way to optimal. For example, sharing a course develop expert skills in slalom water with 8 others on a given day would limit two-footed, deepwater start, both feet are bindings, with the dominant foot forward. secured in tandem (heel to toe) in the ski The skier assumes a crouched position in August 2007 • Strength and Conditioning Journal 43 the water, with the front knee very near the position, with eyes focused on the target length, and boat speed. It results partly chest, the ski angled approximately 45° away from vertical, and the ski tip protruding approximately 10–12 in. above the surface. The arms are extended, the handle held with a closed, alternated grip, and the rope positioned to the side of the ski opposite the front foot. As the boat begins to pull, the skier applies firm pressure to the ski with both feet, keeping the knees bent and shoulders back. Intense static action and dynamic balance are needed to prevent being pulled outside the very narrow, unstable base of support (BOS) while emerging to stand. After emerging from the water, the skier travels to the far left of the boat wake to prepare for rightward acceleration through the entrance gate toward the first turn buoy. To initiate acceleration, the skier Figure 3. The lean. must forcefully pull the towrope handle buoy. The scapulae should be retracted, from conscious actions and partly from a toward the left hip, by retracting the arms fairly extended, and handle pressed natural pendulum effect of the rope scapulae, extending the shoulders, and first close to the body. The lumbar spine and pulling from the opposite direction (left). flexing, then extending the elbows to hips should be extended as much as Conscious actions include standing slightly position the arms close by the sides. This possible, with the knees and ankle flexed, more erect and shifting the COM leftward movement requires forceful actions by the so that the entire body leans away from the by applying pressure to the handle, still finger flexors to grip the handle; by the boat (Figure 3). Ankle position will vary held close to the hips. biceps and triceps brachii to flex and according to the type of ski bindings used, extend the elbows; by the trapezius, individual flexibility, and changes in the rhomboids, pectoralis minor, and rotator angles of the hip and knee joints. The skier cuff musculature to retract, depress, and should strive to maintain this leveraged stabilize the scapulae; and by the latissimus body position throughout much of the dorsi, posterior deltoid, pectoralis major course, requiring strong actions by the (sternal head), teres major, and triceps erector spinae to extend the back, by the (long head) to extend the shoulder joint. gluteus maximus and hamstrings to extend Directing the handle toward the left hip the hips, and by virtually all lower causes counterrotation, or turning of the extremity musculature to appropriately shoulders and hips toward the right.
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