Hi, I've started a blog! This is the first piece for the "Slalom Science" section, where I'll be breaking down different research articles to make them more accessible, each entry will have an infographic, write-up and the actual research paper will always be linked at the bottom.
Introduction
The aim of the study was to evaluate if an established 12-week sensorimotor training programme affected functional movement in canoe slalom athletes. Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a tool for seeing how balanced and coordinated somebody is so problem areas can be found and improved to prevent injuries. The screen evaluates mobility and stability in seven key movement patterns.
Methods
16 athletes from the Polish Junior & U23 Canoe Slalom Team (K1, C1, and C2). The athletes, 13 men & 3 women completed the functional movement screening twice during the off-season. Between the first and the second screening the athletes did a 12-week long sensorimotor training programme.
The seven-movement patterns within the screening were:
1. Deep squat
2. Hurdle step
3. In-line lunge
4. Shoulder mobility
5. Active straight leg raises
6. Trunk stability push up
7. Rotary stability
The sensorimotor training programme was done during 2-3 warm-ups a week before their main paddling session for 12 consecutive weeks. Exercises included a range of stability ball exercises, exercises in a sitting position and push up exercises. Each exercise was held for 30-60 seconds and each warm-up took between 10-15 minutes.
The authors “considered the fact that canoe slalom athletes need to work on several motor skills: power, speed, endurance, flexibility, and motor coordination. As a result, we designed a training programme that was in line with the athletes’ core training programme”. See the tables and pictures below for the program details.
Results
The average improvement between the two functional movement screenings was statistically significant meaning the athletes had noticeably improved their functional movement patterns.
Conclusion
A well-designed sensorimotor training programme consistently worked on for 12 weeks can significantly improve a canoe slalom athlete’s movement patterns.
The functional movement screen allows for the assessment of changes in athlete movement patterns after 12 weeks of sensorimotor training. Future research the authors suggested would be useful included using functional movement screening within slalom athletes to correlate with an athlete’s vulnerability to injury.
Thanks for reading my first blog! Let me know in the comments section what topics you would like covered in future posts.
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Cheers, Coach Coney
To read the full journal article follow the link and download the PDF.
Authors: Dorota Chałubińska, Aleksandra Truszczyńska-Baszak, Agata Reszelewska, Paweł Targosiński, Witold Rekowski.
Journal: Biomedical Human Kinetics, 12, 10–16, 2020