Cuijpers, L.S. (Laura) and Passos, P.J.M. (Pedro) and Hoogerheide, A. (Alexander) and Poel, H.J. de (Harjo) (2015) Rocking the boat: crew synchronisation and boat movements at different stroke rates. thesis, Human Movement Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
In crew rowing the degree of mutual synchronisation is generally regarded as one of the main determinants for optimal crew performance. Coaches, rowers and scientists agree that more consistent crew coordination results in less variability in boat movements in terms of surge, heave, pitch and roll, which would result in an optimal conversion of the energy rowers produce into forward speed. The aim of this study is to examine whether poorer crew synchronisation indeed involves more boat movements. As stroke rate may influence the consistency of crew coordination and boat movements, the crews were tested at different stroke rates. Seventeen rowing pairs rowed in a double scull (i.e., a two-person boat) at 18, 22, 26, 30 and 34 strokes per minute (spm) for 2 min each. Oar angles were measured using custom made potentiometers (200 Hz). Movements of the boat in terms of linear accelerations and angular velocities of the boat were measured using 3-axial accelerometer-gyroscope sensors at 200 Hz. The results indicated that consistency of crew coordination over the complete cycle and around the catch became more consistent with an increase in stroke rate, whereas the synchronisation of finish (end of stroke) was not affected by stroke rate. Accuracy of catch and finish was not affected by stroke rate. The variability of boat movements and boat velocity increased with stroke rate, though when corrected for boat velocity, the effect of stroke rate on variability of surge, heave and roll did not reach significance. Within each stroke rate condition, no significant relation was found between consistency of crew coordination and fluctuations in boat movements except for the relation between crew coordination consistency and surge and roll variability at 22 spm. If any, poorer crew synchronisation seems to involve less boat movements in terms of surge, heave and pitch. Together, these results did not fully concur with predictions from rowing and coordination dynamics literature, suggesting crew coordination to become more stable with increase in stroke rate and the degree of crew synchronisation not to be related movements of the boat. However, more stable crew coordination might facilitate rowers to produce more power, resulting in a higher net boat velocity.
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Apr 2022 12:01 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Apr 2022 12:01 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3075 |
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