The design, construction and assessment of a sprint kayaking balance training aid

The main purpose of this study was to develop and assess an on-land training aid for learning balance in sprint kayaking. The literature has shown the importance of biomechanical analysis and how training aids can provide a beneficial part in the learning process of new skills. An on-water experimental analysis was conducted on experienced paddlers to establish the kinematic characteristics and the centre of rotation position of the kayak-paddler system. From this analysis it was found that the kayak rolling motion is dependent on the paddler’s ability and the centre of rotation of the kayak paddler system relative to the seat of the kayak was found to be between 10 cm – 13 cm above the seat. Findings from this analysis were interpreted into technical requirements and integrated into the design of the training aid. Once built the training aid prototype was evaluated by a series of testing and modification to enhance its ability to replicate the on-water kayak. The evaluation data showed that the stationary sprint kayak on-water medial-lateral rolling motion is affected by weight variations and further evaluation demonstrated that the training aid has the ability to replicate the motion for different weights. An experimental assessment on a group of beginners was carried out and the results showed that the training aid was able to facilitate the learning of balance in sprint kayaking. The experimental subjects who used the balance training aid had the same total number of sessions as the control subjects who learned to balance in the actual sprint kayak (experimental, 9 + 1 sessions; control, 9 + 1 sessions). However, the experimental subjects only spent half of the total number of sessions learning on-water (4 + 1 sessions) and the other half on the training aid (5 + 1 sessions).