L.N. Smolyakova¹
PhD S.S. Gorbunov^1
1Tchaikovsky State Institute of Physical Culture, Tchaikovsky

Keywords: cross-country skiing, coordination qualities, ski stride elements, technical fitness.

Background. It is traditional for the national cross-country skiing training systems to first prioritize endurance and speed-strength components in the beginner trainings followed by the technical skills mastering trainings – that give little if any attention to the coordinaton qualities that need to be given a special attention, particularly in the basics training stages. Unless a young athlete develops the individual coordinaton qualities to perfection, he/she may not be successful enough at the skiing technique mastering stage [5]. Thus L.I. Vorobyeva underlines that good coordinaton qualities expand the motor skill sets to form a sound basis for further progress in the modern skiing techniques [2].; and it is only when the athlete reaches a high technical fitness, he/she may fully mobilize and employ own physical and functional resource for competitive success [3].

Objective of the study was to classify the key coordinaton qualities versus the main elements of the modern cross-coutnry ski strides.

Results and discussion. We sampled for the study the 12-14-year-old ski racers from a Children and Youth Sports School and ‘Start’ Olympic Reserve Sports School in Tchaikovsky. The study was designed to rate the technical fitness and coordinaton qualities of the sample by a questionnaire survey of 12 coaches. We classified for the key sport-specific coordinaton qualities based on the survey data as follows:

• Dynamic body balancing (equilibrium) skills (mentioned by 75% of the sample);
• Situation-specific orienteering skills (50% of the sample);
• Pacing/ rhythm keeping skills critical for the energy-efficiency and technical perfection of the techniques (58.33% of the sample);
• Response rate (fast movement startup on signal, mentioned by 33.33% of the sample);
• Movement control/ differentiation skills (with the spatial, temporal and strength control elements, mentioned by 50% of the sample) [4].

To verify the coaches’ survey data, we run a study to rate the technical fitness classified by the ski stride elements versus the coordinaton qualities, with the athletic coordinaton qualities rated by a set of test exercises (see Table 1 hereunder), whilst the technical fitness was rated based on the experts’ classification.

Table 1. Technical fitness and coordination qualities test data

Note that athlete 5 was ranked the first on the technical fitness scale (3.6 points) and was also tested with the best coordinaton qualities – to confirm the direct correlation of the technical fitness and coordinaton qualities since the latter helps, among other things, prevent technical errors in the ski striding techniques.

Every ski stride may be classified into the following elements: leg push (kick), glide, roll, sub-squat, pole push, and the thigh/ arm swings [1], with every element execution quality presumably dependent on some coordination quality or a mix of a few coordinaton qualities. Proceeding from this assumption, we tried to find correlations between the key coordinaton qualities and ski stride elements: see Figure 1 hereunder.

Figure 1. Correlations between the key coordinaton qualities and ski stride elements

Despite the fact that the response rate was ranked among the key sport-specific coordinaton qualities, it was omitted in the analysis since it can hardly be attributed to some specific ski stride element and refers rather to their mixes, i.e. movement sequences. It should be emphasized, however, that this coordinaton quality needs to be trained due to the fact that competitive situations require from the athletes making timely and efficient adjustments to the movement techniques and tactics for success, particularly in the cross-country sprint events.

Conclusion. Technical fitness in the modern cross-country skiing sport directly depends on the individual coordination qualities that need to be excelled regardless of the athlete’s skill level and training stage in the multiannual training process since the modern ski races are run in difficult terrains and the competitive events in the modern cross-country skiing sport are often revised and expanded with the athletes expected to timely and effectively adjust to any sport situation for success.

References

1. Butin I.M. Skiing. University study guide. M.: Akademiya, 2000. 368 p.
2. Vorobyeva I.L., Vorobyev D.V., Pyatunina O.I. Improving coordination abilities as guarantee of successful solution of modern requirements to technique of cross country skiers. Teoriya i praktika nauchnykh issledovaniy: psikhologiya, pedagogika, ekonomiya i upravlenie. 2018. no.1. pp. 4-7.
3. Nikitushkin V.G. Modern training in youth sports. M., 2009. 112p.
4. Smolyakova L.N., Gorbunov S.S. Actions to improve coordination abilities of cross country skiers in snowless period. Uchenye zapiski universiteta im. P.F. Lesgafta. 2018. no. 2 (156). pp. 227-230.
5. Smolyakova L.N., Gorbunov S.S. Actions to improve coordination abilities of cross country skiers in snowy period. Eurasian Union of Scientists (ESU). 2019. no. 2 (59). pp. 47-50.

Corresponding author: fendel82@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to classify the key coordinaton qualities versus the main elements of the modern cross-coutnry ski strides.

Methods and structure of the study. We sampled for the study the 12-14-year-old ski racers from a Children and Youth Sports School and ‘Start’ Olympic Reserve Sports School in Tchaikovsky. The study was designed to rate the technical fitness and coordinaton qualities of the sample by a questionnaire survey of 12 coaches.

Results of the study. When processing the results of the questionnaire survey, the coaches singled out the most important forms of manifestation of coordinating abilities in the racing skiers. The data obtained suggest that the level of development of coordinating abilities significantly affects athletes’ technical fitness level, which ensure fewer errors when performing different elements of ski techniques.

The quality of execution of each technical element depends on the level of development of certain forms of manifestation of coordinating abilities (individually or in combination).

Technical fitness in the modern cross-country skiing sport directly depends on the individual coordination qualities that need to be excelled regardless of the athlete’s skill level and training stage in the multiannual training process since the modern ski races are run in difficult terrains and the competitive events in the modern cross-country skiing sport are often revised and expanded with the athletes expected to timely and effectively adjust to any sport situation for success.