Samenvatting
Introduction.
Big Air, one of the snowboard sub-disciplines, competition is scored by the difficulty and the performance level of a jump from a ski-jump (a ski-jump=Big Air).
Being a relatively young sport in evolution, little is known about learning lines for Big Air competition.
The aim of this study was to determine if there is an ideal age to start with Big Air, how long it takes to reach world top level and what abilities one should have during different development stages to reach the top level.
Methodology.
A retrospective questionnaire was developed in close collaboration with experts in the field and tested on lower level Big Air athletes. Snowboard techniques and skills were grouped in levels of increasing complexity, with beginners classified in level 1 and top world cup techniques in level 10. In total 34 athletes from the FIS (International Ski Federation) World Cup participated in the study. Basically they had to indicate in what level they situated themselves at different ages.
Results.
On average the athletes started on 11.8 years of age. They started competition when they reached the age of 15.3 and were selected for first World Cup performances on the age of 18.8 which can be considered as a rather fast evolution. More in depth analysis showed a wide range of starting ages but the average time to reach the top (level 10) was more or less the same: ± 7 years.. An ideal evolution (learning line) on technical skills was constructed.
Discussion and conclusion.
Results can be easily placed in talent identification models (e.g. Williams and Reilly, 2000) and/or career transitions models (e.g. Wylleman 2004) which will enable snowboard coaches to determine in which stage their athletes are and how they should evolve to become Big Air World Cup level athletes. The small number of subjects and the retrospective method lead us to conclude that we constructed a preliminary snowboard technical learning line which further research has to confirm.
Big Air, one of the snowboard sub-disciplines, competition is scored by the difficulty and the performance level of a jump from a ski-jump (a ski-jump=Big Air).
Being a relatively young sport in evolution, little is known about learning lines for Big Air competition.
The aim of this study was to determine if there is an ideal age to start with Big Air, how long it takes to reach world top level and what abilities one should have during different development stages to reach the top level.
Methodology.
A retrospective questionnaire was developed in close collaboration with experts in the field and tested on lower level Big Air athletes. Snowboard techniques and skills were grouped in levels of increasing complexity, with beginners classified in level 1 and top world cup techniques in level 10. In total 34 athletes from the FIS (International Ski Federation) World Cup participated in the study. Basically they had to indicate in what level they situated themselves at different ages.
Results.
On average the athletes started on 11.8 years of age. They started competition when they reached the age of 15.3 and were selected for first World Cup performances on the age of 18.8 which can be considered as a rather fast evolution. More in depth analysis showed a wide range of starting ages but the average time to reach the top (level 10) was more or less the same: ± 7 years.. An ideal evolution (learning line) on technical skills was constructed.
Discussion and conclusion.
Results can be easily placed in talent identification models (e.g. Williams and Reilly, 2000) and/or career transitions models (e.g. Wylleman 2004) which will enable snowboard coaches to determine in which stage their athletes are and how they should evolve to become Big Air World Cup level athletes. The small number of subjects and the retrospective method lead us to conclude that we constructed a preliminary snowboard technical learning line which further research has to confirm.
| Originele taal-2 | English |
|---|---|
| Pagina's (van-tot) | 35-35 |
| Aantal pagina's | 1 |
| Tijdschrift | Journal of sports sciences |
| Nummer van het tijdschrift | 27 |
| Status | Published - 2009 |
Keywords
- leerlijnen