p-ISSN: 1300-0551
e-ISSN: 2587-1498

Tuğba Kocahan1, Bihter Akınoğlu2, Banu Kabak1, Gökhan Deliceoğlu3, Erkan Tortu1, Adnan Hasanoğlu1

1Center of Athlete Training and Health Research, Department of Health Services, General Directorate of Sports, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ankara, Turkey
2Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, Turkey
3Faculty of Sport Sciences, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale, Turkey

Keywords: Respiration, postural sway, aerobic capacity, physiology, canoeing

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the respiratory function, respiratory muscle strength, postural sway and aerobic capacity parameters of canoeing athletes, and to compare these parameters between sprint and slalom canoeing athletes.

Materials and Methods: A total of 34 male canoeing athletes that are composed of 15 sprint and 19 slalom canoeing athletes, with an average age of 20.4±1.6 years, were included in the study. Respiratory function and respiratory muscle strength of the athletes were measured with a digital spirometer, postural sway was measured with the Body Sway Module, and aerobic capacity was measured using a breath-by-breath automatic portable gas analysis system. Independent samples T-test was used to compare the variables obtained from sprint and slalom canoeing athletes. Statistical error level was taken as p<0.05.

Results: It was determined that there were no statistically significant differences between the respiratory function, inspiratory and expiratory respiratory muscle strength, postural sway and aerobic capacity parameters of sprint and slalom canoeing athletes (p>0.05).

Conclusion: The results obtained from this study reveal that sprint and slalom canoeing athletes have similar respiratory function, respiratory muscle strength, postural sway and aerobic capacity. These results can be used as an initial reference to define training program requirements to increase peripheral muscle strength, respiratory function, respiratory muscle strength, postüral sway, and aerobic capacity in canoeing athletes.

Cite this article as: Kocahan T, Akinoglu B, Kabak B, Deliceoglu G, Tortu E, Hasanoglu A. Sports performance analysis of canoeing athletes: Is there a difference between sprint and slalom canoeing?Turk J Sports Med. 2020;55(3):207-13.