Sprint analysis of athletes with intellectual impairments
Date
2008-03
Authors
Andrews, Barry
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
Intellectually impaired (II) athletes are not allowed to participate at the Paralympic
Games because there is no accepted classification system for these athletes. The
rationale for this study was to see if there are any physical differences existing in
the sprint performance of II and non-II athletes and to see if there is a way to
incorporate these differences into a new (accepted) classification system.
The objective of this study was to identify any physical sources for the differences
between II and non-II, with regard to the acceleration phase, the first 30m of the
60m sprint race, which could then be used in conjunction with other tests in the
classification of II athletes. This new classification system might then allow II
athletes to participate in the Paralympic Games again. 32 II athletes (22 male and
10 females) and 14 non-II athletes (10 males and 4 females) were used in this
study. The sprint performance was analysed and compared of each athlete using
the DartFish ProSuite software programme. The data collected from these
analysis was then compared using the unpaired t-test, looking for any significant
differences between the groups (p<0.05). From this analysis, it was concluded
that stride length was the reason for the poorer performance of the II group when
compared to the non-II group. Further research is required before definite
conclusions can be made on the possible reasons for this difference.
Description
Thesis (M Sport Sc (Sport Science))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
Keywords
Intellectually impaired, Sprinting, Kinematic analysis, Disabled sport, Dissertations -- Sport science, Theses -- Sport science