Performance Analysis in Olympic Sailors of the Formula Kite Class Using GPS

Abstract

Formula Kite is an Olympic sport that mainly differs from other kitesurfing modalities for the use of a hydrofoil. It is considered an extreme sport due to the great technical ability required. Regarding performance, the variables that determine performance in a real competition situation have not been studied, and even less so with Olympic sailors. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the technical and tactical variables that differentiate elite sailors. The sample consisted of 42 Olympic sailors of the Formula Kite class, who were evaluated in three World Cups. Using a GPS device, the speed, distance traveled, maneuvers, and time spent on the courses of upwind, downwind, and beam reach were recorded. The highest-level sailors presented a higher speed in upwind/downwind/beam reach and a shorter time in upwind and beam reach. Performance seems to be more strongly influenced by technical variables, such as speed, than by tactical variables.

Analysis of sailing variables and performance of laser sailors with different rankings under the condition of certain wind speed

“…Sailors have to pay more efforts to hike to keep the boat's stability, and the same proportion of the distance took an increased percentage of time. Previous studies have shown that the time spent on upwind and reaching leg is an important variable for differentiating sailors' level, high-level sailors have less time to complete upwind and reaching legs, a short upwind sailing distance compared to low-level sailors [ 2 , 18 , 19 ]. In this study, the top 10 sailors had significantly shorter upwind/reaching legs' time and distance of than those of other ranking sailors for the same wind speed., which may be affected by the following three reasons: (1) Course selection and maneuver skills.…”

“…(3) cognitive difference. Sailing performance is affected by many external environmental factors, sailors' cognition and processing ability to different environments affect their decision-making procedure and motor behavior pattern [ 19 , 21 ].…”

“…VMG is based on the function of sailing speed and wind direction angle, which is calculated by multiplying the boat speed by cosine of the angle to wind direction, taking into account the vertical component of the speed relative to the wind direction, and this speed is the best combination of speed and sailing angle. A higher VMG means that a sailor is sailing towards their destination at a faster speed and shorter distance, reflecting boats' ability to sail against wind as well as sailors' ability to make use of wind [ 19 , 22 ]. This study found that the VMG in reaching legs was the highest, followed by downwind and upwind legs for the same wind speed, and VMG increased with the increase of wind speed, which is consistent with the research results of other sailing classes [ 23 , 24 ].…”

Considering perceptual experiences and adaptive actions in performance analysis of elite Formula Kite riders by combining qualitative data and measured key indicators of performance

“…First, boat speed and the sailors' technical adjustments to optimize this speed now appear to be the main key factors of performance, compared to tactical and strategic factors. 2 Secondly, these technical adjustments to control and maintain high-speed flight require continuous subtle perceptual-motor adaptations, in order to ride a very unstable complex system in interaction with a dynamic and uncertain environment. 3,4 From the perspective of performance analysis in sailing, these characteristics warrant for researchers, sport scientists and coaches to take a deeper interest in (a) the sailors' fine technical adaptations in speed test situations and (b) the perceptual-motor experiences in such situations.…”

“…5 Research on sailing in sports science has focused on three main topics: (a) physical characteristics of the sailors, studying the biomechanical, physiological, and anthropometric determinants of performance, [6][7][8][9] (b) psychological aspects of performance, studying the process of decision-making with regard to strategic choices, 10,11 and (c) statistical analysis of GPS data to compare the speed and distance covered by the sailors. 2,[12][13][14] For example, in Formula Kite, the speed, distance traveled, number of maneuvers, and time spent on the courses of upwind, downwind, and beam reach of Olympic sailors were analyzed. 2 To do so, researchers used data collected through the SAP-Sailing® application during Formula Kite-class World Cups.…”