Using a Robust Design Approach to Optimize Chair Set-up in Wheelchair Sport

Abstract

Abstract:Optimisation of wheelchairs for court sports is currently a difficult and time-consuming process due to the broad range of impairments across athletes, difficulties in monitoring on-court performance, and the trade-off set-up that parameters have on key performance variables. A robust design approach to this problem can potentially reduce the amount of testing required, and therefore allow for individual on-court assessments. This study used orthogonal design with four set-up factors (seat height, depth, and angle, as well as tyre pressure) at three levels (current, decreased, and increased) for three elite wheelchair rugby players. Each player performed two maximal effort sprints from a stationary position in nine different set-ups, with this allowing for detailed analysis of each factor and level. Whilst statistical significance is difficult to obtain due to the small sample size, meaningful difference results aligning with previous research findings were identified and provide support for the use of this approach.

Load and performance monitoring in wheelchair court sports: A narrative review of the use of technology and practical recommendations

“…Error reduction can be attributed to measurements being less prone to wheel skidding (Shepherd et al, 2016). That said, both these validation studies were conducted at very low speeds, and therefore lack validity for sports application (Hiremath et al, 2013; Shepherd et al, 2016). To confirm suitability of wheel‐mounted sensors for WCS match‐play, validation must involve typical movements and representative speeds.…”

“…The addition of a second sensor (opposing wheel), alongside known wheelchair dimensions (i.e. wheel size, camber angle and wheelbase width) and calculation of between‐wheel speed differential, enables estimation of turning direction and velocity during non‐linear movements (Hiremath, Ding, & Cooper, 2013; Pansiot, Zhang, Lo, & Yang, 2011; Xu et al, 2010). From this, valuable information about chair orientation, direction and distance can be calculated.…”

Understanding the Development of Elite Parasport Athletes Using a Constraint-Led Approach: Considerations for Coaches and Practitioners

“…Resultantly, players in different classifications are often assigned different roles to compensate for their physical function (e.g., lower-class players set picks for higher class players who have the ability to maneuver and increase speed during short-distance sprints; Vanlandewijck et al, 2003 , 2004 ; Sporner et al, 2009 ). Understanding stable structural constraints can provide coaches with the opportunity to adapt their game strategies to utilize each athlete in a unique way to maximize their performance and overall contribution to the team ( Boyd et al, 2016 ; Haydon et al, 2018 ; Seron et al, 2019 ). However, stable structural constraints should not be considered as lone functioning constraints that impact athletes’ performance, as they are likely interdependent on malleable structural constraints which are prone to change over time ( Marszałek et al, 2018 ).…”

Influence of Wheelchair Type on Kinematic Parameters in Wheelchair Rugby

“…MP players have intermediate level of physical ability. Studies have classified wheelchair rugby players into two groups: LP and HP (Goosey-Tolfrey et al, 2018) or three groups: LP, MP and HP (Usma-Alvarez et al, 2014;Rhodes et al, 2015a;Haydon et al, 2016Haydon et al, , 2018a. Others classified players according to the type of wheelchair used during the game: offensive and defensive players (Bakatchina et al, 2021a).…”