INTRODUCTION: Optimal movement patterns in sports and their parameter dependence are today assessed by athletes` and coaches` subjective experiences. While the latter is highly important, there is still a lack of objective criteria for discussing optimal movement patterns in sports, allowing for myth-building and subjectivism. In this talk, we address specifically the optimal movement pattern for energy pumping, which is a way to generate speed based on an active vertical center of mass movement in rollers in sports like alpine skiing, ski-cross, snowboard-cross, wind-surfing and BMX-racing. METHODS: Optimal control theory allows to formulate an optimal movement pattern in sports as a solution to an optimization problem. With this, optimal movement patterns and their parameter dependence can be identified objectively on the basis of first principles and the laws of physics. To identify the optimal movement pattern of energy pumping, we introduce an inverse pendulum model to describe the movement of the center of mass. We solve the optimal control problem with the help of an SQP-algorithm. RESULTS: For energy pumping, we uncover that the optimal movement pattern consists of a jumping, flying, and landing phase, which has to be timed precisely. We investigate how the maximal horizontal speed depends on parameters like rollers height and maximal normal force of the athlete. Additionally, we present a qualitative comparison of our results with observations from ski-cross. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate the potential of applying methods of optimal control theory to sports science in general and specifically snow sports. For athletes and coaches, we uncover that athlete's energy pumping performance is optimized by using maximal force and adopt an exact and proper timing of the movement pattern.
© Copyright 2023 9th International Congress on Science and Skiing, March 18 - 22, 2023, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria. Julkaistu Tekijä University of Salzburg. Kaikki oikeudet pidätetään. / Kääntänyt https://www.DeepL.com/Translator