| Description |
The main motivation for the research is a verification of applicability of the fitness test as a predictor for specific alpine skiing performance of the Czech national team of U14 and U16 categories. We want to verify if the results from the fitness test correspond with points for the performance in alpine skiing disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, super giant slalom). In total, 42 men and women (U14 and U16 categories), members of the Czech national team, participated in the research. Participants were grouped by gender (women n=21, age 14.23 (+/- 1.04), men n = 21, age 14.19 (+/- 1.07)). Fitness test consisted of six individual tests and was used as a tool to examine the level of motor abilities (jumping over the Swedish bench, shuttle run 4 x 10m, standing long jump, hurdles agility run - boomerang test, twist test, 20m shuttle run - beep test). Points for the performance in alpine skiing show the best result from a single competition transferred to the points. In our research we were looking for relationship between the points from three different disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, super giant slalom) and the results from the fitness test. In the men category we found high correlation (at the significance level of p < 0.05) between super giant slalom and standing long jump (r = -0.73; r(2) = 0.53), between super giant slalom and boomerang test (r = 0.62, r(2) = 0.38) and between super giant slalom and shuttle run 4 x 10m (r = 0.61, r(2) = 0.37). Small correlation was found between slalom and box jump test (r = - 0.31, r(2) = 0.1), between slalom and twist test (r = -0.33, r(2) = 0.11) and between super giant slalom and twist test (r = -0.34, r(2) = 0.12). In women category we did not found high correlation (at the significance level of p. 0.05). Small correlation was found between slalom and box jump (r = -0.31, r(2) = 0.1), between giant slalom and twist test (r = 0.01, r(2) = 0.0001), between super giant slalom and standing long jump (r = -0.03, r(2) = 0.0009) and between slalom and shuttle run 4 x 10m (r = -0.05, r(2) = 0.0025). Twist test had very small correlation in both men and women categories. We can say that it is not relevant for prediction of alpine skiing performance. Based on different significance of correlations between men and women (super giant slalom and standing long jump; slalom/super giant slalom and shuttle run 4 x 10m) it might be necessary to adjust fitness testing as a predictor of alpine skiing performance according to a gender.
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