Water-skiing biomechanics: a study of intermediate skiers

Abstract

This research project was initiated to examine the water-skiing biomechanics of the intermediate skier. The hypothesis was that equipment used by the skier would have a significant effect on the loads that they encountered during skiing and on their athletic performance. Nine intermediate water skiers were instrumented and performed a series of standard water-skiing manoeuvres. Skiing participants, conditions, and equipment used for the study were chosen where possible to represent those typically encountered by the average intermediate skier. The results from the study showed that water-start rope loads of up to 2.45 times body weight were sometimes encountered and that average running rope loads of 0.35–0.41 times body weight were observed. The choice of equipment was found to make a statistically significant impact on the rope loads both for water starting and while skiing. The rope loads for starting and skiing were significantly lower when using a large square-tailed water ski that was included in this study. The intermediate skiers in this study achieved no statistically significant performance advantage when using competitive-style tapered water skis when compared with the square-tailed and larger water ski included in the study.