The Proper Motor Control Model Revealed by Wheelchair Curling Quantification of Elite Athletes

Simple Summary This is the first study to quantitatively explore the motor control of elite wheelchair curling athletes. It is known that, psychologically, wheelchair users are often not comfortable with their wheelchair motor skills and, therefore, hesitate to participate in sports/physical activities. For increasing exercise of this population, an effective learning/training program should firstly be developed. This study has chosen a suitable sport, i.e., wheelchair curling, and identified and described generalizable characteristics or "markers" among elite athletes. Such markers could provide effective ways of accurately identifying, evaluating, and communicating when learning the skill. Due to this being an under-investigated area, this study also shed new light on how to scientifically promote physical participation of wheelchair users. Background: Wheelchair users are disadvantaged when it comes to accruing the benefits of physical activities. Hence, promoting various sports is crucial for keeping this population healthy. Since wheelchair curling can be played by individuals from a wide range of ages, strengths, and endurance levels, it has potential to improve wheelchair users' well-being. Yet, hardly any motion studies exist. This study aimed to facilitate understanding of optimized control of wheelchair curling for promoting wheelchair users' participation. Methods: Using motion capture technology, nine national-level athletes were tested. Kinematic parameters related to segment/joint control and their coordination were quantified for both slow and fast curling. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and correlation analysis were applied for characterizing the skill. Results: (1) Curling control consists of an acceleration phase and a stabilizing delivery phase; (2) the control of trunk, shoulder, and wrist are responsible for accelerating the rock; (3) elbow control is accountable for the accurate delivery of the rock; and (4) during the slow curling, a synchronized effort of trunk, shoulder, and wrist is used for accelerating the rock, while a sequential control among the segment/joints is applied in fast curling. Conclusions: The results supply valuable motor learning markers that could have a significant positive impact on the teaching and learning of wheelchair curling, as such, the findings have great potential for the health promotion of wheelchair users.