| Recent technical innovations in windsurfing have been concentrated
on the evolution of the sails and the board. It is only recently that
manufacturers have become interested in the wishbones which have evolved
becoming thinner and lighter than in the past. A group of six experienced
windsurfers participated in an experiment on a land based windsurfing
simulator. The goal of the study was to analyze the muscular force
used for different techniques for holding onto the wishbone. The test
consisted in recording the global electromyographic activity of several
muscles on the forearm using surface electrodes. There were two different
wind force conditions possible with the simulator: medium (15 kg)
and strong (25 kg). Three different wishbone diameters were tested
(28, 30 and 32 mm). Four different hand positions on the wishbone
were analyzed: leading hand and/or following hand in pronation and/or
supination. The electrical muscular activity obtained varied significantly
(p < 0.05) depending on the type of grip and according to the diameter
of the wishbone. The position with the two hands in supination on
a wishbone of 28 mm in diameter was the most economical in muscular
terms, notably the flexions of the forearm. The confirmation of the
results should lead windsurfers to reconsider the positioning of
the wishbone and the adapted posture to waste the least amount of
energy possible.
KEY
WORDS: Forearm, performance, windsurf.
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