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Influence of technical skill level and sport specialization on surfing injuries: A cross-sectional study
Aitor Santisteban1, Iker Muñoz-Pérez1, Xabier Río1
1Department of Physical Activity and Sport Science, Faculty of Education and Sport, University of Deusto, 48007, Bilbao, Spain.
Objective:
This study aimed to analyze the influence of sport specialization and the level of technical skills on injury risk in male surfers.
Design:
Descriptive epidemiological study.
Setting:
Web-based surveys.
Participants:
295 male surfers participated in the present study, of whom 25 (8.47%) were competitive surfers, and 270 (91.53%) were recreational surfers.
Main Outcome Measure:
This study consisted of a single registry. A web-based survey was used to record information on the injuries sustained during the past year.
Results:
No association was detected between the surfer's performance level and having suffered an injury during the practice (p > 0.05). Conversely, the results indicated that the higher the level of specialization, the greater the likelihood of suffering a sports-related injury (χ2 (3) = 12.9 p = 0.005; ES = 0.20). In addition, surfers who showed a medium-high self-concept of their skills (scores of 6, 7, and 8) tend not to get fewer injuries (χ2 (8) = 36.8 p < 0.001; ES = 0.35.
Conclusion:
higher-level specialization surfers tend to suffer more injuries than lower-specialization surfers. Nevertheless, a good self-concept of technical skills may contribute to a lower likelihood of injury.
