Designing an Evaluation Battery for Young Male Kayakers: Which Variables to Include?

This study aimed to identify the variables that best explain the performance of young male kayakers over 200 and 500 m across two categories, U14 and U16, and to determine whether stroke rate (SR), as described for senior athletes, is also a determining factor in performance in these categories. Twenty-four young Iberian kayakers (Portuguese and Spanish), 13.63 ± 1.50 years, distributed in two competitive categories, U14 (12.67 ± 0.47 years) and U16 (15.57 ± 0.73 years), were evaluated in terms of training, maturity, anthropometry, limb volumes, body composition, equipment, physical fitness, balance, and performance. Water/shoulder distance correlated significantly at both race distances in both age categories. The observed differences between U14 and U16 may reflect the influence of kayaking experience and maturity-related factors, which are likely to affect several performance-related variables. These results suggest the need to produce a specific evaluation battery for U14 that includes the water/shoulder distance, the 20 m shuttle run test, and the BESS test. Another one for U16 consists of the water/shoulder distance test, the pull-up test, and the sit-up test. This study also highlights the importance of designing training programs that enable young kayakers to perform the paddle technique with maximum efficiency at a high SR.