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This picture of a typical racing chair with all the basic parts labeled

  • Wheels

    • Two large rear wheels that range from 24-27 inches in diameter

    • One smaller front wheel that is typically 18-20 inches in diameter

    • Check your tires to make sure they are at the right pressure before every race

    • Check your wheel to make sure that the spokes are tight and adjusted properly and that the screws holding the wheel to the frame are tight

    • The correct pressure will be written on each tire, on the original bag, or original packaging

    • A good rule of thumb is to fill the front tire to 110lbs and the rear tears to 125lbs for 24 inch tires and 135lbs for 27 inch tires

  • Compensator 

    • Allows the chair to either go straight or curve to match the end curves on a track without manual steering

    • The compensator is set for curve or straight by hitting it left or right

    • Eliminates the need for hand-held steering on a track

    • Reset the compensator every time you are practicing or competing on a new track to make sure the bolt is tight

      • For a compensator that looks like the picture to the right: Undo the set screws, then tighten the bolt, and retighten the set screws 

  • Seat and cage

    • Adjustable to fit the athlete correctly 

    • Utilize and experienced person to make the chair measurements for an appropriate fit to the athlete

    • Chairs are manufactured with seating hwere the athlete sits in a seated position with their feet on a foot plate or where the athlete is in a kneeling position with their feet under them

    • the best position is in the kneeling position so all the weight of the athlete is over the back wheels

    • If this is not possible, then a seated position is the next best 

  • Brake

    • The brake is required for road racing and for situations requiring the chiar to stop suddenly

    • The brake should be in a free location operable by pushing down on the handle with a closed fist or glove

    • In general, the brake is used only in emergencies and the chair's acceleration or deceleration is controlled by the athlete pushing on the back wheel push rings 

  • Push ring

    • What the athlete strokes to power the wheels' rotation

    • The size of the push ring is determined by the athlete's length of arm and position within the chair

    • The most commonly used size ranges from 13 to 15 inches in diameter

    • The athlete's hand, in a fisted position, should be able to reach the bottom of the push ring with a slight bend in the elbow- while the athlete is laying flat on his or her lap in the forward bent racing position

Wheelchair Racing

The Stroke 

The typical stroke technique used in racing today is called the para-backhand technique. The hand is closed the entire time, and push rim contact is made with the back of the fingers. This technique, along with proper gloves, pads and taping, minimizes injuries to the finger bones and tendons. Athletes can also put a tube or some cushion inside their hand to prevent spasms from keeping the hand closed tightly for a long period of time.

Make sure the forearm stays in a neutral position the whole time (neutral pronation and supination). Don't let the palm face downwards or upwards, it should always be straight and directly facing the wheels. 

 

There are five phases in the wheelchair racing

stroke

1. Catch 

2. Drive

3. Release

4. Lift and Stretch 

5. Acceleration 

 

 

 

During the catch phase: 

  • Initial contact with the push ring should be made with the fingers and not the thumb

  • Make contact with the push ring at around 1 o'clock (of the athlete's perspective) 

  • The wrist should be positioned so that the thumb side of the hand is pointed up towards the forearm (radial deviation)

 

During the drive phase: 

  • Squeeze the arms in towards your side to contract the pec muscles and power the turning of the push rim

  • Push from 2 to 6:30-7:00 o'clock 

 

During the release phase:

  • The athlete should release the push rim between 6:30 and 7:00

  • The thumb should be pointing away from the forearm at this point (ulnar deviation)

 

During the lift and stretch phase:

  • The shoulders and elbows are fully extended behind

 

During the acceleration phase

  • Bend elbows and shoulder quickly to go from full extension to flexion

  • Gain speed to catch the push rim again to start the cycle over 

 

The athlete should execute 10-20 short strokes at the beginning of a race to gain momentum but should then transition into the full racing stroke. Short strokes begin with the hand at about 2 o'clock on the pushrim. The athlete's body should be as flat and as horizontal to the ground as possible. This ensures good aerodynamics and no bobbing. Bobbing is when the front wheel of the race chair bounces up and down off the track with each stroke and happens from moving the torso up and down in the chair. 

 

Training

Just like a traditional track ahtlete, athletes with physical disabilities can improve their timing and speed with helpful training tips

  • Practice the stroke in front of a mirror so you can observe and correct your form

  • Try stroking to the beat of a metronome to increase frequency and consistency of strokes. Increase the metronome speed as you get better and can complete more strokes in a shorter amount of time

  • Put a little speedometer on the race chair where the athlete can see it so he or she can work or improving speed 

  • Record split times to improve racing speed. This is also important for pacing, if the athlete wants to complete a certain race in a certain amount of time 

  • Examples of drills

    • On the straights of a track, try alternating stroke hands- stroke with just the left hand and then just the right

    • To work on shoulder and elbow extension in the lift and stretch phase of the stroke cycle, try doing two short strokes, one long stroke, and then keep your arms extended in the lift and stretch phase of the third stroke for a total of 3 seconds. 

  • It's important to stretch the pec muscles so that the athlete gets enough range of motion into shoulder extension in the left and stretch phase 

    • Figure 1 shows a stretch for the pecs that can be done in a doorway

    • A- stretching the sternal fibers of the pectoralis major with the shoulder elevated about 120 degrees

    • B- stretching the clavicular fibers of the pectoralis major with the shoulder elevated about 45 degrees 

    • All of the fibers can be stretched at once with the shoulder elevated to 90 degrees 

A

B

Figure 2: Chest Flys

Figure 3: Chest Press

Figure 4: Bicep Curl

Figure 6: I's, Y's, and T's

  • A: starting postion

  • B: The "I" exercise- extend arms behind you with palms facing towards the body and squeeze shoulder blades

  • C: The "Y" exercise- flex shoulders so that it makes a Y shape with body, thumbs facing up towards the sky

  • D: The "T" exercise- squeeze shoulder blades and make a T shape with body, palms facing the ground 

Figure 5: Front raises

  • Strengthening the upper and middle back muscles are really important for maintaining a powerful stroke

  • Typical prescription for strengthening exercises are 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions at a weight that is comfortable yet challenging- the athelete should be fatigued of the exercise by the end of the third set

Turning the set screws on the compensator adjusts the distance of the bolt from the center of the racing chair. This allows the racer to adjust the compensator to the correct degree of the turn in the track. 

End of drive/ beginning of release

Catch

Figure 7: Pec Stretch

Racing glove that keeps the hand closed and is padded to prevent injury

 

Athletes competing in the Paralympics are grouped by classifications.  These classifications group athletes based on impairment to ensure that competition is fair and equal.  Athletes perform against other athletes with similar abilities ensuring that performance is based on skill, power, fitness, and training.

 

For school inclusion, athletes are not grouped by these same classifications.  Instead, athletes are divided by sex, school level (middle school vs. high school), and performance (seated vs. ambulatory).

Classification

The Racing Chair

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