Dynamic Shoulder and Hip Flexibility in Indoor Boulder Climbers

Abstract

This descriptive study aimed to analyze the dynamic shoulder and hip flexibility of indoor Boulder climbers. The two-dimensional kinematics was used as a method. The participants selected for the study consisted of 15 amateur athletes of the modality. For evaluation, the climbers performed a climb to a bouldering-type trajectory idealized by a Route Setter. The calculation of the relative angles of the shoulder and hip joints were calculated using trigonometric functions. The amplitude of these articulations was calculated from the maximum and minimum peaks presented as a function of the test time. The performance of the athletes was determined by the time of the test. The results showed that only the shoulder joint showed a significant difference, with the amplitude value being greater for the right shoulder compared to the left. It was observed that there is a negative correlation between the amplitude of the shoulder articulation and the amplitude of the hip articulation, as well as a positive correlation between the amplitude of the shoulder with the test time and the amplitude of the hip with the practice time. It was also observed that there is only one negative correlation, which is between the amplitude of the shoulder joint and the practice time. It is concluded that the pathway was deterministic in the angular kinematics of the shoulder; hip and shoulder amplitude were important for the performance of the modality and time can be a control variable in the performance analysis process.