1. Enhancing Wheelchair Sport Performance
chapter 29
Enhancing Wheelchair Sport Performance
Abu B. Yilla

2. The Athlete and the Wheelchair: A System Approach
The system approach
The athlete +
The wheelchair +
Strapping (and other stabilization techniques) +
Skills and techniques =
A performance system
Selection of the appropriate sport, as well as wheelchair, is essential for success.
(continued)

3. The Athlete and the Wheelchair: A System Approach (continued)
Training—establish a sound cardiovascular base:
Training rollers
Arm-crank ergometers
Upper-body exercisers

4. Training
Performance-related fitness: movement, coordination, agility, power, speed, and balance
Weight training will develop strength and indirectly power
Focus on remediating asymmetry associated with pushing by focusing on back and extensor muscles
Appropriate stretching
Medical concerns
Temperature regulation
Autonomic dysreflexia: “boosting”

5. The Wheelchair The frame: as light and as rigid as possible. Wheels
Number varies by sport and athlete preference.
Size of mainwheels varies by sport and position or function in the sport.

6. The Wheelchair Camber is common to all sports chairs that have wheels.
It is created to . . .
Allow maximum force application to the pushrims
Increase the stability of the chair
Improve the turning characteristics of the chair
Camber

7. Racing Chair T-frame Bucket seat Mainwheel Pushrim Front castor
Light and rigid
Bucket seat
Can be adjusted for height
Mainwheel
Alignment
Avoid toe-in and toe out
Size depends on event
Pushrim
Size depends on
Event
Power and size of the athlete
Front castor
Single and larger than court chairs
Compensator and steering mechanism for control
Bucket Seat
Mainwheel
T-Frame
Front Castor
Push Rim
Steering Mechanism
Compensator
Image courtesy of Per4Max Medical

8. Court Chair Basketball chair (for the player who plays center) Frame
Light and rigid
Mainwheels
Number varies by sport
Note the extra wheel at the back for stability
Image courtesy of Per4Max Medical

9. System Considerations: Racing Chairs

10. Propulsion Technique—Racing

11. Retarding Forces and Overcoming Them
Rolling resistance
Reduced by inflating tires to highest safe pressure
Track (wider tires)
On the road (thinner tires)
Aerodynamic drag
Surface and form drag
Reduced by making front silhouette as small as possible (tucked position)
Drafting
Very efficient; has contributed to the speeds seen in road races

12. System Considerations: Court Chairs

13. Horizontal and Vertical Mainwheel Adjustments

14. Tennis Chair
Note the “fifth” wheel (in this case it is actually the fourth)
Image courtesy of Per4Max Medical

15. Other System Considerations
Strapping
Improves the stability of the athlete.
Orthotics and prosthetics can also help.
Increases “volumes of action.”
Aids in tipping up or “standing” the chair.
Skill development
Many resources are available that aid both skill development and strategic understanding in the sport.

16. Sir Ludwig Guttmann
"It is no exaggeration to say that the paraplegic [sic] and his [sic] chair have become one, in the same way as a first-class horseman and his [sic] mount” (Weisman and Godfrey, 1976).
This is the essence of the system approach to enhancing wheelchair sport performance.