INTRODUCTION: The high injury risk in slopestyle has been related to high equivalent fall height (EFH) during jump landing. 1,2 Research has shown that computer models can be used to simulate an athlete`s jump kinematics and kinetics, 1,2 and hence provide jump dimensions that may mitigate EFH. Such models require valid input parameters. An athlete`s "pop" alters the velocity vector at takeoff and can be used to ensure a softer landing in the so-called "sweet spot" of the landing area, but also to increase amplitude which enhances performance. "Pop" should therefore be considered in such modeling, but research on "pop" is limited. The aim of this study was hence to characterize "pop" for elite athletes and investigate how "pop" relates to performance factors and EFH in slopestyle skiing and snowboarding. METHODS: Kinematic data was collected using a geodetic video motion capture method (QDaedalus) during a World Cup slopestyle competition. Computer vision was used to track and reconstruct the center of mass trajectories of the athletes. The snow surface profile was measured using a Lidar scanner. Athlete trajectories and jump profile were used to calculate the parameters pop, jump distance, vertical jump height, velocity, take-off, landing angle, and EFH. Athlete behavioral factors during the airborne phase, such as flight time and average angular velocity, were extracted. RESULTS: "Pop" ranged from -2.32 m/s to +2.20 m/s. Maximizing the "pop" was associated with both increased flight time and average angular velocity. At best, there was a moderate negative relationship between the velocity and "pop", and the velocity and "pop" could only explain small parts (6.6%) of the variation observed in EFH. Adding landing angle to the model increased the explanatory power to 82.3%. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: "Pop" had a limited effct on EFH, but seems to be used as a tool to enhance performance through an increase in both flight time and average angular velocity. This study extends the knowledge on "pop" with data from elite athletes.
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