An Examination of Upstream Gate Performance of British Slalom Paddlers From Across the Performance Pathway

By Shaun Pearce
Academic Research

By Shaun Pearce

“Coaches rely on various mental models and stored solutions to problems that allow them to amend their coaching delivery in subtle and nuanced ways” (Lyle & cushion 2017:173). A mental model covers all aspects of a performance and is the reference point that the coach refers to when they see a performance. However, relying on mental models can be problematic if the model is inaccurate. To inform the mental models of coaches working in British Canoeing’s slalom pathway it is useful to analyse performance of paddlers across the pathway and internationally. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the technical model (techniques used and times) for upstream gate performance of British slalom paddlers from all levels of British Canoeing’s pathway and top performers internationally.