A New Rationale to Assess Balance in Skiers

Balance control is crucial for performance enhancement and in this last decade, it has become a crucial target during coaching routines with unstable equilibrium conditions. The spread of multiple approaches to evaluate balance improved the knowledge of the posture and body arrangement during the performance, when the action is complex and rapid such as skiing. The aim of this study is to evaluate skiers’ balance in an ecological condition (with boots) versus a traditional way (barefoot). Twenty adolescents practicing alpine skiing, who participated in national championships, took part in this comparative study. The athletes were invited to carry out a stabilometric test lasting 30 seconds in a rest condition. They randomly carried out the test without shoes (barefoot) and with their own ski boots (boots) on a balance platform. A period of 30 minutes elapsed between the tests conditions to minimise the learning e ect. The comparison of ellipse area values between barefoot and boots condition showed high significant di erences in boys (p < 0.001, #$ = 0.574) and in girls (p = 0.040, #$ = 0.177), while the length of the COP displacement or sway did not show significant di erences. The assessment with boots is di erent than the usual setting, whereas the athletes performed the trial in a barefoot condition, suggesting a more functional approach to training because the final performance should be considered as a holistic interrelation between the athlete, shoes, tool, technique, condition, and environment.