An experimental study of climbers performances based on hand-grip force measurement

In recent years training has started adopting innovative experimental techniques to assess athletes' behaviour to define dedicated and focalized training strategies to further increase their performances. The mostly used technique is video analysis since it can be used for almost any sport and gives a direct and intuitive feedback. However, video analysis is not able to catch important aspects of the athlete's movement, in particular forces exerted by the athletes on interacting elements (ground, grips,...). Thus, special and costly training tools have been designed and tested. The drawback of these tools is that they typically cannot be used in real competitions. The present paper deals with the design and testing of a dynamometric hand-grips for climbing. The design was carried out to allow using the hand-grips not only during training but also during competitions. Special care was therefore dedicated to develop sensing grips with the same shape and the same fixing of traditional grips. Grips were used for the first time during a world cup speed climbing competition. Obtained results gave important indications on how to improve performances and the training of athletes