The Effect of Auditory Feedback on Rowing Time, Rhythm and Synchrony between Two Male Rowers with Visual Impairment

Background: Over the last few years Paralympics movement and world-wide governmental bodies have had a large impact on promoting competitive rowing for people with visual impairment. It has always been a man wish to go faster and further, so factors such as rowing rhythm, power and length determines the boat speed (Nolte, 2005). Objective: To examined the effect of auditory feedback on motor performance in two male rowers with visual impairment with regard to the rowing time, rhythm and synchrony. Methods: Subjects were tested in two different settings under two different conditions: a) testing subjects with auditory feedback (AFB), b) testing subjects without auditory feedback (WAFB). Setting 1 includes a 500 m rowing test on the river at max. rowing pace. Setting 2 includes a rowing test in indoor rowing tank lasting for 3 min., 2 min. and 1 min. performed at different stroke rate frequencies 13 str/min., 15 str/min and 18 str/min, accordingly. Data collection consisted of two steps: dynamic and static video recording. Rowing time and rhythm had been measured in setting 1 and rhythm and synchrony in setting 2. Results: Data indicated that AFB related to setting 1 did facilitate performance. In setting 2, AFB enhanced stroke rower's (SR) performance in response to rhythm stability but no gain in rhythm stability was found for the bow rower (BR). Data reveal that AFB did not influence rowers' ability to row in synchrony. Discussion: In setting 1 subjects could use both exteroceptive and interceptive information to detect and correct errors whereas in indoor rowing tank the use of interoceptive information to detect teammate movements were not possible due to the static rowing environment. Conclusion: AFB in addition to intrinsic feedback facilitated performance in dynamic and static environment for SR whereas the opposite was true for BR regarding static environment.