Comparison of the effects of land training and snow training on physical and motoric characteristics in the ski branch

Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the physical and motor effects of summer and winter training for snowboard athletes. Additionally, it seeks to determine the contribution of off-season (dry land) training, conducted after on-snow training, to athletes' performance and physical attributes. Materials and Methods: A total of 19 competitive ski athletes, including 11 boys and 8 girls, who are athletes in the "TOHM" and "SEM" programs within the Kayseri Provincial Directorate of Youth Services and Sports, participated in the study. To track motor characteristics, the EuroFit test was administered before and after 3 months of dry land and 3 months of snow training. Additionally, anthropometric measurements were taken to determine the effects on physical attributes, and a Lafayette muscle strength measuring device was used to assess muscle strength. The data collected at the end of the study were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 software package. The distribution characteristics of the participants' pre- and post-test scores were examined using parametric and non-parametric analysis methods, as well as skewness and kurtosis values. Based on these results, a Two-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA analysis was used to determine the effects of dry land and snow training over time. Findings: Significant differences were found in the height, body weight, and body mass index (BMI) parameters for female participants, and in the height, body weight, BMI, and body fat percentage parameters for male participants. In the anthropometric measurements, significant within-group differences were observed in the biceps, triceps, subscapula, suprailiac, and calf parameters for female participants; for male participants, significant differences were found in the biceps, triceps, subscapula, suprailiac, calf, and quadriceps parameters. In the circumference and diameter analyses, significant differences were observed in the humerus bicondylar diameter for female participants, and in the calf circumference, biceps circumference, and humerus bicondylar diameter for male participants. In the motor tests, significant within-group differences were found in the flamingo and Cooper parameters for both male and female groups. Interaction values showed significant differences between male and female participants in the sit-and-reach tests. Additionally, significant within-group differences were found in the bent-arm hang and standing long jump parameters for the female group. Interaction values indicated significant differences in the bent-arm hang parameter for female participants. For male participants, a significant within-group difference was found in the arm movement speed parameter. In the muscle strength tests, significant differences were observed in the quadriceps and calf strength parameters for both male and female participants. In the physiological tests, significant within-group differences were found in the systolic blood pressure parameter for the male group. Conclusion: While some physical and physiological differences were found between male and female skiers, it was concluded that regular and systematic training programs had similar positive effects on both genders. This study emphasizes the importance of dry land training, indicating that it is as crucial as on-snow training for optimizing athletes' performance. Keywords: Snowboard Training, Land Training, Snow Training