Beat counter

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Beat counter for manual operation by a trainer
Beat counter in a rowboat (display above the left toe). This watch does not have to be actively operated by the athlete.

Blows clocks ( English stroke timer ) are digital watches , mostly in competitive sports range of water sports with cyclical motion for detecting a stroke rate are used. Water sports in which beat counters are used are rowing , canoe racing , dragon boat sports and swimming .

functionality

The number of strokes (also stroke frequency ) with which an athlete executes a cyclical sequence of movements is measured in the unit spm ( English strokes per minute , strokes per minute ) or Hertz . For this purpose, the duration of the repetition of mostly three movement cycles is measured and the device determines the number of strokes from this. Typical values ​​for the number of strokes depend on the type of sport and field of application:

  • Rowing: 15 to 45 spm
  • Freestyle swimming: 75 to 120 spm (often referred to as cycle time between 1.6 and 1.0 s)
  • Canoeing: 70 to 140 spm
  • Dragon boating: 100 spm and more

The athlete cannot actively measure the number of strokes himself when using the watch, as this would distract too much from the sport. The number of strokes is therefore determined either by a trainer who is in close proximity to the athlete or by the watch itself using suitable sensors on the sports equipment. In addition to specialized devices, the beat counter function is now also made possible by various smartphone apps, so that specialized hardware no longer has to be purchased for sporadic purposes.

In addition to the beat counter for coaches, which is similar to conventional stopwatches, there are various models for use by the athlete in the boat, especially in rowing. The beat count is measured by the clock using magnetic or acceleration sensors and shown on a nearby display of the stretcher in the field of vision of the athlete or at the helmsman's place . No additional beat counter is necessary on the rowing ergometer , since the functionality is usually already integrated in the device.

Beat counters also have a stopwatch function for measuring lap or split times. Some models also allow the processing of GPS signals to calculate speeds and distances traveled.

literature

  • Volker Nolte (Ed.): Rowing Faster . 2nd, expanded edition. Human Kinetics, Champaign 2011, ISBN 978-0-7360-9040-7 (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Who is Using NK Rowing and Sports Products. Nielsen-Kellerman, accessed January 15, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b Becca Borawski Jenkins: 2 Numbers That Will Make You a Better Rower. In: breakingmuscle.com. Retrieved January 15, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Valery Kleshnev , Volker Nolte: Learning From Racing . In: Volker Nolte (Ed.): Rowing Faster . 2nd, expanded edition. Human Kinetics, Champaign 2011, ISBN 978-0-7360-9040-7 , pp. 263-266 (English).
  4. ↑ Sheila Taormina : Freestyle swimming like the professionals . 2nd Edition. spomedis, Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-936376-82-1 , p. 112 .