Author(s): MYTKO, A., NAGORNA, V., LORENZETTI, S., Institution: DEPARTMENT OF ELITE SPORTS, Country: SWITZERLAND, Abstract-ID: 188

INTRODUCTION:
The use of adaptive sports for persons with a spinal cord injury, particularly those who use wheelchairs, plays a crucial role in enhancing their physical fitness, mental well-being, and overall quality of life. In this context, billiards offer a pathway to rehabilitation, empowerment, and social inclusion for people with these types of injuries. Billiards provide a crucial outlet for adaptive sports, allowing individuals with musculoskeletal injuries worldwide to engage in competitive activities. However, training billiards athletes with spinal cord injuries presents challenges in executing shots. Our research aims to increase the integration of persons with musculoskeletal disorders into sports activity in billiards by implementing innovative technologies and developments in the training process.
METHODS:
The research employed a multifaceted methodology, encompassing the analysis and synthesis of scientific and methodological literature, sociological research methods (utilizing questionnaires from coaches and officials of countries participating in the European Pool Championship spanning 2017 to 2023), expert assessments (involving 23 professional pool players participating in the European Pool Championship, wheelchairs division during the same period), pedagogical research methods (including observation and testing of special technical and tactical billiard exercises involving 16 pool players with spinal cord injuries from Ukraine), biomechanical analysis (utilizing OpenCaps web application for estimating movement dynamics from videos, involving calibration of cameras, video collection and processing, estimation of marker positions, kinematics assessment, and physics-based dynamic simulations of movements), and mathematical-statistical methods.
RESULTS:
To comprehensively assess the stroke technique of billiard players in wheelchairs, we conducted organoleptic measurements using the innovative "OpenCap" web software for evaluating 3D kinematics. Kinematic parameters were registered during the execution of a standardized billiard shot using two different techniques. A significant correlation was identified between the indicators of cue motion for players using two techniques: with the forearm in the vertical plane and with the forearm in the horizontal plane. The latter proved more suitable for players with spinal cord injuries in the C5-C6 vertebrae.
The implementation of innovative developments, including special straps for cue fixation, a modified "bridge," and specialized training programs, resulted in noteworthy improvements: technical preparedness increased by 25% (basic shots by 26% and complex shots by 24%), technical-tactical preparedness improved by 30%, specialized physical preparedness enhanced by 44%, and competition results showed a remarkable improvement of 40%.
CONCLUSION:
Over the research period of employing individual programs and implementing innovative techniques, the performance of athletes with disabilities increased by an average of 15%. The scientific and applied relevance of these innovations for enhancing the effectiveness of training and competitive activities in adaptive billiards has been demonstrated. These developments hold potential applicability to various forms of adaptive sports in Ukraine, Switzerland, and worldwide.