The Perfect Take-Off
The ski boarding school Furtwangen is a cadre factory for young sports talents – for example for ski jumping. Olympic and World Champions like Martin Schmitt, Sven Hannawald, Hansjörg Jäkle or Carina Vogt trained here. In order to guide the next generation of young athletes in the boarding school to the same kind of success, they recently started to use an axis-system which simulates the take-off from the ski jump perfectly. IEF-Werner GmbH, which is also seated in Furtwangen, developed this simulator.
Furtwangen, 07.08.2019 – For over 25 years, the ski boarding school Furtwangen proved itself as a cadre factory for young sports talents. Big names of ski jumping like Sven Hannawald or Carina Vogt, who currently has to deal with a cruciate rupture, went to lessons in the morning and practised in the afternoon here. This did not change. However, the requirements, demands and the pressure that the young athletes are exposed to, rise. “It is important to perform the ski jump as accurately as possible, so that the athletes can achieve maximum performance”, ski jumping national coach Stefan Horngacher explains. “Therefore, they have to push with both legs evenly when taking off, without shifting their weight.” This may sound easy but is a difficulty that challenges the young athletes frequently. “How could we practise the taking off more effectively, without having to go to the ski jump every time?”, headmaster Niclas Kullmann and also state coach Rolf Schilli were asking themselves. With this problem, they turned to the local IEF-Werner GmbH, specialist for automation solutions and system components.
“We were really surprised, when the ski boarding school called our headquarters”, Andreas Hirt, technical consultant for linear drives at IEF-Werner, remembers. The task was of course very interesting for the engineers. “After having clarified the demands, we developed a multi-axes assembly with smoothly running linear guides, on which the athlete can practise his take-off. Simply put, the single axes each consist of a movable linear slide and a linear guide”, he describes. Therewith smooth and straightforward movements are possible. The complete system reacts very sensibly to imbalance and makes it visible, if the jump was stable.
Rolf Schilli is impressed. The new jumping simulator is very close to the situation on the ski jump. The athlete is required to push straight when taking off, without generating a strong lateral force and thus, sliding off. “On the ski jump, there is the problem that the track consists of an ice-lane and a plastic-edge. When taking off, the athlete pushes with his skis sideways against the edge of the lane and is therefore slowed down”, he describes. “This does not happen with the jumping simulator of IEF-Werner. The athlete has to concentrate ideally on a central take-off.”
Of course, the new gadget was a challenge for the young athletes. How do I stand on it? How do I get into my position and how am I able to jump off dynamically? However, the headmaster of the boarding school notices that the system contains a very challenging character. For example, Jonas, one of the students, uses the new training gadget in every single training possibility in order to perfect his taking-off technique. “It isn’t just a very efficient training possibility, it is a lot of fun, too”, Kullman is excited. Trainer and students discover more and more training potential while using the new gadget. “For example, the athlete is able to perform the movements very slowly”, state coach Schilli says. “Thereby, he notices best for himself which is the perfect moment to get up from the squat position and how the angle should be.” National coach Horngacher adds: “With the gadget, the coordinative skills can be improved significantly. The important point is to find the right balance in the approaching position.” Currently, the taking off simulator is used for younger athletes, but also the professionals already used it.