ABSTRACT
There are approximately 100 wheelchair athletes registered with the British Disabled Athletics Association, of those only around fifty are actively involved in racing. The wheelchair athlete group can be further divided into 45 male paraplegic athletes, 5 female paraplegic athletes, and 5 quadriplegic athletes. Since the market worldwide is so small development of the athlete’s racing equipment has been limited. The types of glove currently used by British athletes include open digit gloves, based on mountain bike gloves; full digit gloves, often made of leather and from military origins and purpose; and, special purpose gloves, often in the form composite material mitts that enclose digits two to five, with digit one (thumb) separately sheathed. Because of the small market size existing gloves are used or modified by athletes. Some one-off or small batch produced designs are available, but are expensive. An experienced wheelchair athlete approached
the Department of Design and Technology, Loughborough University, to help improve the design of his racing gloves. Athletes of all abilities have a number of attributes that make up their physiological performance: acceleration, peak power generation, endurance and recovery. The contact points between the human body and the sports equipment being used can be an area where the athlete’s performance may be inhibited. During wheelchair racing the main area for force transferral is through the hand. To achieve an optimum transferral of forces through the hand to the sports equipment requires grip. Reducing slip during a performance will optimise control and power output through to the sports equipment, improving grip.
