Rodeo Athletes and Kinesiology

Rodeo Athletes and Kinesiology

Rodeo…most people have heard of the word or have been to a rodeo as a little kid to see the infamous bull riding. But not too many people know what all goes into being a rodeo athlete. There is so much more to rodeo than holding on for dear life for 8 seconds and getting around all three barrels … Rodeo is life and life is hard. Professional rodeo athletes are on a tight knit schedule and have to enter and win a certain number of pro rodeos to qualify for the big event at the end of the year, the NFR (National Finals Rodeo) this is like the super bowl for the sport of rodeo for the top rodeo athletes this is their job.

Physically each individual athlete has to be proficient in different areas to perform at the optimal level. Ropers, whether calf ropers or team ropers, have to be able to strategically rope their calf or steer in matter of seconds which requires a great matter of skill. Comparison with more traditionally researched athletes, however, has lacked the sport-specificity required for proper skill analysis and improvement in this sport. At the present time, no previous studies have investigated the kinematic aspects of rodeo and the use of a rope as a projectile in sport.¹ Subsequent kinesiological analysis divided the roping motion into five distinct phases: windup, primary arm acceleration, arm cocking, secondary arm acceleration and arm deceleration, follow-through, with the motion being continually modified to accommodate split-second changes in environmental and competitive conditions. These conditions, which are unique to this sport, include maintaining optimal plane of motion in relation to a non-stationary bovine target, overcoming inertia during completion of the throw while traveling on horseback at a speed of up to 55 km an hour, maintaining trajectory, direction and acceleration of a non-aerodynamic projectile in the absence of gyroscopic action, and adjusting to the influence and in-stability of equine footing.²

In summary, compared with traditional sport, the throwing task is considered extremely dynamic, requiring an extensive array of subconscious articular adjustments to maximize velocity and reach the elusive target.

References

1. Meyers, M., & Skelly, W. (1995). Kinematic analysis of rope velocity in rodeo. Applied Research In Coaching & Athletics Annual, 44-53
   2. Meyers, M. C., & Laurent, J. M. (2010). The Rodeo Athlete. Sports Medicine, 40(5), 417-431.