[Development, evaluation and application of a dynamometric system of skates].

The present paper accounts for the elaboration validation and application of a dynamometric system device for ice skates that allows measurements of the forces and the point of application of their resultant on the blade during ice skating. The dynamometric system was built using strain gauges fixed to the frame of the blade and mounted in a Wheatstone bridge network which enabled after proper calibration to record force measurements. The type of frame chosen for the blade and the various modifications that were brought to it appear essential for the applicability of the system. In order to conduct a dynamic study of the "stop" during skating the system was coupled with a cinematographic technique enabling measurements of tridimensional angles of the skates. Two male subjects completed five "stops" at three different determined speeds. Results indicated that dynamometric systems build with frames of modified metal blades were of an adequate precision for measuring forces. Moreover coupling of the system with the cinematographic technique allowing measurements of tridimensional angles provides a powerful and innovative tool for the dynamic study of ice skating.