Motor Skill Evaluation
Among the many detrimental affects that dehydration can have on athletic performance is an erosion of motor skills. The staff at GSSI is able to measure how hydration levels and fuel status affect an athlete’s motor skills by conducting a variety of tests under conditions in which hydration levels are tightly monitored and controlled.
For example, the athlete may be asked to complete a foot-drill course — a series of specific foot movements that replicate a pre-established pattern — as fast and as accurately as possible. The GSSI researchers measure the athlete’s performance in the drill and compare that performance to the athlete’s level of dehydration.
The results help GSSI scientists understand how hydration and carbohydrate ingestion benefit the kinds of motor skills that are important in sports competition.
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