The main purpose of this study was to develop and assess an on-land training aid for learning balance in sprint kayaking. The literature has shown the importance of biomechanical analysis and how training aids can provide a beneficial part in the learning process of new skills. An on-water experimental analysis was conducted on experienced paddlers to establish the kinematic characteristics and the centre of rotation position of the kayak-paddler system. From this analysis it was found that the kayak rolling motion is dependent on the paddler's ability and the centre of rotation of the kayak paddler system relative to the seat of the kayak was found to be between 10 cm - 13 cm above the seat. Findings from this analysis were interpreted into technical requirements and integrated into the design of the training aid. Once built the training aid prototype was evaluated by a series of testing and modification to enhance its ability to replicate the on-water kayak. The evaluation data showed that the stationary sprint kayak on-water medial-lateral rolling motion is affected by weight variations and further evaluation demonstrated that the training aid has the ability to replicate the motion for different weights. An experimental assessment on a group of beginners was carried out and the results showed that the training aid was able to facilitate the learning of balance in sprint kayaking. The experimental subjects who used the balance training aid had the same total number of sessions as the control subjects who learned to balance in the actual sprint kayak (experimental, 9 + 1 sessions; control, 9 + 1 sessions). However, the experimental subjects only spent half of the total number of sessions learning on-water (4 + 1 sessions) and the other half on the training aid (5 + 1 sessions).

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As a result of increased terrorist activity around the world, the development of a canine training aid suitable for daily military operations is necessary to provide effective canine explosive detection. Since the use of sniffer dogs has proven to be a reliable resource for the rapid detection of explosive volatiles organic compounds, the present study evaluated the ability of the Human Scent Collection System (HSCS) device for the creation of training aids for plasticized / tagged explosives, nitroglycerin and TNT containing explosives, and smokeless powders for canine training purposes. Through canine field testing, it was demonstrated that volatiles dynamically collected from real explosive material provided a positive canine response showing the effectiveness of the HSCS in creating canine training aids that can be used immediately or up to several weeks (3) after collection under proper storage conditions. These reliable non-hazardous training aids allow its use in areas where real explosive material aids are not practical and/or available.