Journal
SPORTS BIOMECHANICS
Volume -, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/14763141.2021.1891276
Keywords
Swimmers; velocity; assessment; statistical parametric mapping; biomechanics
Categories
Funding
- Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (Spanish Agency of Research)
- European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) [DEP2014-59707-P, PGC2018-102116-B-I00]
- Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Spanish Agency of Research)
- Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport [FPU17/02761]
- University of Granada, Granada (Spain) [B11.56.1]
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Swimming performance heavily relies on the underwater phase, with young swimmers benefiting greatly from technique development. A training protocol can significantly improve UUS and underwater gliding performance, potentially reducing swimmers' hydrodynamic drag. Kinematic variables highlighted in the study can help quantify changes in UUS and gliding performance.
In swimming, the underwater phase after the start and turn comprises gliding and dolphin kicking, with the latter also known as underwater undulatory swimming (UUS). Swimming performance is highly dependent on the underwater phase; therefore, understanding the training effects in UUS and underwater gliding can be critical for swimmers and coaches. Further, the development of technique in young swimmers can lead to exponential benefits in an athlete's career. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a training protocol on UUS and underwater gliding performance and kinematics in young swimmers. Seventeen age group swimmers (boys = 10, girls = 7) performed maximal UUS and underwater gliding efforts before and after a seven-week training protocol. Time to reach 10 m; intra-cyclic mean, peak, and minimum velocities; and gliding performance improved significantly after the training protocol. The UUS performance improvement was mostly produced by an improvement of the upbeat execution, together with a likely reduction of swimmers' hydrodynamic drag. Despite the changes in UUS and gliding, performance was also likely influenced by growth. The findings from this study highlight kinematic variables that can be used to understand and quantify changes in UUS and gliding performance.
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