Abstract
Background:In paralympic swimming, the biomechanical parameters related to performance are effectively determined according to the potentialities and peculiarities of each athlete. However, a clear integrated approach to these parameters for swimmers with physical disabilities at the speed of maximum oxygen uptake (vV̇O2max) is still practically non-existent.Objective:The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to assess kinematic, coordinative and efficiency parameters measured at vV̇O2maxin swimmers with physical impairments; and (ii) to correlate these biomechanical parameters with the time for a 200 m maximum test.Methods:Eleven swimmers with physical disabilities (seven males and four females) were assessed at vV̇O2maxwith support from a three-dimensional kinematic method. The performance parameters analysed were: (i) kinematic - stroke rate (SR), stroke length (SL), average swimming speed (SS) and intra-cyclic velocity variation (IVV); (ii) coordinative - index of coordination (IdC) and adapted index of coordination (IdCadapt); and (iii) swimming efficiency - propelling efficiency (çp).Results:The overall results showed high dispersion and wide confidence intervals for the kinematic and coordinative variables. The mean and standard deviation of vV̇O2maxand V̇O2at the same intensity were 0.90 ± 0.13 m/s and 38.2 ± 8.3 ml/kg/min, respectively.Conclusion:Swimmers with less significant impact of physical disability on specific swimming tasks presented higher SL, SS and çp. The IVV was higher in swimmers with a greater impact of disability on conducting specific competitive swimming tasks. In general, the catch-up inter-arm coordination model is adopted.
Highlights
The different expressions of swimmers’ movements can be assessed by kinematic, coordination and efficiency parameters [1 - 3]
The intra-cyclic velocity variation (IVV) was higher in swimmers with a greater impact of disability on conducting specific competitive swimming tasks
The results were expressed as the mean, standard deviation (SD) and CI for the mean of swimmers with physical impairments for the kinematic (SR, stroke length (SL), swimming speed (SS) and IVV), coordinative and swim efficiency variables measured at the speed of maximum oxygen uptake (Table 1)
Summary
The different expressions of swimmers’ movements can be assessed by kinematic, coordination and efficiency parameters [1 - 3]. In the case of swimmers with physical impairments, biomechanical analyses can contribute, for exam-ple, to understanding how different disabilities impact activity and sports performance [5, 6]. Swimmers with physical impairments have different movement skills according to the severity of each disability [3, 7 - 9]. These swimmers are grouped in sports classes S1 to S10, from the greatest to the smallest impact of disabilities on carrying out certain specific sports tasks [10]. A clear integrated approach to these parameters for swimmers with physical disabilities at the speed of maximum oxygen uptake (vVO2max) is still practically non-existent
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