Freestyle Swimming Performance Research Articles

Anthropometric characteristics and physiological responses of high level swimmers and performance in 100 m freestyle swimming

The effect of the anthropometric characteristics on performances has been the subject of many studies (Reilly, T., Bangsbo, J., & Franks, A. (2000). Anthropometric and physiological predispositions for elite soccer. Journal of Sports Science, 18(9), 669–683) but performance also depends on different physiological parameters. The aim of the present study is to define the anthropometric and physiological variables that best predict performance time of 100 m freestyle swimming. Twenty-five competitive male swimmers (age: 15 ± 1.2 years) participated in the research. Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that arm span is the best predictor of 100 m freestyle swimming performance (r = 0.835). Arm span explains 68.5% of the variance of dependent variable (Adj R2: 0.685). In the final model, the variables that best describe 100 m freestyle swimming are the number of strokes of 100 m freestyle swimming, triceps skinfold, pelvis and shoulders width (Adj R2: 0.882). These findings confirm the importance of the anthropometric variables for swimming performance and could help coaches in the selection of high-level athletes.

Effects of 8-Week Core Exercises on Free Style Swimming Performance of Female Swimmers Aged 9-12

With this study, it is aimed to review the effects of 8-week core exercises, which are scheduled before the routine exercises, on changes over certain physical and motoric attributes and freestyle swimming performance of female athletes of the youngest age group, which is 9-12. For the study, a group of 12 female licensed swimmers who had a swimming background of 3 years in city of Van is chosen to be core exercise group (CEG) and set as experimental group. And 12 female swimmers are chosen to be in control group. The athletes are scheduled to perform regular swimming exercises for competition, five days a week and for approximately 90 minutes per day. In addition to control group, CEG is scheduled to perform 20 minutes of low intensity, fixed duration and repetitive core exercises before every routine exercise for 8 weeks. Chosen measurements are obtained from the athletes both at the beginning and after 8 weeks and the change between pretest and posttest values is evaluated. For the statistical data analysis, non-parametric tests of Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney U tests are used. As a results of the study, the group of swimmers aged 9-12 who underwent 8 weeks of low intensity core exercises showed differences compared to pretest and posttest values of control group, even though not statistically significant (p>0,05). As a result, compared to the control group, a 1-2 seconds of decrease – especially when it is a very important amount for this sport – in 25 m and 50 m free style swimming ranks is attributed to the effect of core exercises, and it is reckoned that low intensity core exercises may positively affect the free style swimming performance of female swimmers aged 9-12.

The effect of 8-week thera-band exercises on male swimmers’ 100 m freestyle swimming performance

The aim of this study is to investigate 8 weeks Thera-Band trainings' effects on male swimmers' 100 m freestyle swimming performance.The study group is created by 20 (n = 20) licenced male athletes that had trained at least 3 days in a week and have been active in swimming sport at least 3 years in Gebze Genclerbirligi Swimming Club 20 (n = 20). Athletes were divided into experiment group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10) randomly. Training programme was applied to the study group for 55-60 minutes for 3 days on alternate days and times when the club does not have swimming training. 12 different Thera-Band trainings were applied for 40-45 mins and each set was 15 minutes.Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze differences between groups and Wilcoxon signed rank test was applied for analyzing the differences of intra-groups. SPSS 21.0 Statistics package software was used for statistical analyzes. The results show that there are no significantly differences between experimental group's and control group's post test results. (p>0.05). Statistically significant differences are found as a result of intra-group comparison of the experimental group's pre-test and post-test results (p<0.05).Depending on the results obtained after reviewing the literature, it can be concluded that Thera-Band training is effective on the performance improvement of swimmers aged 13-15 years.

Associations between Land-Based Laboratory Measures and Freestyle Swimming Performance

Associations between Land-Based Laboratory Measures and Freestyle Swimming Performance

The impact of an educational course for swimming on free style swimming performance and life skills for deaf students

This study investigates the impact of an educational course for swimming on free style swimming performance and life skills for deaf students. Subjects were (10) male deaf students who were attended to swimming courses level (1) in the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Jordan, with mean age of (M age = 20.4 SD =1.35). After completing the Life skills through swimming context scale (Bayyat et al., 2016) and practical pre-test of free style swimming skills performance, subjects executed both physical practice of the free style swimming skills performance during a program conceited of eighteen sessions, 3 sessions a week, for 6-weeks, 60 mints per session, and life skills development dialogues program which focused on certain life skills (Communications, teamwork, self confidence / self –Esteem, problem solving and decision-making/responsibility).After 6-weeks all subjects completed a post life skills questionnaire which measured the changes in their life skills level after learning the free style swimming skills performance, they also went through a post practical subjective performance evaluation post-test which measured their level of the free style swimming skills performance. Statistical analysis was processed by SPSS. The results showed significant differences between pre and post-test in life skills dimensions and significant differences between pre and post-test in free style swimming performance level for the subject of this study. In conclusions the educational course for swimming had a positive impact on free style swimming performance and on life skills for deaf students in the faculty of physical education at the University of Jordan.

The effects of verbal and visual feedback on performance and learning freestyle swimming in novice swimmers

<div>The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of feedback on freestyle learning and performance of novice swimmers. Sixty male (Mage=18.7, SD=1.82) first year students were randomly assigned into four groups: self-modeling, expert-modeling, verbal, and control group. The intervention program lasted for seven weeks. Participants were evaluated in 25m freestyle swimming, with a pool buoy between the legs and breathing every three hands through a pre-test, a post-test and a retention test. The result revealed that self-modeling group was the most effective, in comparison with the other types of feedback, in terms of improvement of the technique in novice swimmers. There were no differences between groups in the speed performance of 25m free style swimming. Overall, the present study provides valuable evidence for the effects of self-modeling on performance in freestyle swimming, and encourages research to further</div><div>explore such effects between different types of feedback in real training conditions.</div>

8-12 Yaş Çocuklarda Bazı Antropometrik Özellikler ile 50 Metre Serbest Stil Yüzme Performansı Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi

8-12 Yaş Çocuklarda Bazı Antropometrik Özellikler ile 50 Metre Serbest Stil Yüzme Performansı Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi

Effects of the anthropometric and kinematic parameters on 50 m freestyle swimming performances

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the anthropometric and kinematic parameters on 50 m freestyle swimming performances in swimmers. The study group of the research consists of 31 students, whose ages are 23.29 ± 2.65 years, who are studying in School of Physical Education and Sports, Selcuk University, and who swim at least for 4 years. In the study, body fat percentage making the various anthropometric measurements on the students, their body fat percentages and body compositions were determined. After 50 m freestyle swimming, the scores of the students were recorded. During these measurements, the students were monitored by means of video camera and their arm cycles were also determined. Stroke rate, tine of 50 m freestyle swimming, and Pearson correlation coefficient of anthropometric variables were calculated. In assessment of the results of correlation analysis, the range of 0.30-0.70 was defined as middle level relationship and range of 0.70-1.00 as high level relationship. In this study carried out to measure the effect of stroke rates of 50 m freestyle swimmers on performance, a negative middle level relationship was observed between body weight and time of 50 m freestyle swimming. This relationship indicates that when body weight increases, freestyle swimming performance will improve. In addition, the fact that the swimmers in this study have a endo-meso body type is an important finding pointing out the performance increase.

Land-based Warm-up Is Inferior To Water-based Warm-up For 100m Freestyle Swimming Performance

In swimming competitions, athletes must usually complete their pool-based warm-up 20 minutes before their race time, and spend the intervening time out of the water in a call room. It is possible that some of the beneficial effects of completing a warm-up may be lost during this time. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a land-based warm up (LAND) on 100m freestyle swimming performance, compared to a traditional water-based warm-up (WATER). METHODS: Twenty-two national level swimmers ( 11 female, age 17.9 ± 2.5 years, 100m freestyle personal best 59.8 ± 2.8 s; 11 male, age 18.6 ± 2.8 years, 100m freestyle personal best 52.8 ± 1.91 s) completed both WATER and LAND warm-ups prior to a 100m race, in a randomised cross-over design. WATER consisted of 2100m of drills at various intensities, taking approximately 30 minutes to complete, and followed by a 20-minute call-room wait. LAND consisted of a time-matched programme of dynamic mobility exercises, pulse-raisers, and muscle activation exercises, again followed by a 20-minute call-room wait. Race time, stroke rate (SR) and distance per stroke (DPS) were obtained from race video analysis; heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded before and after the warm-up and race. Paired T-tests were performed to test for significant differences between conditions. RESULTS: Race time was faster after WATER than LAND (58.10 ± 4.39 s vs. 59.00 ± 4.04 s, p = 0.001, Cohen’s d ES 0.2), there were no significant differences in SR or DPS. HR was higher after WATER than LAND (153 ± 14 bpm vs. 140 ± 21 bpm, p = 0.024, Cohen’s d ES 0.7); RPE was lower after WATER than LAND (median RPE 13 vs. 15, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The land-based warm-up was not sufficient to prepare swimmers for a 100 m freestyle race; this may be due to the lower physiological intensity (as determined by HR), or perhaps the absence of ‘water feel’ (not measured). Further work should investigate the effect of a combined water and land warm-up to more closely replicate the call-room scenario.

Relationships Between Pacing Parameters and Performance of Elite Male 1500-m Swimmers.

Pacing has a substantial effect on endurance performance. The authors characterize pacing and identify its parameters for optimal performance in 1500-m freestyle swimming. Web sites provided 50-m lap and 1500-m race times for 330 swims of 24 elite male swimmers. Pacing for each swim was characterized with 7 parameters derived from a general linear model: linear and quadratic coefficients for the effect of lap number; reductions from predicted time for first, second, penultimate, and last laps; and lap-time variability. Scatter plots of race time vs each parameter for each swimmer were used to identify optimum values of parameters. Most scatterplots showed only weak relationships between the parameter and performance, but one-third to one-half of swimmers had an optimum value of the parameter that was substantially different from their mean value. A large improvement in performance time (1.4% ± 0.9%, mean ± SD) could be achieved generally by reversing the sign of the linear parameter to make the slowest lap occur earlier in the race. Small to moderate improvements might also accrue by changing the quadratic parameter, by making the first and second laps slower and the penultimate and last laps faster, and reducing lap-time variability. This approach to analysis of pacing may help improve performance in swimmers and other endurance athletes in sports with multiple laps, but data from many competitions are required.

The Association Between Visual Function And Race Performance In Elite Visually Impaired Swimmers

Vision impairment (VI) is one of the eligible impairments that qualify athletes to participate in Paralympic swimming in one of three classes depending on their level of visual function. The classification aims to minimise the impact of VI on the outcome of competition so that the winner is the best athlete and not the one with the least impairment. However, the current system is based on anecdotal evidence rather than empirical evidence to show that these classes minimise the impact of VI. PURPOSE: To investigate the association between measures of visual function and swimming performance. METHODS: We recorded video footage of all 100m freestyle races in the VI classes (25 females and 19 males) at the 2014 IPC European Championships. Race time was determined for the entire race and for the start, turn, and finish. Visual acuity and visual field were measured according to the IPC classification procedures. Linear regression was used to investigate the association while taking into account potential confounding factors including age and training volume. RESULTS: For both males and females, there is a significant association between visual function and race performance that remains when accounting for age and training volume (see Figure 1). No significant differences in race performance were found between S12 and S13 classes, however, race times were significantly longer in the S11 class compared to S12 and S13 classes combined. CONCLUSIONS: Freestyle swimming performance is affected by vision impairment, however, the results question the validity of the currently used classification for swimmers with VI. Figure 1. Race time associated with visual function. Dotted lines represent cut-off values between current classes. Lower logMAR scores represent better visual acuity. Class S13 has the best acuity, then S12, and S11 has the most severe VI. (NE= not eligible).

Assessment of a Proposed Freestyle Swimming Skills Improvement Program for Female College Students

The purpose of the study was to assess a proposed freestyle swimming skills improvement program for female college students. Participants were 87 college female students who were assessed in their freestyle swimming performance through performance test rubric, interview and observation. The proposed freestyle swimming skills improvement program for female college students was designed based on the freestyle skill performance rating of the students and based from the format of Hannula. Findings revealed that, in general the freestyle swimming performance of the respondents is fair. The proposed freestyle swimming skills improvement program for female students of AUF was assessed as excellent and may serve as a viable tool to improve the skills of female college students.

Factors affecting adolescents 50 meter performance in freestyle swimming

Factors affecting adolescents 50 meter performance in freestyle swimming

The Association between Anthropometric Variables, Functional Movement Screen Scores and 100 m Freestyle Swimming Performance in Youth Swimmers

This study examined the association between anthropometric variables, Functional Movement Screen (FMS) scores and 100 m freestyle swimming performance in early adolescent swimmers. Fifty competitive, national level, youth swimmers (21 males, 29 females, mean age ± SD = 13.5 ± 1.5 years, age range 11–16 years) performed an “all-out” 100 m freestyle (front crawl) swim as fast as they could in a 50 m pool. A median divide for 100 m timed swim was also used to divide the sample into faster or slower groups. Height, body mass, skinfolds and limb lengths were also assessed. Maturation was calculated by proxy using anthropometric measures and participants also undertook the FMS as a measure of functional performance. Backwards linear regression indicated a significant model (p = 0.0001, Adjusted R2 = 0.638) explaining 63.8% of the variance in swim performance with total sum of skinfolds, upper leg length, lower leg length, hand length and total height significantly contributing to the model. Swimmers who were classed as fast had lower total sum of skinfolds (p = 0.005) and higher total FMS score (p = 0.005) compared to their slower peers. In summary, this study indicates that anthropometric variables significantly explained the variance in 100 m freestyle swimming performance in youth swimmers.

50 m Serbest Yüzme Performansının Alt Ekstremite Wingate Anaerobik Güç ve Kapasite Testi İle İlişkisi

Bu calismanin amaci, 50 m serbest yuzme performansinin alt ekstremite wingate anaerobik guc ve kapasite testi ile iliskisini incelemektir. Calismaya 11 erkek (yas: 13.45 ± 1.03 yil, boy: 166.18 ± 10.12 cm, vucut agirligi: 55.00 ± 11.13 kg, spor yasi: 6.2 ± 1.1 yil) performans yuzucusu gonullu olarak katilmistir. Tum deneklere ilk gun Wingate anaerobik guc ve kapasite testi, ikinci gun 50 m yuzme testi yapilmistir. Bu calismada 50 m serbest yuzme performansi standart bir atlama tasindan yapilmamistir, sporcu suyun icinden ve havuzun kenarindan yuzmeye baslamistir. Ayrica 10’ar metrelik gecis sureleri kayit edilmistir. Verilerin istatistiksel analizi Pearson Korelasyon analizi ile degerlendirilmis ve anlamlilik duzeyi olarak p 0.05). Yorgunluk indeksi ile relatif anaerobik kapasite, relatif minimum anaerobik guc ve minimum anaerobik guc arasinda istatistiksel olarak anlamli iliski bulunmustur (p 0.05). Yuzme performanslarindaki 10’ar metrelik gecis surelerinin Wingate anaerobik testi ile arasindaki iliskiye bakildiginda; yuzme maksimum hiz ile wingate anaerobik guc, yuzme ortalama hiz ile wingate anaerobik kapasite, yuzme minumum hiz ile wingate minumum guc degerleri arasinda hem relatif hem de absolut deger olarak istatistiksel olarak anlamli bir iliski bulunmustur (p 0.05). Bu sonucu; deneklerin spor yasi, profesyonellik duzeyi, suda ve karada yapilan aktivite arasindaki surtunme farki, ortam kosullari (nem, sicaklik vb.) gibi faktorler etkilemis olabilir

Changes in breaststroke swimming performances in national and international athletes competing between 1994 and 2011 -a comparison with freestyle swimming performances.

BackgroundThe purpose of the present study was to analyse potential changes in performance of elite breaststroke swimmers competing at national and international level and to compare to elite freestyle swimming performance.MethodsTemporal trends in performance of elite breaststroke swimmers were analysed from records of the Swiss Swimming Federation and the FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation) World Swimming Championships during the 1994–2011 period. Swimming speeds of elite female and male breaststroke swimmers competing in 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m were examined using linear regression, non-linear regression and analysis of variance. Results of breaststroke swimmers were compared to results of freestyle swimmers.ResultsSwimming speed in both strokes improved significantly (p < 0.0001-0.025) over time for both sexes, with the exception of 50 m breaststroke for FINA men. Sex differences in swimming speed increased significantly over time for Swiss freestyle swimmers (p < 0.0001), but not for FINA swimmers for freestyle, while the sex difference remained stable for Swiss and FINA breaststroke swimmers. The sex differences in swimming speed decreased significantly (p < 0.0001) with increasing race distance.ConclusionsThe present study showed that elite male and female swimmers competing during the 1994–2011 period at national and international level improved their swimming speed in both breaststroke and freestyle. The sex difference in freestyle swimming speed consistently increased in athletes competing at national level, whereas it remained unchanged in athletes competing at international level. Future studies should investigate temporal trends for recent time in other strokes, to determine whether this improvement is a generalized phenomenon.

Sex difference in age and performance in elite Swiss freestyle swimmers competing from 50m to 1,500m.

Recent studies reported different ages for peak freestyle swimming performances for 50 m and 1,500 m. The aims of the present study were (i) to determine the age of peak freestyle swimming speed for distances including 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, and 1,500 m and to (ii) analyze the sex difference in peak freestyle swimming speed for all distances between 50 m and 1,500 m for elite female and male swimmers competing at national level. Data from the ‘Swiss Swimming Federation’ between 2006 and 2010 from 10,405 men and 9,552 women were analyzed using regression analyses and analyses of variance (ANOVA). Women achieved peak freestyle swimming speed at ~20–21 years from 50 m to 400 m, at ~24–25 years in 1,500 m and at ~25–27 years in 800 m. In men, the age of peak freestyle swimming speed varied between ~22–23 years and ~25–27 years for 50 m to 1,500 m. Between the age of 10 and 29 years, the sex difference in freestyle swimming speed increased from 2.2 ± 0.4% to 19.0 ± 6.7% in 50 m (r2 = 0.87, P < 0.001), from 2.4 ± 0.7% to 10.8 ± 2.8% in 100 m (r2 = 0.67, P = 0.004) and from 3.6 ± 1.9% to 10.2 ± 3.4% in 200 m (r2 = 0.60, P = 0.008). In 400 m (r2 = 0.24), 800 m (r2 = 0.39) and 1,500 m (r2 = 0.34), the sex difference showed no changes (P > 0.05) with 6.9 ± 3.0%, 5.8 ± 3.5%, and 9.7 ± 8.6%, respectively. The sex difference in freestyle swimming speed showed no change with increasing race distance (r2 = 0.12, P > 0.05). To summarize, the age of peak freestyle swimming speed increased for women with the length of the race distance from 50 m to 200 m, but not from 400 m to 1,500 m. For men, the age of peak freestyle swimming speed varied between ~22–23 years and ~25–27 years from 50 m to 1,500 m. The sex difference in freestyle swimming speed of 9.1 ± 2.5% showed no change with increasing race distance. Future studies need to confirm these findings in elite swimmers competing at international level such as the World Championships and the Olympic Games.

The effects of course length on freestyle swimming speed in elite female and male swimmers – a comparison of swimmers at national and international level

Freestyle swimming performance over 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1,500 m was compared on short (25 m) and long (50 m) course for 92,196 national swimmers (i.e. annual high score list Switzerland) and 1,104 international swimmers (i.e. finalists FINA World Championships) from 2000 to 2012. National and international swimmers of both sexes were on average 2.0 ± 0.6% faster on short than on long course. Sex-related differences in swimming speed were greater on short than on long course for international and national swimmers from 50 m to 800 m. Freestyle swimming performance improved across years for international swimmers in both short- and long-course whereas only male national swimmers were able to improve on short and long course events except for short course events on 800 m and 1,500 m. Performance in national women competing in short and long course events showed only improvements on 50 m, 100 m and 1,500 m across years. The sex-related differences in freestyle swimming performance showed no change for international swimmers. For national swimmers, the sex-related differences in freestyle swimming performance increased over time in long course from 50 m to 800 m, but decreased for 1,500 m. In conclusion, elite female and male freestyle swimmers at national and international level were about 2% faster on 25 m compared to 50 m course. During the 2000–2012 period, international as well as national swimmers (i.e. for national level predominantly men) improved freestyle swimming performance in both long and short course. More vigorous and optimized training programs focused on muscular force production in combination with efficient swimming skills might close the performance gap between elite swimmers at national level and FINA finalists. Further research especially including effects of anthropometric, biomechanical, and physiological factors is required to fully understand the effects of course length on freestyle swimming performance, and to determine whether course length has similar effects on other swim styles.

Sex-related differences and age of peak performance in breaststroke versus freestyle swimming

BackgroundSex-related differences in performance and in age of peak performance have been reported for freestyle swimming. However, little is known about the sex-related differences in other swimming styles. The aim of the present study was to compare performance and age of peak performance for elite men and women swimmers in breaststroke versus freestyle.MethodsRace results were analyzed for swimmers at national ranked in the Swiss high score list (during 2006 through 2010) and for international swimmers who qualified for the finals of the FINA World Swimming Championships (during 2003 through 2011).ResultsThe sex-related difference in swimming speed was significantly greater for freestyle than for breaststroke over 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m race distances for Swiss swimmers, but not for FINA finalists. The sex-related difference for both freestyle and breaststroke swimming speeds decreased significantly with increasing swimming distance for both groups. Race distance did not affect the age of peak performance by women in breaststroke, but age of peak performance was four years older for FINA women than for Swiss women. Men achieved peak swimming performance in breaststroke at younger ages for longer race distances, and the age of peak swimming performance was six years older for FINA men than for Swiss men. In freestyle swimming, race distance did not affect the age of peak swimming performance for Swiss women, but the age of peak swimming performance decreased with increasing race distance for Swiss men and for both sexes at the FINA World Championships.ConclusionsResults of the present study indicate that (i) sex-related differences in swimming speed were greater for freestyle than for breaststroke for swimmers at national level, but not for swimmers at international level, and (ii) both female and male swimmers achieved peak swimming speeds at younger ages in breaststroke than in freestyle. Further studies are required to better understand differences between trends at national and international levels.

Respiratory muscle specific warm-up and elite swimming performance

BackgroundInspiratory muscle training has been shown to improve performance in elite swimmers, when used as part of routine training, but its use as a respiratory warm-up has yet to be...