|
|
|
|
JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
|
 |
|
Research
article
|
PHYSIOLOGICAL, BIOMECHANICAL AND ANTHROPOMETRICAL PREDICTORS OF SPRINT SWIMMING PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENT SWIMMERS |
|||||||||
Evelin Lätt1  ,
Jaak Jürimäe1, Jarek Mäestu1, Priit Purge1,
Raul Rämson1, Kaja Haljaste1, Kari L. Keskinen2,
Ferran A. Rodriguez3 and Toivo Jürimäe1 |
|||||||||
1Faculty of Exercise and Sport Sciences, Institute of Sport Pedagogy and Coaching Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia, 2Finnish Society of Sport Sciences, Helsinki, Finland, 3Institut Nacional d'Educació Física de Catalunya, Sport Sciences Research Group, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2010) 9, 398 - 404 |
|||||||||
|
|
| ABSTRACT | |||
| The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between
100-m front crawl swimming performance and relevant biomechanical, anthropometrical
and physiological parameters in male adolescent swimmers. Twenty five male
swimmers (mean ± SD: age 15. 2 ± 1.9 years; height 1.76 ± 0.09 m; body mass
63.3 ± 10.9 kg) performed an all-out 100-m front crawl swimming test in
a 25-m pool. A respiratory snorkel and valve system with low hydrodynamic
resistance was used to collect expired air. Oxygen uptake was measured breath-by-breath
by a portable metabolic cart. Swimming velocity, stroke rate (SR), stroke
length and stroke index (SI) were assessed during the test by time video
analysis. Blood samples for lactate measurement were taken from the fingertip
pre exercise and at the third and fifth minute of recovery to estimate net
blood lactate accumulation (?La). The energy cost of swimming was estimated
from oxygen uptake and blood lactate energy equivalent values. Basic anthropometry
included body height, body mass and arm span. Body composition parameters
were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Results indicate
that biomechanical factors (90.3%) explained most of 100-m front crawl swimming
performance variability in these adolescent male swimmers, followed by anthropometrical
(45.8%) and physiological (45.2%) parameters. SI was the best single predictor
of performance, while arm span and ∆La were the best anthropometrical
and physiological indicators, respectively. SI and SR alone explained 92.6%
of the variance in competitive performance. These results confirm the importance
of considering specific stroke technical parameters when predicting success
in young swimmers.
Key words: oxygen uptake, stroke index, energy cost, front crawl. |
|