The aim of this study was to review the literature on front crawl swimming biomechanics, focusing on propulsive and resistive forces at different swimming velocities. Recent studies show that the resistive force increases in proportion to the cube of the velocity, which implies that a proficient technique to miminise the resistive (and maximise the propulsive) force is particularly important in sprinters. To increase the velocity in races, swimmers increase their stroke frequency. However, experimental and simulation studies have revealed that there is a maximum frequency beyond which swimmers cannot further increase swimming velocity due to a change in the angle of attack of the hand that reduces its propulsive force. While the results of experimental and simulation studies are consistent regarding the effect of the arm actions on propulsion, the findings of investigations into the effect of the kicking motion are conflicting. Some studies have indicated a positive effect of kicking on propulsion at high swimming velocities while the others have yielded the opposite result. Therefore, this review contributes to knowledge of how the upper-limb propulsion can be optimised and indicates a need for further investigation to understand how the kicking action can be optimised in front crawl swimming.
This study re-evaluated the magnitude of hand propulsion (HP) in the pull and push phases of the front crawl stroke and investigated the association between the angular velocity of shoulder roll (ω) and hand propulsive lift (HP). ω was computed in the plane normal to a forward direction for 16 skilled swimmers performing the front crawl stroke at a maximal sprinting pace. HP, hand propulsive drag (HP) and HP were determined by a dynamic pressure approach. HP and HP in the pull phase were greater than in the push phase (P < 0.05) while HP in the pull phase was similar to that in the push phase. Eleven swimmers out of the 16 swimmers had a significant within-swimmers correlation between ω and HP in the push phase (P < 0.05). That is, HP increased in the push phase as the ω of rolling back to the neutral position became faster. A swimmer should use more drag for hand propulsion in the pull phase and propulsion from drag and lift equally in the push phase. Based on the relationship between ω and HP in the push phase, a possible stroke technique to enhance HP using ω is discussed.
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