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

Abstract

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.

Underwater dolphin kicks of young swimmers – evaluation of effectiveness based on kinematic analysis

“…It is generally agreed that taller athletes swim faster because the wave resistance for long objects which slide over the water surface is lower than for short objects [1,21,22]. However, when swimming fully submerged, tall competitors lose this advantage because the main drag force is now frontal resistance, which depends on the fluid density, coefficient of form resistance, maximal cross-sectional area interacting with flowing water, and swimming velocity.…”

Performance Trends in Age Group Breaststroke Swimmers in the FINA World Championships 1986-2014

“…1 Breaststroke is one of the four swim strokes. Changes in breaststroke swimming performance have already been investigated for elite swimmers (37). Similarly, the age of the best breaststroke swimming performance has been reported for elite athletes competing at national and international level (19,36).…”

“…Swimming can be performed in different strokes (i.e. freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and as the combination of the four strokes in individual medley) (18,29,(35)(36)(37). Swimming competitions are mainly held in indoor and outdoor pools in short course (25 m) and long course (50 m) pools (15,17,28,35).…”

Gender effect on underwater undulatory swimming technique of young competitive swimmers

“…There are many reasons for the constant progression of results. These include systemic solutions, such as the popularisation of sport among children and youth, conducive to the proper selection for the sport of swimming [24]. Technological progress in areas used in swimming competitions is not without significance [14].…”