Kinematic analysis of above- and underwater swim start phases of male swimmers aged 16–18 years

Abstract

Purpose. swim start technique analysis is usually conducted in elite swimmers or only limited to above-water phases. the aim of the study was to analyse kinematic parameters of above-and underwater kick start phases among young male swimmers. Methods. the study group comprised male swimmers (FINA points per 100-m freestyle: 525 ± 84). the subjects performed a 15-m front crawl with kick start. the trials were recorded above and below water with 3 recording devices synchronized with the starting signal. Kinematic analysis by using 2 models (above-and underwater) of body was done. On the basis of time to cover 15 m, 2 groups were distinguished: quickly (Fs) and slowly (ss) performing the swim start.Results. Fs and ss demonstrated differences (p < 0.05) regarding hip joint height at starting signal (1.56 ± 0.05 m vs. 1.45 ± 0.05 m), push-off angle (23.89 ± 6.50° vs. 35.12 ± 3.43°), hip joint angle upon completing push-off (163.83 ± 8.37° vs. 149.73 ± 9.93°), and horizontal velocity during flight (3.70 ± 0.35 m/s vs. 3.24 ± 0.22 m/s), submersion (4.88 ± 0.09 m/s vs. 4.36 ± 0.22 m/s), and glide phase (3.40 ± 0.17 m/s vs. 2.99 ± 0.29 m/s). Conclusions. the obtained results indicate that position on the block significantly influences the movement course in consecutive phases. Young competitors should aim towards elevated hip positioning, allowing to maximize horizontal velocity during the flight, submersion, and glide phases.

Swim start and performance in 50 m freestyle in different age categories of competitive swimmers

“…In the FT phase of the flight, times in the K1 category for men and women were similar with other studies, either dealing with kinematic analysis in laboratory conditions [10,34,35,39] or directly at the race [2,25]. The longer duration of male and female FT was also reflected in longer distance in FD, with inter-sex differences (p<0.01) demonstrated in every category except the K1 category in FT.…”

“…All categories had faster BT (e.g., females K1 0.08s; males 0.04s) than in the study by [10]. The differences could also be due to the readiness of the competitors to perform only one start and not repeated starts as in the study by [10,34,35] and others. Also, in other studies [35,36,37,38] where laboratory research on swim starts was conducted, male and female swimmers achieved longer BT.…”

“…The differences could also be due to the readiness of the competitors to perform only one start and not repeated starts as in the study by [10,34,35] and others. Also, in other studies [35,36,37,38] where laboratory research on swim starts was conducted, male and female swimmers achieved longer BT. On the other hand, results from the 2016 European Championships also show a longer BT compared to our study [26], where the start conditions were the same as in our study.…”

Foot Placement in the Basic Position on the Start Block OSB12 of Young Competitive Swimmers

“…Three positions were monitored—front, neutral, and back. In most studies, shorter times were measured at 5 m, 7.5 m, and 15 m, respectively, at neutral-weighted or rear-weighted positions [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. In the study by Burkhardt et al [ 11 ], the positioning of the lower limbs in the base position on the starting block did not show differences in the base position used between the stronger lower limb on the front edge or on the backrest.…”