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Related Experiment Videos

Differences in propelling efficiency between competitive and triathlon swimmers.

H M Toussaint1

  • 1Department of Exercise Physiology and Health, Faculty of Human Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|June 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Competitive swimmers achieve higher speeds than triathletes due to superior propelling efficiency, utilizing more power to overcome drag. Improving swimming technique, specifically distance per stroke, is key for triathletes to enhance performance.

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Area of Science:

  • Sports Science
  • Biomechanics
  • Exercise Physiology

Background:

  • Swimming performance is influenced by various physiological and biomechanical factors.
  • Propelling efficiency, the ratio of power used to overcome drag to total power output, is a critical but less understood determinant of swimming speed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the propelling efficiency between highly trained competitive swimmers and triathletes.
  • To determine the significance of propelling efficiency as a performance-determining factor in swimming.

Main Methods:

  • Regression equations were used to compare two groups (competitive swimmers, N=6; triathletes, N=5) at an equal power input (1000 W).
  • Key variables measured included gross efficiency, stroke frequency, work per stroke, distance per stroke, mean swimming velocity, and power output distribution (overcoming drag vs. moving water backwards).

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Main Results:

  • Competitive swimmers demonstrated significantly greater distance per stroke (1.23 m vs. 0.92 m) and higher mean swimming velocity (1.17 m/s vs. 0.95 m/s) compared to triathletes.
  • Propelling efficiency was substantially higher in competitive swimmers (61% +/- 6%) than in triathletes (44% +/- 3%).
  • Competitive swimmers allocated more power to overcome drag (49 W vs. 35 W) and less to moving water backward (32 W vs. 45 W).

Conclusions:

  • Greater distance per stroke, rather than higher stroke frequency, is a key differentiator for better swimmers.
  • Triathletes should prioritize refining swimming technique to improve efficiency and speed, rather than solely increasing work capacity.
  • Distance per stroke serves as a practical metric for assessing skill improvement in swimming for triathletes.