Inter-limb coordination and energy cost in swimming

Area of Science:

• Sports science
• Biomechanics
• Swimming technique

Background:

• Understanding the energetic cost of swimming strokes is crucial for performance.
• Inter-arm coordination and glide strategies significantly influence locomotion efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the link between inter-arm coordination and energy expenditure in front crawl and breaststroke.
• To assess swimmers' adaptability in altering their motor patterns from preferred styles.

Main Methods:

• Nine front-crawlers and eight breaststrokers swam standardized distances under three coordination conditions: freely chosen, maximal glide, and minimal glide.
• Underwater cameras analyzed stroke parameters and inter-limb coordination; energy cost was determined via gas exchange and lactate levels.

Main Results:

• The freely chosen coordination pattern, characterized by gliding, yielded the lowest energy cost in both strokes.
• Swimmers could achieve 'maximal glide' but struggled with 'minimal glide' in front crawl, indicating varying coordination flexibility.

Conclusions:

• Preferred coordination patterns are more economical due to training adaptations.
• Breaststroke swimmers demonstrated greater flexibility in adjusting coordination compared to front crawl swimmers, likely due to easier glide time regulation.