Assessment of short-distance breaststroke swimming performance with critical velocity

For high-velocity running or swimming, the relationship between velocity (v) and its sustainable duration (t) can be described by a hyperbolic relationship: (v - Vcrit)·t = D', where Vcrit is termed critical velocity, and D' is defined as a curvature constant of the hyperbolic curve. The purposes of this study were to examine whether the Vcrit could be applied to evaluate short-distance breaststroke swimming performance and to evaluate the relative contribution of D' in short-distance swimming performance. Eleven male swimmers performed a series of time trials corresponding to 75, 100, and 150-m in an indoor 50-m swimming pool. The observed records were calculated into average velocities of each event to determine Vcrit and D'. After the determination of Vcrit and D', all subjects performed 50-m time trial on another day. A maximal anaerobic power test using cycle ergometer was also performed in the laboratory. The average velocity of the 50-m time trial significantly correlated with the obtained Vcrit, but not with D'. D' was significantly correlated with the residual error, calculated from the regression analysis for the relationship between Vcrit and the average velocities of 50-m time trial. A cluster analysis showed that most of the subjects were classified as Vcrit dependency when performing 50-m time trial. Those results indicated that Vcrit could be applied to evaluate short-distance swimming performance, and it determined around 80% of the short-distance breaststroke swimming performance. Key PointsFor high-velocity running or swimming, the relationship between velocity (v) and its sustainable duration (t) can be described by a hyperbolic relationship: (v - Vcrit)·t = D', where Vcrit is termed critical velocity, and D' is defined as a curvature constant of the hyperbolic curve. The D' contributed only around 20% of the breaststroke swimming performance even in a short-distance event.Critical velocity determined around 80% of 50-m breaststroke swimming performance, and it could be a useful tool for evaluating short-distance swimming performance.Most of the swimmers showed characteristics for critical velocity dependent physical fitness even in short-distance swimming event.