Swimming sprint performance depends on upper/lower limbs strength and swimmers level

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Human Performance

Background:

• Swimming performance relies on a complex interplay of technique and physical attributes.
• The specific relationship between limb strength, anthropometry, and performance across different swimming strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, front crawl) remains incompletely understood.
• Distinguishing between novice and elite swimmers based on these physical parameters requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between upper and lower limb strength, anthropometric characteristics, and sprint swimming performance in elite and non-elite swimmers.
• To determine if dry-land strength testing can differentiate between performance levels in swimmers.
• To explore stroke-specific differences in strength-performance relationships.

Main Methods:

• Participants included 14 non-elite and 16 elite swimmers (males and females).
• Measurements involved anthropometry, four maximal 25m swims (all strokes), isokinetic shoulder strength testing (flexion/extension at 90 and 300°/s), and countermovement jumps.
• Pearson correlation analysis and predictive modeling were employed to analyze the data.

Main Results:

• Sprint times were negatively correlated with upper and lower limb strength and power.
• Elite swimmers exhibited higher strength levels, associated with longer stroke length (butterfly, front crawl) and higher stroke rate (backstroke, breaststroke).
• Arm span was negatively related to sprint times in butterfly, backstroke, and front crawl.
• Dry-land strength testing significantly differentiated elite from non-elite swimmers (r² = 0.67–0.81, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Dry-land strength is a significant differentiator between elite and non-elite swimmers.
• Strength and power are crucial components of sprint swimming performance across various strokes.
• These findings suggest that dry-land strength assessments can be valuable tools for talent identification and performance evaluation in swimming.