Relative power to velocity variation: A new quantification method for assessing swimming kinematics.

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Traditional swimming velocity variation assessments lack consideration for the aquatic environment's mechanical demands.
• Hydrodynamic drag significantly influences swimming efficiency, yet is often omitted in velocity variation analyses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate the relative power to velocity variation method for assessing front crawl swimming efficiency.
• To account for hydrodynamic drag in the calculation of velocity variation effects on performance.

Main Methods:

• Twenty regional swimmers performed front crawl trials at varying intensities (88%, 100% max velocity, max pace).
• Collected data included mean, max, min velocities, stroke parameters, and coordination/synchronization indexes.
• Calculated power to overcome drag, power to velocity variation, total mechanical power, and intracycle velocity variation (coefficient of variation).

Main Results:

• Relative power to velocity variation decreased with increased mean velocity.
• Both absolute and relative power to velocity variation increased with greater mean velocity standard deviation.
• Power regressions revealed significant relationships between mean velocity, standard deviation, and power to velocity variation metrics.

Conclusions:

• The relative power to velocity variation method offers a more advanced understanding of front crawl efficiency.
• This novel method can predict the impact of velocity variation on overall swimming performance.
• Incorporating hydrodynamic drag provides a more accurate evaluation of swimming mechanics.