Segment-Specific Relationship Between Anaerobic Critical Velocity and 100-m Front Crawl Performance in a 25-m Pool.

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Swimming Performance Analysis

Background:

• Anaerobic critical velocity (AnCV) is a proposed metric for assessing anaerobic swimming capacity.
• The specific race segments or phases of a 100-m swim that AnCV best reflects remain unclear.
• Understanding AnCV's relationship with different swim phases is crucial for optimizing training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between AnCV and mean swimming velocities (MSVs) across various segments and phases of a 100-m maximal front crawl.
• To determine which parts of a 100-m swim are best represented by AnCV.
• To provide insights for using AnCV in competitive swimming training.

Main Methods:

• Eighteen collegiate male swimmers completed maximal front crawl swims of 10, 15, 20, and 25 meters to establish AnCV.
• Mean swimming velocities (MSVs) were calculated using split times at 15, 25, 40, 50, 65, 75, 90, and 100 meters.
• Both segmental MSVs (e.g., MSV0-25m) and phase-specific MSVs (start, stroke, turn-out) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• AnCV showed strong positive correlations with MSV0-25m and MSV25-50m (Spearman ρ = .51-.55, P ≤.03).
• Significant correlations were found between AnCV and stroke phases from 15-25m and 65-75m (ρ = .55-.57, P ≤.02).
• Moderate correlations existed between AnCV and overall 100m MSV, start phase, and the 40-50m stroke phase (ρ = .47-.55, P ≤.04).

Conclusions:

• AnCV primarily reflects performance in the initial segments of a 100-m swim.
• The metric is particularly indicative of performance during stroking phases.
• AnCV serves as a practical tool for monitoring competitive swimmers' performance and informing training strategies.