Upper Limbs Movement Frequency: Connection to Swimming Performance and Kinematics

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Swimming Performance Analysis

Background:

• Stroke rate (SR) is crucial for swimming speed and performance.
• The link between land-based upper-limb movement frequency and in-water SR is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between dry-land upper-limb movement frequency and in-water kinematics.
• To explore how land-based movements relate to swimming efficiency and speed.

Main Methods:

• Ten male competitive swimmers performed dry-land arm movement tests (straight-arm and bend-arm conditions) and in-water maximal sprints.
• Video analysis was used to measure dry-land movement frequency and in-water stroke rate, speed, and length.
• Data were analyzed to find correlations between land and water-based measurements.

Main Results:

• No significant relationship was found between dry-land movement frequency and SR during a 50m sprint.
• The difference between dry-land and in-water SR correlated with stroke index, SR, and speed in progressive speed tests.
• Dry-land movement frequency (both conditions) showed significant correlations with in-water stroke index, SR, and stroke length during progressive speed tests.

Conclusions:

• Faster swimmers demonstrate a larger discrepancy between maximum dry-land arm movement frequency and their in-water SR.
• This difference may indicate a greater capacity for adaptive movement adjustments in water for improved efficiency.
• The findings suggest potential for using dry-land assessments to infer in-water swimming performance characteristics.