Young swimmers' classification based on kinematics, hydrodynamics, and anthropometrics

J Appl Biomech. 2014 Apr;30(2):310-5. doi: 10.1123/jab.2013-0038. Epub 2013 Sep 13.

Abstract

The aim of this article has been to classify swimmers based on kinematics, hydrodynamics, and anthropometrics. Sixty-seven young swimmers made a maximal 25 m front-crawl to measure with a speedometer the swimming velocity (v), speed-fluctuation (dv) and dv normalized to v (dv/v). Another two 25 m bouts with and without carrying a perturbation device were made to estimate active drag coefficient (CDa). Trunk transverse surface area (S) was measured with photogrammetric technique on land and in the hydrodynamic position. Cluster 1 was related to swimmers with a high speed fluctuation (ie, dv and dv/v), cluster 2 with anthropometrics (ie, S) and cluster 3 with a high hydrodynamic profile (ie, CDa). The variable that seems to discriminate better the clusters was the dv/v (F=53.680; P<.001), followed by the dv (F=28.506; P<.001), CDa (F=21.025; P<.001), S (F=6.297; P<.01) and v (F=5.375; P=.01). Stepwise discriminant analysis extracted 2 functions: Function 1 was mainly defined by dv/v and S (74.3% of variance), whereas function 2 was mainly defined by CDa (25.7% of variance). It can be concluded that kinematics, hydrodynamics and anthropometrics are determinant domains in which to classify and characterize young swimmers' profiles.

MeSH terms

  • Acceleration
  • Anthropometry*
  • Athletic Performance / classification*
  • Athletic Performance / physiology*
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Child
  • Competitive Behavior / physiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hydrodynamics*
  • Male
  • Physical Fitness
  • Swimming / physiology*