Gender and distance influence performance predictors in young swimmers

Physical performance determinants in competitive youth swimmers: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Youth swimming performance is determined by several physiological, biomechanical and anthropometric characteristics. This review aimed to identify physical performance determinants of youth swimming performance, assessing strength, power, anaerobic, aerobic and body composition measures. ̇ METHODS: Searches were conducted in electronic databases (PubMed and Web of Science) using keywords relating to swimming and physiological measures, supplemented by citation searching of similar reviews. A total of 843 studies were identified in the initial search. The following inclusion criteria were used: participants were competitive/trained swimmers; swimming time-trial or event was conducted; data was provided on one or more physiological parameters; study was published in English and peer-reviewed. A total of 43 studies met the inclusion criteria. Risk of bias was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist.

RESULTS

Cross-sectional studies scored between 4-8 and randomised-controlled trials scored 8-9 on their respective JBI checklists. Youth swimming performance was determined by muscle strength, muscle power, lean body mass, anaerobic and aerobic metabolism measures in most studies, where improved performance values of these variables were conducive to swimming performance. Body fat percentage did not have a clear relationship in youth swimming performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings of this review suggest that greater levels of muscle strength, muscle power and lean body mass are favourable in swimming performance, with muscle strength and muscle power particularly beneficial for start and turn performance. Anaerobic and aerobic metabolism measures were good determinants of swimming performance, with middle- and long-distance events more influenced by the latter. Body fat percentage has a nuanced relationship with swimming performance, where further investigation is required. Findings were inconsistent across studies, potentially due to unidentified confounding factors.

KEY POINTS

• Greater muscular strength and power qualities, anaerobic and aerobic capacities, and lean body mass are conducive to swimming performance. • Body fat percentage has a nuanced relationship with swimming performance. • Practitioners should consider general strength and power training as a useful tool to enhance performance in their youth competitors.

Kinematic, arm-stroke efficiency, coordination, and energetic parameters of the 400-m front-crawl test: A meta-analysis

Several studies have investigated biomechanical and energetic parameters in competitive swimming. Among these studies, it is possible to identify the 400-m front crawl as a useful test to assess these parameters. The present study provided a meta-analysis assessing representative variables for the kinematic, arm-stroke efficiency, coordination, and energetic parameters of the 400-m front crawl test. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus were the databases used to select the studies published between January 1970 and December 2022. Forty studies (n = 651 swimmers) were selected according to the eligibility and inclusion criteria. The variables chosen to represent each parameter were: clean swim speed (kinematics); index of coordination (coordination); arm-stroke efficiency (efficiency); and oxygen consumption (energetic). Swimming speed was moderate (1.34 m s^-1) compared to the world's records performers. Thus, this speed contributed for the swimmers in remaining at high efficiency (35%), imposing a capture coordination model (index of coordination: -11%) with high oxygen consumption (58.8 ml·kg^-1 min^-1). High heterogeneity (>75%) was found among the outcome parameters in the studies. The different average speeds that represented the kinematic parameters seem to be the most responsible and influential in the arm-stroke efficiency, coordination, and energetic parameters for high 400-m freestyle (front crawl) performance. This meta-analysis can help researchers, coaches, and swimmers improving competitive performance, and developing further research in the sports sciences area, specifically in the swimming.

How Anthropometrics of Young and Adolescent Swimmers Influence Stroking Parameters and Performance? A Systematic Review

The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the relationship between anthropometric characteristics, biomechanical variables and performance in the conventional swimming techniques in young and adolescent swimmers. A database search from 1 January 2001 to 30 June 2021 was done according to the PRISMA statement, with 43 studies being selected for analysis. Those manuscripts were divided in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and front crawl techniques as main categories. The results showed the importance of the anthropometric variables for the performance of the young swimmer, although there was a lack of variables common to the studies that analysed the butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke techniques. For the front crawl technique there is a consensus among studies on the advantage of having higher height and arm span values, variables that concurrently with high body mass and lean body mass values, contribute positively to better stroke length and stoke index values.