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Purpose: The aims of this study were to classify, identify and follow-up young swimmers' performance and its biomechanical determinants during two competitive seasons (in seven different moments of assessment--M), and analyze the individual variations of each swimmer. Method: Thirty young swimmers (14 boys: 12.70 ± 0.63 years-old; 16 girls: 11.72 ± 0.71 years-old) were recruited. A set of anthropometric, kinematic, efficiency, hydrodynamic and mechanical power variables were assessed. Results: The cluster solution (i.e., number of ideal clusters for this sample) resulted in three clusters, which were named as--cluster 1 ("talented"), cluster 2 ("proficient"), and cluster 3 ("non-proficient"). The performance improved between moments of assessment in all clusters (cluster 1--M1: 68.07 ± 6.62s vs M7: 61.46 ± 3.43s; cluster 2--M1: 73.14 ± 4.87s vs M7: 65.33 ± 2.97s; cluster 3--M1: 82.60 ± 4.18s vs M7: 70.09 ± 3.48s). Anthropometric features also increased between moments of assessment, and remaining biomechanical variables (kinematic, efficiency, hydrodynamic and mechanical power) also increased between M1 and M7, in all clusters. Cluster 1 increased their swimmer's membership between M1 and M7 (4 to 11), cluster 2 decreased (12 to 5), and cluster 3 maintained (14). Conclusion: It can be concluded that the cluster formation depends on different determinant factors during two competitive seasons, and young swimmers are prone to change from one cluster to another over this period of time.

Background/Aims: Asymmetry of the internal (IR) and external (ER) shoulder rotators can increase the risk of injuries in judokas. Discrete analyses are usually performed in time series data, but they can have biases by removing trends, so other approaches have been proposed to avoid these biases such as statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and principal component analysis (PCA). This study analyzed the asymmetry in the shoulder rotators in female judokas, comparing dominant (D) vs. non-dominant (ND) upper limbs. Methods: For this, 11 elite athletes (age: 20.1 ± 2.9 yrs.; experience: 4.0 ± 0.5 yrs.; body mass: 66.0 ± 14.6 kg; height: 1.6 ± 0.1 m; BMI: 24.8 ± 4.3 kg/m2), were evaluated in an isokinetic dynamometer (Cybex® Humac/Norm Dynamometer CSMI, 502140, Stoughton, MA, USA). All participants performed the concentric (CON/CON) isokinetic evaluations of internal and external rotation of the shoulder in 60°/s and 180°/s angular velocities. Results: There was no significative asymmetry between IR vs. ER at 60°/s; similar results were observed at 180°/s when analyzed by PCA or SPM methods (p > 0.05 for all comparison). There was no difference between peak torque at 60°/s or 180°/s (p > 0.05 for all comparison). Conclusions: no asymmetry was observed in IR and ER in elite female athletes, regardless of the analysis method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to: (1) assess the stability (mean and normative) of the lap performance, and a set of clean swim and turn variables of junior male swimmers in the 200 m freestyle, and; (2) verify the relationship between the start, clean swim, turn, and finish phases in the 200 m freestyle. Seventy-six individual races in the 200 m freestyle at the 2019 long-course LEN European Junior Championships were analysed. Start, clean swim, turn, and finish variables were assessed. The lap performance showed a significant variance. The highest variation was verified between the first and third lap (Coefficient of Variation = 7.37%). The clean swim and the total turn also presented a significant variance. Normative stability indicated a moderate to very-high stability for all variables. All phases of the race had significant correlations with the final race time (p < 0.001). The total turn (i.e., the total time spent to perform the turn), specifically turn #3, showed the largest correlation with the total race performance. The significant correlation between all phases of the race and the final race time indicates that coaches and swimmers should customise the swimmers' preparation and race strategy at major international competitions, based on the individual characteristics of each swimmer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of swimming goggles on swimming hydrodynamics by numerical simulations. An elite swimmer volunteered for this research. The swimmer's head was scanned both without goggles, and while wearing 3 different types of goggles (Nikko, Ankor and Swedish). Numerical simulations were conducted at 2 m/s with the Fluent code. The condition without goggles showed the highest viscous drag (1.65 N), followed by the Ankor (1.64 N), Swedish (1.63 N) and Nikko (1.62 N) goggles, respectively. The highest pressure drag was found in the situation without goggles (11.34 N), followed by the Ankor (10.87 N), Nikko (10.78 N) and Swedish (10.20 N) goggles. The condition without goggles presented the highest total drag (12.99 N), followed by the Ankor (12.52 N), Nikko (12.40 N) and Swedish (11.83 N) goggles. Thus, Swedish goggles yields the best hydrodynamics, followed by the Nikko and Ankor goggles and lastly without goggles. Thus, goggles minimise the swimmer's drag comparing to not wearing any. The design of the goggles may impose varying drag forces and therefore it is advised to use goggles at least in competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to present Paralympic athlete Mario Trindade's training to become the European Champion at the 100-meter wheelchair race in Berlin 2018. The lack of information on this specific training has impaired the beginning of this journey. However, the daily monitoring of this athlete over 20 years has permitted us to realise that the training methods of athletes with disabilities are not very different from those of others. Thus, it is important to understand the different responses to exercise. The degree of improvement after a training program depends on the characteristics of the vertebral-medullary lesion, the training history, and the training ability of the athlete, which is determined by the amount of active muscle mass available. Considering these aspects, we aim to describe the summer training macrocycle that is developed for the 100 m wheelchair race, which is a combined work developed by a multidisciplinary team. We will start by providing a theoretical background on para-athletics events, specifically wheelchair competitions. Afterwards, we will characterise the athlete and discuss his track and strength training, which prepared him to obtain the gold medal in 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to analyse the stability of elite male long-distance swimmers (1500 m), and to identify the main predictors related to the pace. The performance of 16 elite male swimmers (22.59 ± 2.10 years-old) participating in the 1500 m event at the 2016 (London) and 2018 (Glasgow) LEN European Aquatic Championships were analysed. The lap performance, clean swim performance, turn performance, and a set of stroke mechanics variables were assessed. The lap performance presented a significant and moderate variation with all laps included (p < 0.001) and deleting the first and last lap (p = 0.002). Swimmers were significantly faster in the first half in comparison of the second. The total turn also presented a significant and moderate variation. The hierarchical linear modelling retained the time (estimate = 0.0019, p = 0.007), stroke frequency (estimate = −27.49, p < 0.001) and stroke length (estimate = −6.55, p < 0.001) as the main predictors of the clean swim performance. By contrast to the analysis based on the lap performance, clean swim performance presented a non-significant variation. Coaches should be aware that stroke length maintenance could negatively affect the clean swim performance, whereas a small increase of stroke frequency may present a meaningful enhancement of the total race time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cycling, drag is the force that opposes the cyclist's motion and is caused by the cyclist's and their equipment's interaction with the air. The surface area of the cyclist and their equipment, such as the bike, helmet, and body postures, substantially impact how much drag they encounter. This study compared the energy cost (Ec) of an able-bodied and shoulder amputee cyclist through numerical simulations using computer fluid dynamics (CFD). According to the hypothesis, an able-bodied cyclist may use more energy at a given speed than an ablebodied cyclist. For this study, a professional male cyclist who weighs 65 kg and is 1.72 m tall took part. The estimated Ec was lower for a shoulder amputee in comparison to an ablebodied cyclist. Significant statistical differences and relationships were found between the cyclists for the 11 selected speeds. Altogether, this study allows us to conclude that, for the same conditions, an able-bodied cyclist delivers less Ec in comparison to a shoulder amputee. Such knowledge contributes to understanding cycling performance and may inform training, equipment design, and energy optimisation strategies for diverse cyclist populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In youth swimming, researchers are interested in understanding how anthropometry and parameters related to swimming technique (biomechanics, energetics, and efficiency) influence the performance. However, there is not any review in the literature that consolidates the body of knowledge of this topic. The objective of this study was to review systematically the current body of work on the influence of determinant factors related to swimming technique (biomechanics, energetics, and efficiency) and anthropometry in the young performance of swimmers. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used to identify relevant studies. Results: After screening, 240 studies were analyzed and 59 related to swimming performance, and its determinant factors were retained for synthesis. Studies revealed a high-quality index by PEDro scale (mean score was 7.17 ± 1.40). Twenty-five studies were longitudinal designs and the remaining 34 cross-sectional designs. Most of the studies (N = 39, 66.1%) reported concurrently two or more determinant factors (anthropometrics, biomechanics, energetics, and efficiency). Conclusion: Youth swimming research relies on a multifactorial assessment. From the synthesis, it is possible to conclude that the performance of young swimmers is characterized by a multifactorial, holistic, and dynamic phenomenon. Better performance has always been related to better swimming technique and higher anthropometrics. This suggests that both anthropometrics (i.e., nature) and training (i.e., nurture) play key roles in the swimming performance of young swimmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to develop a confirmatory model, using structural equation modeling, to describe and explain the fear of falling in elderly women. Forty-one participants (67.69 ± 5.30 years) were selected to test a theoretical model. The final model revealed that the fear of falling is related to impaired balance (dynamic and static). Strength has a positive effect on both dynamic and static balance. Strength depends on bone mineral density. In conclusion, more strength and bone mineral density and better body balance tend to decrease the fear of falling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to employ a quasi-physical model to analyse the performance and biomechanics of the World and European records at the 100m dash in Athletics. At the time of this research, the World record was hold by Usain Bolt (Jamaica) with 9.58s and the European record 9.86s by Francis Obikwelu (Portugal). The analysis of the performance employs a quasi-physical model that feature the drive, maintenance, velocity and drag terms. Obikwelu showed a slower start (drive term) and Bolt a lower rate of deceleration over the race (propulsive term). The velocity and drag terms were higher for Bolt. Correcting the race time for a hypothetical null wind speed, Bolt's time would have been 9.62s (i.e. a 0.04s impairment) and 9.89s for Obikwelu (i.e. a 0.03s impairment). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]