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Artistic swimming is an Olympic sport requiring a high level of fitness, as well as technical skills, artistry, flexibility, a good sense of rhythm, remarkable lung capacity and physical strength. The artistic swimming of adolescents has been largely untouched by the scientific community, so training this group based on scientific data is difficult. Due to the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, this study aimed to measure the technical elements, strength parameters, and swimming performance of young artistic swimmers and to compare swimming performance and strength with the quality of artistic element performances. Hungarian female junior artistic swimmers (14.36 ± 1.01 year) participated in this study. Swimming tests were performed, and three basic elements (body boost, barracuda, and vertical position) were scored. A negative correlation was found between 100 m freestyle swimming times and vertical position scores, as well as between 50 m breaststroke leg swimming times and body boost scores. Moreover, three months of breaststroke leg swim training resulted in improvements in body boost performance. In addition, a positive correlation was found between mean hand grip strength and barracuda scores, as well as between vertical position scores. According to the results of three months of breaststroke leg training, swimming practice improves artistic swimming performance by itself. A correlation was found between strength parameters and the execution of synchro elements, showing the importance of complex training strategies in this sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: By analyzing and summarizing the relationship between anaerobic capacity, technical changes of 100m breaststroke en route and speed changes of short distance breaststroke athletes, the interrelationship and internal pathways between the three are revealed to provide reference for improving athletic performance of short distance breaststroke athletes and provide theoretical basis for anaerobic capacity training. Method: Fifteen male shortdistance breaststroke athletes (age 19.67±2.61 years, height 178.4±7.04 cm, weight 71.6±7.79 kg) were selected to perform anaerobic power cycling and 100 m breaststroke tests on the upper and lower extremities. The correlations and intrinsic linkage pathways between the three were explored by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients and using a mediating effects model. Result: Significant differences existed in speed, stroke rate, cycle time per stroke, and swim efficiency index in the 100 m breaststroke all-out test. There were significant correlations between the rate of anaerobic power decrease in the upper limb and the changes in stroke amplitude, cycle time per stroke, and speed. There were significant correlations between the change in mean stroke rate, the change in cycle time per stroke, the change in swim efficiency index and the change in speed. Anaerobic power indirectly influenced the speed variation during the en-route swim, which was mediated by the technical variation in cycle time per stroke. Conclusion: The upper limb anaerobic fatigue resistance of short distance breaststroke athletes is a key factor affecting the technique and speed stability of the 100m breaststroke en route, and the rate of decline in upper limb anaerobic power leads to a decrease in speed by affecting the change in time per stroke cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Swimming is commonly recommended as postoperative rehabilitation following total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). So far, in vivo hip and knee joint loads during swimming remain undescribed. Methods: In vivo hip and knee joint loads were measured in 6 patients who underwent THA and 5 patients who underwent TKA with instrumented joint implants. Joint loads, including the resultant joint contact force (FRes), torsional moment around the femoral shaft axis or the tibial axis (MTors), bending moment at the middle of the femoral neck (MBend), torsional moment around the femoral neck axis (MTne), and medial force ratio (MFR) in the knee, were measured during breaststroke swimming at 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7 m/s and the breaststroke and crawl kicks at 0.5 and 1.0 m/s. Results: The ranges of the median maximal FRes were 157% to 193% of body weight for the hip and 93% to 145% of body weight for the knee during breaststroke swimming. Greater maxima of FRes (hip and knee), MTors (hip and knee), MBend (hip), and MTne (hip) were observed with higher breaststroke swimming velocities, but significance was only identified between 0.5 and 0.6 m/s in FRes (p = 0.028), MTors (p = 0.028), and MBend (p = 0.028) and between 0.5 and 0.7 m/s in FRes (p = 0.045) in hips. No difference was found in maximal MFR between different breaststroke swimming velocities. The maximal FRes was significantly positively correlated with the breaststroke swimming velocity (hip: r = 0.541; p < 0.05; and knee: r = 0.414; p < 0.001). The maximal FRes (hip and knee) and moments (hip) were higher in the crawl kick than in the breaststroke kick, and a significant difference was recognized in FRes Max for the hip: median, 179% versus 118% of body weight (p = 0.028) for 0.5 m/s and 166% versus 133% of body weight (p = 0.028) for 1.0 m/s. Conclusions: Swimming is a safe and low-impact activity, particularly recommended for patients who undergo THA or TKA. Hip and knee joint loads are greater with higher swimming velocities and can be influenced by swimming styles. Nevertheless, concrete suggestions to patients who undergo arthroplasty on swimming should involve individual considerations. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Health Sport Rehabilitation is the property of H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Higher Education Research is the property of Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Higher Education Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Constraints on practice can benefit motor learning by guiding the learner towards efficient coordination patterns, but can also narrow the potential solution space of coordination and control. The aim of this paper was to investigate whether narrowing the solution space through more restrictive task constraints limits the expression of potential exploratory behaviours during the learning process, identified using Drifting Markov Models. In a breaststroke swimming task, the change in interlimb coordination of 7 learners practicing for 16 lessons over 2 months was analysed to quantify motor exploration and identify periods of metastable regimes of coordination. Results showed that the observed exploratory dynamics were highly individual both in terms of range of exploration and in the patterns of search. The more restrictive task constraints did not impair the amount of exploration but rather channelled the exploration around a few selected patterns. In addition, restraining the nature of the exploratory process increased the inter-individual differences of the learning rate. Although manipulating the task constraints during learning can help learners to escape from the behavioural consequences of their intrinsic dynamics, maintaining a broad solution space for a diversity of coordination patterns to emerge was key to fostering effective exploration of individual coordination solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of the research is to determine the effects of the three-month program on breaststroke swimming speed. Swimming offers a variety of physical benefits for most people. For example, it strengthens large muscle groups throughout the body, including the heart. Swimming on a regular basis reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. It is widely known that swimming is a great way to positively improve mood in men and women; it can be used to reduce anxiety and depression as well. Swimming is an activity that requires the body to be in a lying, horizontal position, which relieves the spine of stress. Water provides up to 14% more resistance, which prevents making sudden movements, which ultimately leads to a reduction in injuries, and at the same time encourages strength building. All movements are efficient during swimming, and they evenly place stress on the body to improve strength and muscle building. The sample consisted of males, aged 10-12 years, of the Association of Sports and Health "Sportivo" Sarajevo. The sample of respondents for this research was represented by 44 swimmers, clinically and psychologically healthy and without significant morphological and locomotor impairments. The research was conducted at the regular training sessions of the Sports and Health Association "Sportivo" Sarajevo at the Otoka Olympic Pool, Sarajevo. The choice of variables for this research was made based on their measurement characteristics: validity, reliability, sensitivity, economy and adaptability, and appropriateness to the age of the respondents. To evaluate the speed parameters of breaststroke swimming: Swimming speed at 25m breaststroke technique - BPPT25, Swimming speed at 50m breaststroke technique - BPPT50, and Swimming speed at 100m breaststroke technique - BPPT100. It is worth noting that boys at this age consider the breaststroke technique to be a female technique, and therefore the swimming is much slower as they could not prove their superiority and competitiveness, so they did not give their best performance during the implementation of the program. In this case, the professional should include the psychological preparation of the swimmers in order to get a more efficient result in the program. The results showed that the content of the program had a positive effect on the set variables, but also showed its shortcomings, which should be included in the next project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objects can be categorized at different levels of abstraction, ranging from the superordinate (e.g., fruit) and the basic (e.g., apple) to the subordinate level (e.g., golden delicious). The basic level is assumed to play a key role in categorization, e.g., in terms of the number of features used to describe these actions and the speed of processing. To which degree do these principles also apply to the categorization of observed actions? To address this question, we first selected a range of actions at the superordinate (e.g., locomotion), basic (e.g., to swim) and subordinate level (e.g., to swim breaststroke), using verbal material (Experiments 1–3). Experiments 4–6 aimed to determine the characteristics of these actions across the three taxonomic levels. Using a feature listing paradigm (Experiment 4), we determined the number of features that were provided by at least six out of twenty participants (common features), separately for the three different levels. In addition, we examined the number of shared (i.e., provided for more than one category) and distinct (i.e., provided for one category only) features. Participants produced the highest number of common features for actions at the basic level. Actions at the subordinate level shared more features with other actions at the same level than those at the superordinate level. Actions at the superordinate and basic level were described with more distinct features compared to those provided at the subordinate level. Using an auditory priming paradigm (Experiment 5), we observed that participants responded faster to action images preceded by a matching auditory cue corresponding to the basic and subordinate level, but not for superordinate level cues, suggesting that the basic level is the most abstract level at which verbal cues facilitate the processing of an upcoming action. Using a category verification task (Experiment 6), we found that participants were faster and more accurate to verify action categories (depicted as images) at the basic and subordinate level in comparison to the superordinate level. Together, in line with the object categorization literature, our results suggest that information about action categories is maximized at the basic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary oxygen uptake (V̇O2) kinetics have been well studied during land‐based exercise. However, less is known about V̇O2 kinetics during swimming exercise and comparisons between strokes is non‐existent. We aimed to characterize and compare the V̇O2 kinetics, ventilatory,e and metabolic response to constant velocity moderate‐intensity freely breathing front crawl (FC) and breaststroke (BR) swimming in a swimming flume. These two strokes reflect predominantly upper body versus lower body modes of swimming locomotion, respectively. Eight trained swimmers (4 females, 20 ± 1 years, 1.74 ± 0.06 m; 66.8 ± 6.3 kg) attended 5–6 laboratory‐based swimming sessions. The first two trials determined FC and BR V̇O2max and the ventilatory threshold (VT), respectively, during progressive intensity swimming to the limit of tolerance. Subsequent trials involved counterbalanced FC and BR transitions from prone floating to constant velocity moderate‐intensity swimming at 80% of the velocity at VT (vVT), separated by 30‐min recovery. Breath‐by‐breath changes in pulmonary gas exchange and ventilation were measured continuously using a snorkel and aquatic metabolic cart system. The ventilatory and metabolic responses were similar (p > 0.05) between strokes during maximal velocity swimming, however, vVT and maximal velocity were slower (p < 0.05) during BR. During moderate‐intensity swimming, V̇O2 kinetics, ventilatory and metabolic parameters were similar (p > 0.05) between strokes. In conclusion, when breathing ad libitum, V̇O2 kinetics during moderate‐intensity constant velocity swimming, and ventilatory and metabolic responses during moderate‐intensity and maximal velocity swimming, are similar between FC and BR strokes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meier, et al. 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14214) investigated whether the swimming behaviour of I C. reinhardtii i at different temperatures is affected by their past thermal exposures, through a process known as transgenerational phenotypic plasticity. Individuals of the green algae I Chlamydomonas reinhardtii i are able to use two flagella to move through water, creating synchronous motions akin to a person swimming breaststroke. This image shows the paths of dozens of cells of I C. reinhardtii i as they swim through their environment over the course of a minute (credit: Hannah Meier). [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Slobozhanskyi Herald of Science & Sport is the property of Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Movement & Sport Sciences / Science & Motricité is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aim of the current study was to examine the reliability and validity of a new tool, developed for the assessment of young swimmers' technique in all swimming strokes. The sample of the study was 119 swimmers (63 boys and 56 girls), aged 8 to 12 years old. To evaluate swimmers' technique, each of them performed 15m for each one of the swimming strokes in individual medley order. ? digital camera, placed 5m above the pool's surface, recorded the swimming bouts. Three experienced swimming coaches evaluated the recorded videos with the new technique's evaluation tool named Tec Pa. Tec Pa assess six important key points of swimming technique in each stroke. According to the results no statistical significant differences were showed between the scores of the swimmers' evaluation by the three coaches (p > 0.05). Moreover, the association between the scores was statistically significant high (t = 0.863; p < 0.05). The findings of the current study reveal that Tec Pa is valid and reliable for the young swimmers' technique evaluation, with high strength of association. Also, Tec Pa can be used by the coaches to enhance the free observation method, which is mainly used, in young swimmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to find out the different influences of learning methods, age and vital capacity of the lungs on the results of learning chest style swimming skills 50 m. Operationally, this study aims to analyze: Differences in learning results of 50 m breaststroke swimming skills between progressive methods of succession and concentric progressive methods. Differences in the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills between the ages of over 20 years and under 20 years of age. Differences in the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills between high lung vital capacity and low pulmonary vital. Interaction between learning methods and age to the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills. Interaction between learning methods and vital pulmonary capacity to the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills. Interaction between age and vital pulmonary capacity to the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills. Interaction between learning methods, age and vital capacity of the lungs to the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills. This study used a factorial experimental design of 2 x 2 x 2. The number of samples used as many as 96 students son. This research was conducted at the Faculty of Sports Sciences, State University of Jakarta (FIK UNJ). The instruments used in this study were 5 kinds, namely: (1) test results of learning chest style swimming skills, (2) age determination with standard norms from Tanner, (3) pulmonary vital capacity test using spirometer, (4) chest style swimming learning program successive method, and (5) chest style swimming learning program concentric method. Data analysis techniques used are variant analysis (ANOVA)2 paths and Tukey test at the level of significance a = 0.05. The results showed that of the 7 hypotheses tested, there was 1 hypothesis that was rejected, with the results of the test as follows: There was a difference in the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills between successful progressive methods and concentric progressive methods. There was no difference in the results of learning 50m breaststroke swimming skills between the ages of over 20 and under 20. There is a difference in the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills between high lung vital capacity and low pulmonary vital capacity. There is an interaction between learning methods and age towards the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills. There is an interaction between learning methods and the vital capacity of the lungs to the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills. There is an interaction between the age and vital capacity of the lungs to the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills. There is an interaction between learning methods, age and vital capacity of the lungs to the results of learning 50 m breaststroke swimming skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the variation of swimming strokes. It notes that countries have vastly different approaches to which stroke is the best one to introduced first in swimming lessons. In cites that teaching and learning of the breaststroke are strongly preferred in much of Europe, Asia, and Japan. It proposes that asking which stroke is the best to introduce first is the wrong question to ask. It explains that people are capable of learning only one stroke at a time.

Drops that move uphill on a gradient surface have been introduced in the past. In this paper, however, we present drops that climb a surface that does not have a gradient to begin with. In our study, Octadecylamine in Tetradecane (ODA/TD) drops were placed on either vertical or horizontal mica surfaces, and both the cases show spreading and retraction that initiate the motion of the ODA/TD drops. On horizontal surfaces, initially, the drop spreads in all directions. Then, after some time, which is a function of the solute concentration, the rear edge of the drop jerks in the direction opposite to spreading with a retraction that reminds breaststroke swimming motion: the front sides keep spreading while the back retracts, followed by the sides closing on themselves and pushing all the liquid forward which is the only place that never retracts. The front side of the drop then spreads faster in a way that reminds the circle that the arms make during breaststroke. The back and front sides of the drop continue to shrink and expand, respectively, with a net result of moving forward. The reason this motion can happen, is that the drop self-creates a local interfacial gradient at its surrounding. The direction of this self-induced interfacial gradient is against the gravity for inclined surfaces and is random if the surface is horizontal. Tilting the surface results in a local gradient that is preferentially opposite to the direction of gravity, hence the drop's motion results in climbing up. The drop leaves behind it a surfactant covered, but otherwise dry, surface. To the best of our knowledge such a system has not been explored before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at examining the relationships between floatation parameters, assessed by field tests and the stroking characteristics of breaststroke swimmers. The floatation parameters were evaluated for 23 males and 23 females by the hydrostatic lift test, the sinking force acting at the ankle test and the maximal glide length after a push-off from the pool wall test. The swimmers performed two trials at submaximal and sprint pace, and then, from the data given by a PC-video velocity system, the duration and velocity of their propulsive, recovery and glide phases were analyzed. In the female group and at slow pace, glide duration is correlated with hydrostatic lift (r = .62) and with maximal glide length (r = .44); mean glide velocity is correlated with hydrostatic lift (r = .73). In the male group and at slow pace, the sinking force was correlated with the glide phase (r = -0.66) and with the mean glide velocity (r = -0.78). At sprint velocity, the hydrostatic lift is correlated with the glide phase in the female group (r = .52). Floatation parameters have an impact on the gliding phase of the breaststroke cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competitive swimmers routinely undertake a 7 × 200-m incremental step test to evaluate their fitness and readiness to compete.¹ An exercise protocol more closely replicating competition swimming speeds may provide further insight into the swimmer's physiological and technical readiness for competition. This case study reports data over a 3-year period from 11 Race Readiness Tests, which were completed, in addition to the 7 × 200-m test, as an attempt to provide the swimmer and coach with a fuller assessment. For this individual, data provided objective information from which to assess training status and race readiness following a transition from 200-m to 100-m race training. Data also raised a question as to whether a 100-m maximal effort 10 minutes before another one actually enhances performance owing to a priming effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thompson and Cooper observed that improvements in the swimming speed at 2-mM and 6-mM lactate concentration coincided with improvements in competitive breaststroke performances, whereas Pyne et al concluded that changes in swimming speed at lactate threshold were not directly associated with competition performances in a mixed-stroke group of 12 elite swimmers. This case study presents data from eleven (7 x 200 m) step tests over a 3-year period for a worldclass 200-m male breaststroke swimmer. Personal-best race times were reduced by 9.5 seconds over this period. For this individual, step-test data provided valuable information with regard to the swimmer's readiness for performance, health and training status, and nutritional habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 36-year-old woman presented with anterior shoulder dislocation as a result of breaststroke swimming training. She complained of pain and restriction of movement. A radiograph revealed the shoulder was dislocated, and the patient was treated successfully with closed reduction. The mechanism of injury seemed to be a relation between the initial pull phase of breaststroke technique and the weakest position of the shoulder in extension and external rotation. In our experience, if a patient has a history including a shoulder dislocation, this needs to be considered carefully before incorporating aquatic therapy into the rehabilitation program. Attention must also be given to the crucial timing of initiating swimming training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Movement & Sport Sciences / Science & Motricité is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study characterizes the hop-and-sink locomotion of Daphnia magna, a zooplankton species widely studied in a variety of biological fields. Time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry (tomo-PIV) is used to obtain 3D kinematics and flow field data with high spatial and temporal resolution. The kinematics data show that the daphniid's velocity quickly increases during the power stroke, reaching maximum accelerations of 1000 body lengths/s2, then decelerates during the recovery stroke to a steady sinking speed. The hop-and-sink locomotion produces a viscous vortex ring located under each second antennae. These flow structures develop during the power stroke, strengthen during the recovery stroke, and then decay slowly during the sinking phase. The time records of vortex circulation are self-similar when properly normalized. The flow fields were successfully modeled using an impulsive stresslet, showing good agreement between the decay of circulation and a conceptual model of the impulse. While no relationships were found between kinematics or flow field parameters and body size, the total energy dissipated by the daphniid hop-and-sink motion was found to scale exponentially with the vortex strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to ascertain whether performance in a series of water safety tests, in clothed and swimsuit conditions, were dependent on the swim stroke that beginners selected for traversing maximal distance. A total of 45 children (9.6 ± 1.6 years) involved in a learning programme were asked to complete six tests to: travel their maximal distance in water; hold a vertical position; float on their back for as long as possible; perform a maximal number of rotations from front to back in 10 seconds; complete their deepest immersion dive; and perform a final integrated test composed of the previous tasks that were successfully executed in isolation. Pupils were divided into three groups according to the swim stroke they had selected for the first test. The results revealed that the breaststroke group was less affected by wearing clothes in performance on the maximal distance and the final integration test, and was able to tread water for a longer period of time. The backstroke group maintained a horizontal position on their backs for a longer period of time, and was able to rotate position more frequently from front to back. No effect of preferred swim stroke was noted in the maximal immersion dive test. Overall, the front crawl group was most affected by wearing clothes when traversing a maximal distance, floating on their back and performing the final integrated test. Findings suggested that breaststroke and backstroke may be more important to teach beginners for performance in water safety tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High friction moments in hip implants contribute to the aseptic loosening of cementless cups, of which there are approximately 100,000 cases per year; sustained joint loading may cause such high moments. The most "critical" physical activities associated with sustained joint loading were identified in this study.Methods: Friction moments in the cup were telemetrically measured about 33,000 times in the endoprostheses of 9 subjects during >1,400 different activities. The highest moments were compared with the cup's fixation stability limit of approximately 4 Nm.Results: A total of 124 different activities caused friction moments meeting or exceeding the critical limit, with the highest value of 11.5 Nm. Most involved sustained high contact forces before or during the activity. The highest peak moments (6.3 to 11.5 Nm) occurred when moving the contralateral leg during 1-legged stance, during breaststroke swimming, muscle stretching, 2-legged stance with muscle contraction, and during static 1-legged stance. The median moments were highest (3.4 to 3.9 Nm) for unstable 1-legged stance, whole-body vibration training, 2-legged stance with an unexpected push at the upper body, 1-legged stance while exercising the contralateral leg, and running after 2-legged stance.Conclusions: Frequent unloading plus simultaneous movement of the joint are required to maintain good joint lubrication and keep the friction moments low. Frequent, sustained high loads before or during an activity may cause or contribute to aseptic cup loosening. During the first months after hip arthroplasty, such activities should be avoided or reduced as much as possible. This especially applies during postoperative physiotherapy. Whether these guidelines also apply for subjects with knee implants or arthrotic hip or knee joints requires additional investigation.Clinical Relevance: The risk of aseptic cup loosening may be reduced by avoiding sustained loading of hip implants without periodic joint movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the biomechanical factors influencing breaststroke turns in swimming. Information on underwater split-stroke; Details on Breaststroke turning rules; Significance of force platform and underwater videography in studying breaststroke turns.

Investigates the wave characteristics of breaststroke swimming. Comparison of breaststroke technique with butterfly swimming; Factors influencing the swimming techniques; Analysis of fourier frequencies to establish body waves traveled in a caudal direction.

Background: General availability of sports results, such as current world records, world rankings, and results of the Olympic Games, offers opportunities for the analysis variation in many different competitions and sports. Current trends in the progress in sports performance have been analysed based on e.g. freestyle swimming. The focus of this study is on the analysis of variability of sports results in swimming achieved by women and men in 11 Olympic Games in 1972-2012. Material and methods: The analysis was based on the results of top eight finalists in all four events. Four 100m sprinting events (men's and women's) included in the program of the Olympic Games (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly swimming) were analysed. Results: The analyses showed that a statistically significant difference in women's real and model results was found for the most recent Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 for the 100m breaststroke swimming. Conclusions: The predicted results suggest that during the next Olympic Games in Tokyo, dynamics of progress in women's results is likely to be faster compared to men in three discussed events: 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly and 100m backstroke. The above trend may not be observed in these events. Therefore, future research studies should be aimed to verify this tendency and the dynamics of progress in the results in breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Timisoara Physical Education & Rehabilitation Journal is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Swimming tests are used in every training cycle and seasons with purpose of estimating swimming performance and evaluate certain training types. The focus of this study is an attempt to distinguish between the potential short-distance and longer-distance swimmers, as well as the swimmers who could have desirable profiles for particular swimming styles. For this purpose, several aims are given: 1) to determine the latent dimensions of the performances in swimming tests, conducted on various distances and performed using different swimming styles; 2) to determine the correlations between speeds on various distances using different swimming styles; 3) to determine the differences in various distance speeds at the same swimmers ; 4) to determine the profiles of swimmers, based on the various distance speeds (4). Male swimmers (N=68), aged 14 to 16 from five Zagreb clubs were tested. Four swimming tests were used to measure speed (25-m freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly), five swimming tests measured speed endurance (50-m freestyle, 100-m freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly), while only one test measured endurance (800-m freestyle). The results revealed two interpretable and highly reliable latent dimensions of swimming tests. Factor analysis of the scores in swimming tests differentiated the variables of swimming tests that describe breaststrokes and other strokes. Most of the scores in the swimming tests are positively correlated (in range 0.25-0.85), while no differences in various distance speeds among the same swimmers are found. The results indicate the importance of using swimming tests, especially in breaststrokes styles, because of their specific motor structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epidemiological information on injury/illness is required to develop effective injury prevention strategies.Aim: To assess the frequency and characteristics of injuries/illnesses (1) in the 4 weeks prior to and (2) during the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) World Championships 2015 compared with 2013 and 2009.Method: (1) Athletes answered a retrospective questionnaire, and (2) the medical staff reported injuries/illnesses prospectively during the championships.Results: (1) A quarter of responding athletes reported symptoms in the 4 weeks prior to the championships. More than half of all affected athletes presented with substantial severity, 80% took medication, 70% had overuse injuries and 30% did not modify their training regime despite symptoms. At the start of the championships, 70% of affected participants were still symptomatic. (2) During the championships, injury and illness incidence was 12.9 per 100 athletes. The most common injuries were shoulder sprains (5.7%) and muscle cramps of the lower back (5.7%). The most common illnesses were infections of the respiratory (33.9%) and gastrointestinal tract (23.5%). Risk factors included discipline and age, but not gender. Incidence was highest in athletes competing in high diving (HD), water polo (WP) and diving (DIV) for injuries, and WP and swimming (SW) for illnesses. The significantly higher incidence of injuries and illnesses at the FINA World Championships 2015 compared with 2013 and 2009 was most probably due to a similarly improved response rate of the medical staff.Conclusions: In aquatic sports, surveillance and health promotion should focus on prevention of out-of-competition overuse injuries and athlete education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]