Biomechanical comparison of the track start and the modified one-handed track start in competitive swimming: an intervention study

Galbraith, H; Scurr, J; Hencken, C; Wood, L; Graham-Smith, P

Abstract

This study compared the conventional track and a new one-handed track start in elite age group swimmers to determine if the new technique had biomechanical implications on dive performance. Five male and seven female GB national qualifiers participated (mean ± SD:
age 16.7 ± 1.9 years, stretched stature 1.76 ± 0.8 m, body mass 67.4 ± 7.9 kg) and were assigned to a control group (n = 6) or an intervention group (n = 6) that learned the new onehanded dive technique. All swimmers underwent a 4-week intervention comprising 12 ± 3 thirty-minute training sessions. Video cameras synchronized with an audible signal and timing suite captured temporal and kinematic data. A
portable force plate and load cell handrail mounted to a swim starting block collected force data over 3 trials of each technique. A MANCOVA identified Block Time (BT),
Flight Time (FT), Peak Horizontal Force of the lower limbs (PHF) and Horizontal Velocity at Take-off (Vx) as covariates. During the 10-m swim trial, significant differences were found in Time to 10 m (TT10m), Total Time (TT), Peak Vertical Force (PVF), Flight Distance (FD), and Horizontal Velocity at Take-off (Vx) (p < .05). Results indicated that the conventional track start method was faster over 10 m, and therefore may be seen as a superior start after a short intervention. During training, swimmers and coaches should focus on the most statistically significant dive performance variables: peak horizontal force and velocity at take-off, block and flight time.

Citation

Galbraith, H., Scurr, J., Hencken, C., Wood, L., & Graham-Smith, P. (2008). Biomechanical comparison of the track start and the modified one-handed track start in competitive swimming: an intervention study. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 24(4), 307-315

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2008
• Deposit Date: May 16, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: Journal of Applied Biomechanics
• Print ISSN: 1065-8483
• Publisher: Human Kinetics
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 307-315
• Keywords: diving, force platform, kinematics, kinetics
• Related Public URLs: http://journals.humankinetics.com/jab-back-issues/JABVolume24Issue4November/BiomechanicalComparisonoftheTrackStartandtheModifiedOneHandedTrackStartinCompetitiveSwimmingAnInterventionStudy