title: Biomechanical comparison of the track start and the modified one-handed track start in competitive swimming: an intervention study.
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 one handed 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth, UK.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Galbraith
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scurr
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hencken
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Graham-Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D004242:Diving / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology*; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014741:Video Recording