Swimming parameters of conventional and physical-motor disability swimmers across different distances
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v84.119657Keywords:
swimming, performance, kinematicsAbstract
Introduction: Competitive swimming has shown significant growth in recent years, requiring increasingly objective analyses of the factors that determine performance.
Objective: Analyze and compare kinematic parameters of the front crawl stroke between Paralympic and conventional swimmers over distances of 25 m, 50 m, and 100 m.
Methods: Thirty-eight swimmers aged between 14 and 38 years participated in the study, including 20 conventional swimmers and 18 swimmers with physical-motor disabilities (classes S4 to S10). Swimming velocity, stroke length, stroke frequency, and stroke index were assessed during maximal tests at the predetermined distances. Data were analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equations, adopting a significance level of 5%.
Results: Conventional swimmers showed higher velocity, stroke length, and stroke index values at all distances. Both groups demonstrated a progressive reduction in the same variables as the distance increased. Additionally, stroke length decreased only in the conventional group across the analyzed distances, whereas in Paralympic swimmers, stroke rate appeared to play a more important role in maintaining swimming velocity. Regarding the percentage variations in distance, the reduction in velocity was similar across groups, although Paralympic swimmers showed a greater decline over the 25–100 m distance.
Discussion: Increasing swimming distance led to changes in kinematic variables in both groups, highlighting biomechanical adaptations during swimming. Paralympic swimmers demonstrated a greater dependence on stroke frequency to maintain performance.
Conclusion: These findings reinforce the need for individualized training strategies considering functional characteristics and race distances.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Marcus Lima Espirito Santos, Pedro Augusto Rucinski, Lucas Lima Gonçalves, Rochelle Rocha Costa, Karini Borges dos Santos
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