Freestyle swimming technique variations using a parachute
Abstract
The appearance of new assistance materials like the parachute make it necessary for coaches to know about the impact that such devices have in swimming. To study this theme 16 national and international swimmers between 19 and 24 years old have been selected. The swimmers participated in four tests that consisted in freestyle (crawl stroke) swimming for 10 and 45 seconds at maximum intensity, both with and without the parachute. These tests analysed stroke frequency and stroke length. A within-subjects design has been applied and a study of the facts has been made with an AVAR with repeat measures. The results indicate that the stroke frequency decreases (p<0.05) in the parachute swim during the 10 and 45 second tests, compared with the normal swim. It was also observed that the stroke frequency is higher (p<0.01) in the 10 second test than in the 45 second test. The stroke length is higher (p<0.01) in the normal swim test than in the parachute test. With respect to the swim periods of time, the stroke length is higher (p<0.01) in the 45 second test than in the 10 second test. The parachute swim produces important changes in stroke frequency and stroke length in both the 10 and 45 second tests in subjects swimming the freestyle at maximum intensity.
KEY WORDS: swimming, swim resistance, parachute, crawl, freestyle,. stroke frequency, stroke length.