Head Depth and Head Speed During Competitive Backstroke Ledge Starts

Manz, Wesley J.; Greenshields, Joel T.; Wright, Brian V.; Goss, Curtis S.; Skutnik, Benjamin C.; Stager, Joel M.

doi:10.25035/ijare.12.01.01

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…However, this calculation is not appropriate in the backstroke start since, in most cases, there is drag from the feet and lower legs passing through the water during the flight phase. Head entry distance has been implemented in previous studies to describe block phase performance, and the magnitudes observed in this study are consistent with those observed by other researchers [5,23]. Participants had a greater head entry distance (medium effect size) when starting from a more extended position.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Correlations can help identify variables that are closely related to time to 10 m and may be more easily captured by coaches. Our past studies that examined backstroke start equipment changes [3] and warm-up modifications [17] found strong correlations between head entry distance and time to 10 m. Studies completed by other researchers have also shown lower start times which are associated with increased entry distances [5,23]. Although the correlation was only fair in this study, it still supports the relationship between head entry distance and time to 10 m. Accordingly, it is clear that the relationship between head entry distance and start time holds across a wide range of situations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Accordingly, findings from previous studies where the backstroke ledge was not used may no longer be relevant. Since use of the backstroke ledge appears to offer a performance advantage [2][3][4][5], it has been almost universally adopted as the preferred starting surface. Two studies have analyzed the impact of different handgrip positions while using the backstroke ledge; one determined that it does not affect start time [4], and the other did not discuss start time [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Different Lower-Limb Setup Positions Do Not Consistently Change Backstroke Start Time to 10 m

Barkwell

Dickey

2020

Sports

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Backstroke starts involve the athlete starting from a flexed position with their feet against the pool wall and then extending their ankles, knees, hips and back to push off; however, swimmers can start in different positions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance impact of different knee extension angles in the setup position for a backstroke start. Ten backstroke swimmers completed maximum-effort starts in each of two setup positions: one with the knees maximally flexed, and one with the knees less flexed. The start handles and touchpad were instrumented with multi-axial force sensors. Activity of major hip and knee extensors was measured using surface electromyography. Body position in the sagittal plane was recorded using high-speed cameras. There was no overall difference in time to 10 m between the two conditions (p = 0.36, dz = 0.12), but some participants showed differences as large as 0.12 s in time to 10 m between start conditions. We observed that starts performed from a setup position with less knee flexion had an average 0.07 m greater head entry distance (p = 0.07, dz = 0.53), while starts from a setup position with maximal knee flexion had an average 0.2 m/s greater takeoff velocity (p = 0.02, dz = 0.78). Both head entry distance and takeoff velocity are related to start performance, suggesting each position may optimize different aspects of the backstroke start. Coaches should assess athletes individually to determine which position is optimal.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%