Kinematic analysis of the kick start from OSB12

Abstract

Introduction: Start performance in swimming plays a major role in determining the final standings, especially in sprint races. The purpose of the study was to determine kinematic parameters underlying the kick start from OSB12 in terms of the kick plate position and shoulder positioning at the start. Material and methods: The sample included 8 non-randomly recruited performance-level swimmers whose average age, body height, and body weight was 17.4 ± 1.8 years, 182.2 ± 3.4 cm and 81.00 ± 3.9 kg, respectively. To measure the kinematic parameters, we used the SwimPro camera system. The parameter rs measured included angular parameters and kinematic parameters for each of the start phases: block phase, flight phase, and water phase. We processed the collected biomechanical data using the Statistica 12.0 software. To determine significant differences between the kick plate positions in three types of start, we applied the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: We found significant differences (p<0.05) in the selected kinematic parameters in all phases, which depended on the OSB12 kick plate position and basic starting position (front-, neutral-, and rear-weighted). The greatest differences in the parameters measured were found between the front-weighted start and rear-weighted start. We may conclude that performance-level swimmers should adjust the rear kick plate to positions 3 and 4 and assume the following starting position: front knee angle between 131° and 133°, rear knee angle around 80°, and trunk angle between 40° and 41°. This starting position affects the flight phase, namely takeoff angle (40⁰-41⁰), head position at takeoff (1.33-1.38 m), flight time and distance (0.346-0.368 s; 2.74-2.79 m), entry angle (38⁰). The starting position also affects the glide phase, namely the glide time and distance (0.532-0.536 s; 2.22-2.26 m) and maximum depth (-0.91-0.92 m). Conclusions: The results of the study show that swimmers produced shorter times to 5 meters and higher velocity at 5 meters compared with other starting positions and OSB12 kick plate positions.

Foot Placement in the Basic Position on the Start Block OSB12 of Young Competitive Swimmers

“…A study by Shepherd et al [ 7 ] demonstrated that rebounding body position does not differ for the two genders but is a critical factor in determining initial performance for both genders. Barlow et al [ 1 ] and Matúš and Kandráč [ 5 ] reported the best performance when the kick plate is at the third and fourth level, respectively. Starting performance is also influenced, to some extent, by experience gained during previous practice [ 22 ], and regular training can improve the engagement of motor units [ 23 ] that can influence starting performance, especially during take-off from the start block, where the swimmer can reach twice the speed as opposed to swimming [ 13 , 24 ].…”

“…The better performance achieved in the preferred base position may also be due to a psychological effect or the result of prolonged motor learning in the kick starts. On the other hand, a preferred backrest setup on an OSB or OSB platform may lead to a shorter take-off performance, but the basic position on the start block before the take-off is still crucial [ 5 , 8 , 9 ]. Therefore, we can distinguish three basic positions in the base position on the start block-front-, neutral-, and rear-weighted [ 1 , 15 , 25 , 26 ], with neutral-weighted and weighted being confirmed in some studies [ 1 , 5 , 9 ].…”

Special and preventive exercises for hamstring muscles in the training process of experienced football players

“…Performance of all specific movements is in direct relationship with spatial transfer of extremity segments. A well-defined biomechanical structure is envisaged in the organization of contraction of some or another muscle [8,9,20,21,22]. All specific movements, whose structure includes flexionextension of segments of the lower extremities, provide for movement in the sagittal plane, abduction-adduction in the frontal plane or other ones parallel to them [3].…”

Key Parameters Affecting Kick Start Performance in Competitive Swimming

“…Some studies show that there must be a balance between block time and horizontal velocity [24]. In a study by Matúš et al [33], swimmers with the shortest block times did not produce the shortest times to 5 m. Swimmers produced the shortest block times when using the front-weighted kick start. However, the shortest times to 5 m were found for the rear-weighted kick start.…”

“…Consequently, shorter reaction times may negatively affect these values. Research studies by Matúš et al [33,34] aimed at the grab, track, or kick start or their modifications showed that the swim start during which swimmers produced shorter reaction times did not result in shorter times to 5, 7.5, and 10 m, respectively. In general, we conclude that production of shorter reaction times without losing horizontal velocity may be achieved by using a new OSB starting block.…”