Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Mar 1;9(1):71-8.
eCollection 2010.

Can 8-weeks of Training Affect Active Drag in Young Swimmers?

Daniel A Marinho  1 , Tiago M Barbosa, Mário J Costa, Catarina Figueiredo, Victor M Reis, António J Silva, Mário C Marques
Affiliations

Can 8-weeks of Training Affect Active Drag in Young Swimmers?

Daniel A Marinho et al. J Sports Sci Med. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of 8-weeks of training on active drag in young swimmers of both genders. Eight girls and twelve boys' belonging to the same swimming team and with regular competitive participation in national and regional events for the previous two seasons participated in this study. Active drag measurements were conducted in two different evaluation moments: at the beginning of the season and after 8 weeks of training (6.0 ± 0.15 training units per week, 21.00 ± 3.23 km per week and 3.50 ± 0.23 km per training unit). The maximal swimming velocity at the distance of 13 m, active drag and drag coefficient were measured on both trials by the method of small perturbations with the help of an additional hydrodynamic body. After 8 weeks of training, mean active drag (drag force and drag coefficient) decreased in girls and boys, although no significant differences were found between the two trials. It seems that 8 weeks of swimming training were not sufficient to allow significant improvements on swimming technique. Key pointsThe velocity perturbation method seems to be a good, simple and reliable approach to assess active drag in young swimmers.Eight weeks of swimming training were not sufficient to allow significant improvements on swimming hydrodynamics.There were no differences between boys and girls concerning active drag. A possible explanation may be related to the similar values of body mass and height in boys and girls found in this study.Specific training sets concerning technique correction and improvement in young swimmers might be a main aim during training planning.

Keywords: Swimming; children; drag; technique; training effects.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Mean and standard deviation values of swimming velocity for the total sample and for girls and boys in both trials. * p < 0.05.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Mean and standard deviation values of drag force for the total sample and for girls and boys in both trials.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Mean and standard deviation values of drag coefficient for the total sample and for girls and boys in both trials.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Amar J. (1920) The human motor. G. Routledge & Sons, Ltd, London
    1. Arellano R., Terres-Nicol J.M., Redondo J.M. (2006) Fundamental hydrodynamics of swimming propulsion. Portuguese Journal of Sport Sciences 6, 15-20
    1. Barbosa T.M., Keskinen K.L., Fernandes R.J., Vilas-Boas J.P. (2008) The influence of stroke mechanics into energy cost of elite swimmers. European Journal of Applied Physiology 103, 139-149 - PubMed
    1. Barbosa T.M., Costa M.J., Marinho D.A., Coelho J., Moreira M., Silva A.J. (2009a) Modelling the links between age-group swimming performance, energetic and biomechanic profiles. Pediatric Exercise Science, in press - PubMed
    1. Barbosa T.M., Marinho D.A., Costa M., Coelho J., Cruz A., Marques M.C., Silva A.J. (2009b) Path-flow analysis model for anthropometric, hydrodynamic and biomechanical variables in age-group swimmers. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine 8(Suppl. 11), 183

LinkOut - more resources