The Effect of Training on the Relationships Among Velocity, Stroke Rate and Distance per Stroke in Untrained Subjects Swimming the Breaststroke

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to reveal the relationships among velocity (V), stroke rate (S), and distance per stroke (d/s) in the breaststroke, and to determine whether the swim velocity of the breaststroke is increased by an increased stroke rate induced by breaststroke training. A total of 168 ordinary high school students were engaged for the present study. In order to measure the swimming time and strokes during breaststroke at maximum effort for the 50m distance, a videotape recorder (VTR) with video timer system was employed, and the recordings were used in analyses. The S and d/s were calculated for each subject. It was found in this study that V is significantly related to d/s before and after training, but has no relation to S. From these results, it is suggested that improvement of velocity during breaststroke depends upon an increase of d/s, rather than S. This is considered to be an index of efficiency or technique in the breaststroke.

Key Words:

• breaststroke training
• untrained swimmer
• stroke rate
• distance per stroke
• biomechanics
• efficiency