Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the arm coordination of 14 elite men swimmers and 10 elite women swimmers at eight different velocities, from the usual 3000 m velocity to their maximal velocity (Vmax). Each stroke phase was identified by video analysis and the Index of Coordination (IdC) was established. Three modes of coordination have been identified: catch-up (IdC < 0); opposition (IdC = 0); and superposition (IdC > 0). This study shows that at a greater individually imposed swim pace (ISP) elite men spontaneously adapt by opposing their arms during sprint time (IdC = +2.57 ± 6 % at Vmax), whereas elite women (IdC = -3.88 ± 6.1 % at Vmax) adapt more slowly, remaining in catch-up coordination. Elite men favoured the increase of propulsive actions by increasing the propulsive phases (pull and push phases) and decreasing the entry + catch phase, even if the recovery phase increased. Elite women generated less propulsive actions during sprint, i. e. shorter push and pull phases and a longer entry + catch phase. The biomechanical constraints (effective velocity: EV) could explain that men switched coordination at high velocity (sprint), whilst the differences between men and women at a similar EV related more to their motor organisation than to biomechanical constraints. Anthropometric data could partially explain this difference between genders. Height (171.6 ± 5.8 cm vs. 185.5 ± 4.2 cm) and arm span (177.12 ± 6.24 cm vs. 192.75 ± 1.83 cm) were smaller in women than in men. The women catch-up coordination was not a “worse coordination” when compared with that of men, but it reflected a different motor organisation resulting from different anthropometric properties and swimming technique. Therefore, catch-up coordination could be an individual response to different constraints.
Key words
Coordination - biomechanics - swimming - gender - motor control - anthropometry
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M. L. Seifert
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