FINA recently changed the rule that governs the starting position for the backstroke starting technique. With this change, swimmers may now decide to start with the feet emerged, which was previously strictly forbidden. This new liberalization naturally determines the rise of a new technical question for swimmers and coaches: do a starting position with the feet emerged allow a better performance, or better performance conditions for the following actions?

To our knowledge no previous scientific results are available concerning this question, allowing to support any technical decision. During this presentation we will try to deliver arguments to support a technical option in this particular topic, based on the research developed by our group, comparing the traditional starting technique with the feet immerged (BSFI), with the one allowed nowadays, with both feet totally, or partially, emerged (BSFE).

To fulfil this purpose, we studied six experienced male swimmers that maximally performed 4 repetitions of each technique over a distance of 15 meters. All performances were dual-media videotaped (50 Hz) in the sagittal plane, synchronized with kinetic and EMG data simultaneously registered. Kinetic data were assessed using an underwater force plate mounted on a special support on the wall of the pool, allowing the registration of the horizontal component of the forces exerted by the swimmers’ feet. The handgrip system was adapted to reproduce its legal position and configuration, but instrumented with a load cell (Globus, Italy) to allow the assessment of the horizontal component of the forces exerted by swimmers’ upper limbs. Findings pointed out that BSFI was significantly faster till the 5m reference, with less muscular activity, and with a tendency to produce higher forces against the starting wall. No argument was obtained to support the use of the BSFE in swimming competitions.

Statistics tell us that overall injury rates in swimming are very low in comparison with other sports.  It is the elite swimmer that suffers the majority of injuries. This is largely due the substantial training loads undertaken and the large reliance on the upper limbs for propulsion. The four strokes differ in subtle ways in their injury patterns.

Acute injuries are relatively rare due to the lack of bodily contact and the relatively slow speeds. Discipline in and around the pool and caution when diving are important.  Blunt injuries for the majority are minor and self-limiting. Indirect muscle strains can occur following failure to perform a suitable warm-up.

Overuse injuries are often multi-factorial and present the greatest challenge. They result when biomechanical demands are not matched by appropriate adaptation and recovery. Training errors may be factors but these can be minimised by individualised, responsive programmes with in-built recovery periods for each physiological system.  Any external demands on the athlete must not be underestimated.

Shoulder problems are most common. The joint relies heavily on dynamic control of the rotator cuff and the scapular stabilising muscles. Instability is exacerbated as muscles fatigue with activity. Specific strengthening exercises should be part of an overall training programme. The knees of Breaststrokers are vulnerable to combination stresses. Thigh strengthening should focus on closed-chain, terminal-range exercises. The streamline position encourages repeated hyperextension of the lumbar spine, particularly in Butterfly and Breaststroke. Such actions focus stress on the posterior structures of the spine. Core stability programmes concentrating on the endurance and tone of the major muscle masses are key. Inherent or acquired anatomical variations may make some athletes more susceptible to injury than others.

Understanding the causes of injury allows doctors and coaches to minimise risks and allow prompt intervention to prevent chronicity and underperformance.

This talk will look at the importance of maintaining a sound postural base and its links to efficiency when in the water. The common postural habits of swimmers including typical patterns of asymmetry will be discussed and their possible impact on performance.

A case study of an Olympic swimmer will be presented with video footage of  the programme she followed as she prepared for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The work with this athlete from initial screening  and basic postural control through to  high level challenges will be discussed. The importance of strong communication links between swimmer, coach and physiotherapist will be highlighted.

The possible implications on technique for both elite and non elite swimmers will be discussed.

This presentation looks at the role land training plays in the physical preparation of swimmers for performance, covering the following areas: identification of postural dysfunction and compensation patterns, effects it has on the swimmer on land and in the water, strategies to correct these patterns and in turn reduce injury potential and improve performance.

The aim of the presentation is to give coaches practical information they can take away and apply immediately within the various aspects of their land programme to enhance performance and reduce injuries through exercise modifications and training strategies.

This presentation will discuss the importance of body roll in competitive swimming. It will critically evaluate the scientific evidence supporting the potential benefits associated with body roll and provide some practical recommendations for coaches.

When swimmers rotate about their longitudinal axis in the front crawl and backstroke, this is commonly referred to as body roll. This rolling movement is considered an essential component of these two strokes.  Body roll occurs as a consequence of the asymmetrical movements of the lower and upper limbs, and gravitational effects. Studies have shown that the shoulders and hips do not roll as one unit and that the timing and the magnitude of hip and shoulder roll depends on a number of factors including the swimmer’s speed, stroke rate, kick technique, breathing action and skill level. The key findings from these studies will be presented and their relevance to coaching discussed.

There is some speculation that body roll can enhance the amount of propulsion created during front crawl swimming. Several studies have attempted to quantify the relationship between body roll and the underwater actions of the swimmer’s arm, shedding some light on the possible links between body roll and propulsion. The implications of this research for coaching will be discussed.

It seems likely that body roll would have a considerable influence on the amount of hydrodynamic drag experienced by swimmers, although the precise nature of this influence is unclear. The potential links between body roll and drag will be addressed.

Swimmers can reduce the risk of shoulder impingement injury by altering their stroke mechanics. One of the most common recommendations given to front crawl swimmers that suffer from impingement syndrome is to increase the amount of body roll they use. The scientific evidence supporting the proposed link between body roll and shoulder impingement will be discussed.

How do you optimise the stroke frequency in swimming? The answer to this question is important in the pursuit of higher performances in the pool. Selecting the right stroke frequency is detrimental for an optimal performance. It should be adjusted to each individual athlete’s characteristics.

For running and cycling, we know much on energy consumption and stride frequency. In swimming though, which is a relatively new activity for humans, the optimum stroke frequency is less researched. In this lecture we will look briefly to running and cycling, and the models that explain the optimal human cadence. How these models can be transferred to swimming will be discussed. What we know from swimming studies, optimising stroke frequency for different age- and performance levels swimmers in different strokes will be reviewed. Finally, our research shows that certain stroke rate strategies seem to be ideal during a race. This lecture will examine what stroke rates strategies to choose during a race in order to win.

As coaches we have all experienced the situation where a swimmer starts making destructive or negative comments that impact their ability to perform to their maximum. Such destructive thinking is well known in psychology, for example, amongst clients who experience anxiety or are depressed. In swimmers, we hear them blaming others, feeling guilty, predicting (negative) results before they happen and exaggerating previous negative results. Furthermore, swimmers can experience a mental block in terms of how to overcome an obstacle which, in their minds, seem impossible to overcome.

In this talk I will introduce several practical tools and techniques that can be used by the coach to aid the swimmer in thinking in a constructive way. These tools and techniques have been developed in the fields of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and within Life Coaching (sometimes referred to as Executive Coaching) and can be applied over a period of weeks or months, or at the competition site itself. By developing the practical tools that I introduce here, coaches should feel more empowered in dealing with these problems rather than feeling exasperated or annoyed at the negative thoughts of their swimmers.

Determining training intensities is a real challenge for a swimming coach because of the few physiological variables measurable on pool-side. The use of blood markers such as lactate can help in the assessment of a swimmer’s aerobic endurance through the identification of a lactate threshold although a) blood sampling is not necessary an option and b) lactate threshold is such a low intensity (maintainable for hours) that it is not necessary very pertinent for setting training intensities. Similarly, performances over long distances (2-km or 3-km time trials) have been suggested to help defining training intensities but have their own limitations (pacing issues; physiological meaning).

This talk will focus on the critical velocity concept, which in swimming research, and since the early nineties, has been suggested to be a valuable tool to assess aerobic endurance. A stop watch is the only equipment required to determine a swimmer’s critical velocity. The method relies solely on the measure of two or more performances (from 3 to 15-20 min) from which a distance vs time relationship is plotted and modelled using a 2-parameter model (y=ax+b). The slope of this relationship (a) is recognised as critical velocity, an intensity a swimmer would maintain, in theory, indefinitely. In reality, critical velocity can be sustained for around 30 minutes.

This presentation will focus on the latest findings on critical velocity and the reasons why it can be seen as an attractive tool to set training intensities. Critical velocity will be compared with more classical “thresholds” and the findings will lead the audience to consider their own ways of setting their aerobic training zones. Some concepts such as aerobic power and capacity will be challenged in an attempt to gain an appreciation of the physiological mechanisms behind swimming endurance.

Recognising the need for a strong sport science support system, a programme of biomechanical support was set up by Swim Ireland (the Irish Swimming Federation) in 2006. This programme, which forms part of a larger overall inter-disciplinary sport science and medicine service, aims to provide a comprehensive level of biomechanical support for Irish high-performing swimmers and their coaches to enhance performance at elite level. At the centre of the biomechanics programme is the swimmer-coach unit; their performance needs are critical. The scientist’s role is to provide the coach with useful, user-friendly and objective evidence upon which the coach can make effective informed training decisions. Both qualitative and quantitative biomechanical assessment techniques are used to analyse swimmers in training and competition, which typically require the use of above and below water digital video recordings. Suitable intervention strategies for modifying swimming techniques, where necessary, can then be implemented and regularly monitored for effectiveness. The aim of this presentation is to provide an overview of the biomechanics support programme being provided to elite Irish swimmers and their coaches, with particular reference to: 1) competition analysis; and 2) two-dimensional video analysis. Such examples encourage the use of evidence-based coaching.