Multivariate analysis of 200-m front crawl swimming performance in young male swimmers

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the biomechanical (stroke rate, stroke length, and stroke index), anthropometrical (body height, body mass, body mass index, arm span, shoulders width, thigh, leg and upper arm lengths), and muscle architectural (muscle thickness, pennation angle, and fascicle length) parameters as predictors of 200-m front crawl swimming performance in young male swimmers. Twenty-two county level male swimmers (mean +/- SD: age: 14.52 +/- 0.77 years; body height: 173 +/- 5 m; body mass: 60.5 +/- 5.7 kg) performed a 200-m front crawl swimming test in a 25-m pool. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that biomechanical parameters (87%) characterized best 200-m front crawl swimming performance, followed by anthropometrical (82%) and muscle architectural (72%) parameters. Also, stroke length (R-2 = 0.623), body height (R-2 = 0.541), fascicle length of Triceps Brachii (R-2 = 0.392) were the best single predictors that together explained 92% of the variability of the 200-m front crawl swimming performance in these swimmers. As a conclusion, with respect to higher performance prediction power of biomechanical parameters, technique should represent the core of the training program at these ages. In addition, these findings could be used for male young swimmers selection and talent identification.