Determinants of Sports Performance in Young National Level Swimmers: A Correlational Study between Anthropometric Variables, Muscle Strength, and Performance

Abstract

This study aimed to verify how the anthropometric characteristics and muscle strength levels of young swimmers of both sexes can influence sport performance on 50 m and 400 m freestyle events; 184 swim- mers, aged between 13 and 16 years (mean±standard deviation: 14.64±0.80 years, 1.69±0.08 m height, 58.71±7.87 kg in body weight) participated in the study. The evaluation took place over two days. On Day 1, each subject was assessed with regard to anthropometric measures (i.e., body mass, height, wingspan); subsequently, the wingspan/height index and the body mass index, in addition to that, the strength of the lower and upper limbs were measured. On Day 2, swimming performances in 50m and 400m were evaluated, in the morning and afternoon, respectively. For the analysis of the results, the swimmers were divided into two groups, according to the competitive level (i.e., Group A and B). No anthropometric dif- ferences were found between male swimmers in the A and B Groups. However, female swimmers in Group A showed significant differences (p<0.05) in height and weight that positively affected performance. With regard to muscle strength, male Group A swimmers have a tendency towards higher values, with statistically significant differences in medicine ball throw. Differences in sports performance seem to be related to the biomechanical parameters of swimming, with higher values of the swimming index in male swimmers and gestural frequency in female swimmers. The performance level of young swimmers seems to be determined by anthropometric and muscle strength variables.