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This study aimed to investigate the effect of the flutter kick on the propulsive force generated by a stroke. Eight male swimmers performed 20 m front crawl trials under two conditions: the Whole Condition, involving maximum effort (T100%) and stroke frequencies at 70, 80, and 90% of T100%, and the Arm Condition, which excluded the flutter kick and matched stroke frequencies with the Whole Condition. Various parameters, including swimming velocity, stroke frequency, stroke length, three-dimensional (3D) resultant hand speed, and hand propulsion were calculated based on underwater 3D motion analysis and hand pressure distribution measurements. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted to assess differences, considering the conditions and instructed frequencies as the two factors. There was no significant interaction between the condition and intensity for any of the variables. There was a significant main effect of condition on swimming velocity and stroke length, with these variables being 16.9–18.5% higher and 17.3–19.5% longer, respectively, in the Whole Condition compared to the Arm Condition. However, there was no difference in hand propulsion between the conditions, and it was clarified that the flutter kick did not affect hand propulsion at any swimming velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the relationship between the maximal lactate accumulation rate (ċLamax) and sprint performance parameters in male competitive swimmers. Seventeen male competitive swimmers volunteered to perform a 20 m maximal front crawl sprint without pushing off the wall from a floating position. ċLamax was determined by the 20-m sprint time and blood lactate measured before and after the 20 m sprint. For the sprint performance parameter, a 50 m time trial with the front crawl swimming stroke was conducted, and the times taken from 0 to 15 m, 15–25 m, 25–35 m, and 35–45 m were analyzed. A semi-tethered swimming test was conducted to investigate the load-velocity profile of each swimmer. From the load-velocity profile, theoretical maximal velocity (V0), maximal load (L0) and relative maximal load (rL0) were examined. The slope of the load-velocity profile was also determined. According to the results, ċLamax correlated with 50 m front crawl performance (r = −.546, p <.05). Moreover, a higher ċLamax was related to faster 0–35 m section time. Furthermore, ċLamax correlated with L0 (r =.837, p <.01), rL0 (r =.820, p <.01), and load-velocity slope (r =.804, p <.01). ċLamax is a good indicator of 50 m front crawl performance in male swimmers, and higher glycolytic power contributes to the faster time at the beginning of the sprint race. ċLamax could also evaluate the ability of a swimmer to apply force to the water during high-intensity swimming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]