Physiological Determinants of Sprint Swimming Performance in Children and Young Adults.

The purpose of this study was to identify physiological determinants of sprint (91.4 m) swimming velocity that discriminated between performance levels in male children (n = 12, age = 10.26 ± 1.00) and in young adult (n = 16, age = 19.78 ± 1.61) competitors. Independent variables included stature, arm length, body mass, body density, body fat, muscularity, leg power, and measures taken during swimming, which included arm stroke force, leg kick force, peak oxygen consumption rate, stroke rate, and stroke efficiency. Discriminant analysis revealed that in the children, higher levels of leg-kick force, peak VO₂, stroke efficiency, and muscularity were the most potent variables contributing to the classification of the faster swimmers. In the young adults, higher levels of stroke efficiency, body density, and muscularity, served as the significant discriminators of the faster swimmers. When compared across age groups, these results indicated that substantial differences in stroke efficiency and muscularity significantly accounted for higher performance in these children versus young adult sprint swimmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]