Biomechanics and Medicine in Swimming XI

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Shallow or Deep Water for Adjustment? A Study in Children Aged 3 to 6 Years scurati, r., Michielon, G., longo, s., Invernizzi, P.l. Università degli Studi di Milano, Facoltà di Scienze Motorie, Milan, Italy In a learn-to-swim programme, the question of what is the best environmental condition for aquatic adjustment. The choice could depend on the depth of the swimming facilities or on the swimming teaching methodology. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of water adjustment carried out in deep or shallow water in 3 to 6 year old children. Children practicing the learning programme in deep water obtained a higher mean score, but not significantly different than the children having a shallow water adjustment programme. The depth of the swimming pool seems to not significantly affect the results. Children can approach guided experiences equally either in shallow or deep water to learn the swimming basic skills and independence in the water, with no differences in the rate of acquisition or in the quality of the skills. Key words: motor learning, water adjustment, beginners, deep water, aquatic skills IntroductIon Among more frequent questions swimming teachers have to answer when planning learn-to-swim programme is, “what is the best environmental condition for teaching beginners? Frequently, teachers have no alternative and have to adapt to the swimming facilities they are working in, but if the environmental conditions allow it, which choice between starting a swimming experience in deep or shallow water is the best one? In the literature there are several studies and theories about swimming teaching methods. Referring to the best age for starting swimming learning, the age of five to six years seems to be suitable for teaching swimming front crawl stroke (Blanksby et al., 1995). At 4 years of age, children show adequate abilities to acquire good levels of water confidence or basic aquatic locomotion skills, whereas earlier water experience does not necessarily lead to a faster gain of specific basic skills (Parker et al., 1997). The influence of aids on water first experiences has also been studied. No differences were found in learning and improving the front crawl kicking either using just a kickboard or employing multiple various aids (Blanksby et al., 1999). Moreover, in advanced beginners flotation suits do not show evidence of influence on floating or on gliding abilities (Kjendlie, 2009a) as well as on the enhancement of the swimming abilities (Kjendlie, 2009b). Authors considered at first the depth of the water and advanced learn-to-swim programmes based on activities in shallow water (Langendorfer & Bruya, 1995; Bucher, 1995) or in deep water (Schmitt, 1992; Cesary et al., 1998). The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes in 3 to 6 year old children of water adjustment carried out in deep or shallow water. Methods Twenty-two children were selected among the participants of the learnto-swim programmes in a swimming pool of a village near Milan. Criteria for selection were: i. real age; ii. anthropometric characteristics; iii. swimming skills. The participants were divided into two groups: group A (mean ± SD, age 4.8 ± 0.7 years, weight 16.76 ± 1.63 kg, height 108 ± 7 cm, BMI 14.23 ± 1.42 kg·m -2 ), group B (mean ± SD, age 5.3 ± 1.4 years, weight 17.23 ± 3.38 kg, height 110 ± 11 cm, BMI 14.07 ± 1.22 kg·m -2 ). Swimming skills were the same for all subjects: no previous experience in learn-to-swim programmes, no specific swimming abilities, no evidence of preexisting conditions causing problems during water activities. chaPter5.education,adviceandBiofeedBack Each group was assigned to a learn-to-swim programme aimed at a first experience and adjustment to water activities corresponding to the first level of a learn to swim programme (Table 1), according to the progression showed in the Table 2, practiced in the shallow or deep water condition: group A in shallow water (SW), group B in deep water (DW). Sixteen classes 60-minutes long were attended by the children. Each class was structured as follows: 5 to 10 minutes of warm-up in a gym using simple games or exercises; 40 to 45 minutes of various targeted games and practices with an open multi-lateral approach in order to maintain high attention and motivation and to achieve the maximum educational effect (sometimes more than one step at a time, see Table 2 ); 5 to 10 minutes of free games, jumps and dives. Flotation supports were employed when necessary. The SW group transferred into the deep water during the two last classes for a short period of adaptation to the new environment because the final evaluation had to be executed in the deep water. Scores were assigned according to the presence of level 1 indicators in Table 3. Table 1. Complete learn to swim program. Level Target 1 Comfort and independence in the water Displacing by kicking on the back and managing the side 2 breathing in prone position 3 Elementary front crawl and backstroke swimming Front crawl and backstroke with continuity and breaststroke 4 leg kicking. 5 Complete breaststroke and elementary turns 6 All strokes and competitive starts and turns Table 2. Targets of the 1st level of the swimming program. Progression Target Discovering the aquatic environment and first contact 1 with the water 2 Displacing with supports / holds 3 Head submerging (with closed and open eyes) 4 Breathing in static and dynamic attitudes 5 Static and dynamic floating, with or without aids Static and dynamic floating, with or without aids, adding 6 breathing 7 Propelling with and without floatation supports 8 Jumping and diving Table 3. Table of evaluation of the complete swimming learning program. Level Sub-level Check-list (test) Score 1 + Swimming leaning on a floating support, by kicking in prone position and immersing the face. Swimming with a kickboard (or similar), by kicking in 1 ++ prone or supine position and immersing the face managing an elementary breathing. Full independence in the water. Short displacement in prone 2 +++ and supine position without any floating support. Continuous breathing at the border. Dropping and diving in free techniques. 3 2 + Gliding in prone position and in supine position (arms along the body) by correct kicking. Performing a series of front crawl arm strokes breathing 1 ++ and rolling on the back. Performing 25m on the back, arms along the body. 2 +++ Kicking with a kickboard or a floating aid, no arm stroke, breathing on the side. Backstroke keeping the arms straight. 3 339
BiomechanicsandmedicineinswimmingXi Level Sub-level Check-list (test) Score 3 + Swimming front crawl with a floatation aid; backstroke with alternate arm stroke; diving from a kneeling position. Swimming font crawl for a little while without supports, 1 ++ alternate arm stroke and side breathing; backstroke pausing over the head. 2 +++ Elementary front crawl stroke, one side breathing; elementary backstroke. Elementary front crawl stroke, both sides breathing; alter- 3 4 + nate and simultaneous backstroke. Diving from a kneeling position. 1 ++ Swimming alternating four arm strokes on front crawl and backstroke 2 +++ 25m complete and continuous front crawl and backstroke. Breaststroke kicks with a kickboard. 25m complete and continuous front crawl and backstroke. 3 5 + Breaststroke kicking both in prone and supine position without kickboards. 1 ++ 25m complete and continuous front crawl and backstroke. Complete breaststroke. Starting with dive. 2 +++ Complete front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke with elementary turns. Complete front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke; coordi- 3 6 + nation exercises (e.g. arms like in breaststroke and legs like in front crawl). Prone and supine undulating butterfly kicks; arms without breathing and with front crawl kicking. 1 ++ Complete swimming front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. Front crawl and backstroke flip turns. 2 +++ 100 relays with start dive and turns. 3 Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS 13.0® software. Mann- Whitney non-parametric statistics was applied in order to compare the results between SW and DW. results The results of the evaluation of the abilities children acquired in SW or DW learn-to-swim activities are reported in the Figure 1. No significant differences were found (p=0.20). Figure 1. Comparison between water adjustment carried out through SW or DW aquatic activities. No significant differences were found (p=0.20). dIscussIon Children practicing the learning program in the deep water obtained a higher mean score, but not significantly different than the children having a shallow water adjustment program. Probably this little difference could be due to the fact that SW children have to get acquainted to the new environment (they moved into the deep swimming pool only two classes before the final evaluation was carried out in deep water), whereas DW children performed the test in the same situation they managed since the first class. Authors claiming the suitability of the deep water adjustment (Schmitt, 1992; Cesary et al., 1998) point out that children do not have to switch from a simple situation (shallow water) to a more difficult one, starting the adjustment process again. 340 Children experienced in the shallow water could need a readjustment adaptation of their aquatic motor skills when transferred to deep water, and occasionally even suffer a regression. Shallow water activities led to similar results as deep water adjustment, supporting authors asserting that this experience occurs in a simple condition with more stable supports and with the possibility to do more dynamic exercises (Langendorfer & Bruya, 1995; Bucher, 1995). Thus, deep water would be an unfriendly environment, where instability of support, and a more adverse psychological situation could represent different issues. All authors agree with similar progressions of the complete swimming evolution as reported in Table 1. In particular, they largely agree with the sequence in Table 2 referring to the first level of aquatic skills acquisition, whatever the preferred environment for starting the water activities is. As pointed out by Magill (1988), the maturation level of children and the motivation are very important elements in learning the motor skills, which may apply to the current situation. conclusIon In children 3 to 6 years old, the depth of the swimming pool does not affect the learning of the first level of aquatic skills (adjustment and independence in the water). Guided experiences both in shallow and deep water can lead to basic swimming skills with no differences in the rate of learning and improving skills or in the quality of the skills. reFerences Blanksby B.A., Parker H.E., Bradley S., Ong V. (1995). Children’s readiness for learning front crawl swimming. Aust J Sci Med Sport, 27(2), 34-7. Kjendlie P.L. (2009a). No effect of using flotation suits in gliding and floating abilities of advanced beginners in swimming teaching. 14th annual ECSS Congress Oslo/Norway, June 24-27. Kjendlie P.L. (2009b). Swimming abilities are not enhanced by using a flotation suit for advanced beginners in deep water swimming teaching. 14th annual ECSS Congress Oslo/Norway, June 24-27. Langendorfer S.J., Bruya L.D. (1995). Aquatic readiness. Developing water competence in young children. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Magill R.A. (1988). Critical Periods of Optimal Readiness Learning Sports Skill. In: Magill R.A., Ash M.J. (ed.). Children in sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Parker, H.E & Blanksby, B.A. (1997). Starting age and aquatic skill learning in young children: mastery of prerequisite water confidence and basic aquatic locomotion skills. Aust J Sci Med Sport, 29(3),83-7. Schmitt P. (1992). Nager de la Découverte à la Performance. Paris: Vigot.
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average VO2 measured during resting
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Figure 2. Repeatability of the LTin
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