KARINE BORGES DOS SANTOS - UFPR - Universidade Federal do ...

ABSTRACT
Crawl style is an asymmetric exercise, in which the performance depends on the
proficiency of each segment to generating propulsive forces. The ability to
symmetrically generate propulsive force is important to obtain high performances.
Tethered swimming is a methodological alternative to assess the presence/absence
of asymmetries between body sides. This study aimed to analyze the relationship of
the propulsive forces between left and right sides during tethered swimming under
fatigue conditions. Additionally, propulsive parameters obtained during 2 min of
tethered swimming were correlated with swimming speed in a 200m free style
swimming test and with isometric parameters obtained in a 3s maximal voluntary
isometric contraction test. Twenty-one athletes (21.6± 4.7 years-old) were assessed
in their peak force, mean force, impulse, and rate of force development using a load
cell during 10s in the beginning, middle and the end of the tethered swimming test.
Stroke frequency in the free and tethered swimming tests, swimming speed in the
free style test, maximal voluntary isometric contraction test and the rate of force
development were quantified. Only the peak force in tethered swimming was
correlated with the speed in free style. Stroke frequency showed a fall in all instants
of tethered swimming. In the free swimming, falls were found only between the
beginning and the middle of the test. Asymmetries were found in all hemi bodies in all
measured variables (p