Applied swimming technique mastering by military university cadets based on generic stroke elements economizing method

Фотографии: 

ˑ: 

Colonel, Associate Professor, PhD I.N. Shtamburg
Associate Professor, PhD O.E. Ponimasov
Colonel K.A. Grachev
PhD, Lieutenant Colonel A.I. Novikov
Military Institute of Physical Culture, St. Petersburg

 

Keywords: generic combinations of elements, movement economizing, applied swimming stroke.

Introduction

Training process management in the applied swimming technique mastering and excelling process may be successful when based on prudently selected and didactically substantiated content of the training system tailored to the individual skill levels of the trainees [2]. In the swimming technique mastering process, the trainee generally strives to translate his/her motor notions into own swimming movement patterns composed of the elementary movements mimicking the empirical types of the generic technical combinations of elements [3].

Every such established technical combination, as determined by its functional traits, is normally quite individual in terms of both its external specific manifestations and internal structure. Albeit manifestations of the elementary aquatic locomotions forming such structure may be very wide, the relevant movement combinations may not be endless. To put it in other words, every existing combination within the applied swimming stroke may be viewed as a specific version within the frame of the integrated multitude of movement coordination types [4].

We believe that the widely applied in practice generic combinations of technical elements are extremely uneconomic in terms of the basic biomechanical and hydrodynamic principles and, therefore, may be adjusted to better match with some model types that should be used as ideal objectives for the training process [5].

In the context of a regular academic swimming course being limited by certain timeframe, the swimming skills improvement process within the standard applied swimming technique mastering course at military universities may be improved based on some key technical elements of the standard stroke being economized with no detriment for the established movement stereotype [6].

Study structure and methods.

The proposed methodology was designed based on the movement economizing method that helps improve the aquatic movement efficiency through a few base skills being mastered, each of them facilitating and optimizing certain technical elements of the standard swimming technique.

The method is essentially designed to massively improve the adaptation processes geared to economize the key stroke elements within the generic combinations of the swimming movement elements. The empirical types of the elementary movement combinations in the swimming stroke we would refer to hereunder as the simultaneous-symmetric; alternating; and asymmetric combinatory model swimming strokes.

We defined the key goals of the base stroke economizing skills as follows:

– Maintain stable the horizontal body position;

– Ensure the body being dynamically streamlined on the move; and

– Maintain even pace of the stroke sequence.

Based on the above definitions of the key goals of the base stroke economizing skills, we developed a set of efficient stroke economizing procedures using the horizontally stabilizing, turbulence preventing and pace-balancing rhythmic exercises.

Subject to the study designed to test the efficiency of the proposed stroke economizing exercises were two groups of the first-year cadets of Military Institute of Physical Culture (St. Petersburg): Study Group (SG) and Reference Group (RG). The group subjects were tested to guarantee their statistical uniformity followed by the groups being subject to 10 education and training sessions designed as described hereunder.

The SG cadets were trained to use the simultaneous-symmetric model stroke combination of swimming elements in the applied economized swimming technique mastering process, with the relevant academic year curriculum being designed as follows. 10% of the total education time was assigned for the special technical skills mastering exercises in a gym; 50% of the total education/ training time was assigned for the technical skills mastering and improvement [aquatic exercises] that we would define as the generic combinations of the technical elements geared to master the base swimming stroke economizing technique; and the remaining 40% of the total education/ training time was assigned for the uniformed and armed combat swimming technique mastering training with practical application of the newly mastered skills.

The RG cadets were subject to primary breaststroke mastering sessions using the known elements-mastering-and-integration method [1]. After that the cadets were subject to the uniformed and armed combat swimming technique mastering training with and without additional buoyant equipment.

Efficiency of the training process was rated based on the spatial/ temporal/ dynamic swimming stroke parameters rating measurements under the experiments. The technical parameters of the swimming stroke were measured and calculated using the common standard methodologies.

Study results and discussion

Given in Table 1 hereunder are the variations of the parametric swimming stroke rates of the tested cadets measured in the experiments.

Table 1. Variations of the parametric swimming stroke rates of the tested cadets measured in the experiments, for Study Group (SG) and Reference Group (RG)

 

Movement rate

SG

RG

Prior to experiment

After experiment

Prior to experiment

After experiment

Stroke stride, m

0,69 ± 0,03

0,82 ± 0,05

0,58 ± 0,02

0,73 ± 0,02

Stroke pace, cycles/ min

48,8 ± 1,3

42,9 ± 1,2

48,4 ± 2,7

48,2 ± 2,0

Stroke traction force, kg

6,38 ± 0,4

7,20 ± 0,5

6,24 ± 0,5

6,30 ± 0,3

Propulsive stride, m

0,51 ± 0,02

0,55 ± 0,01

0,58 ± 0,01

0,55 ± 0,02

Stroke efficiency, %

45,5 ± 1,7

49,3 ± 1,5

47,6 ± 1,6

48,8 ± 1,6

As a result of the experiment, the stroke stride of the SG cadets was found to increase by 18.8% (p<0.01) on average and the stroke pace was found to fall down by 12.1% (p<0.01). These test data were interpreted as indicative of the notable increase of the stroke efficiency in the Study Group cadets. The RG cadets showed lower progress as their stroke stride rate was measured to increase by only 1.7% (р<0.01) on average with no progress in terms of the stroke pace rates which stayed the same as before the training course. It may be pertinent to mention in this context that the breaststroke training methodology appeared to be of generally positive impact on the variation of the swimming stroke parameters. However, the stroke stride growth and stroke pace falling trends were quite expressed and stable in the SG in contrast to the RG where the positive changes were minimized as the stroke pace was raised extensively whilst the stroke stride rates were found to vary insignificantly.

The stroke traction force rates were found to grow by 12.9% (p<0.05) on average in the SG cadets as a result of the stroke economizing skills being mastered by them; and this achievement, in our opinion, is largely due to the improved ability to control the stroke force applied as a result of the body horizontal position balancing skills and frontal resistance reduction (movement streamlining) skills mastered by the cadets. The stroke traction force rate in the RG was found to increase by only 1.0% (p<0.01) on average.

Our analysis of the stroke elements metering data prior to and after the experiment shows the growth of the body stride per one stroking movement (net of the sliding phase) in the SG cadets. The propulsive stride rate in the SG was found to rise by 3.9% (p<0.01) on average as compared to the RG cadets that were tested with the propulsive stride rate falling down by 5.2% (p<0.01) that may be due to the top priority being given to certain elementary techniques in the competitive swimming strokes mastering process and insufficient time to master fully coordinated stroking movements.

The stroke efficiency rates of the SG cadets were found to significantly grow by 3.8% on average compared to that of the RG cadets that increased only by 1.2%; and this finding gives the reasons to believe that the temporal stroke structure in the SG cadets showed the higher working phase growth trend than that in the RG cadets.

Conclusion

The study data and analysis give the reasons to conclude that the applied swimming stroke mastering training based on the generic combinations the technical elements being economized facilitates the efficient versions of individual swimming strokes being mastered within the timeframe of the regular academic curriculum. The stroke economizing elements learnt through the special exercises help the cadets to efficiently master the base motor action economizing skills.

The educational experiment completed under the study showed the Study Group cadets being much more successful in the individual qualitative transformations of the standard swimming stroke technique, with the relevant stroke efficiency rates being found 10-12% higher than that of the Reference Group.

Therefore, the applied swimming stroke mastering training based on the generic combinations the technical elements being economized may be recommended as a promising method to step up the combat swimming fitness standards in the military academic curriculum.

References

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