Associate professor, PhD O.E. Ponimasov¹
Professor, PhD V.V. Ryabchuk^1
1North-West Institute of Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation, Saint-Petersburg

Keywords: indirect working capacity rates, competitive performance efficiency, university swimmer.

Introduction

It is the right choice of recovery criteria that is known to be one of the most important conditions for the training load control process being effective. If we assume that it is the peripheral functionality recovery that should be considered indicative to a certain degree of the CNS movement centres performance being recovered, it means that the indices characteristic of the coordination structures operability may be used as criteria giving the means to assess the recovery degree of the control functions under additional physical loads [2].

It should be noted in this context that the subject psycho-physiological functionality rates under the study were not always found being in direct correlation with the competitive performance efficiency rates. And of special interest in this context will be the ways to efficiently recover the functions of top priority for the upcoming competitions rather than the functions that have fallen most of all under the loads. The top priority functions will be favoured in the process as the most important factor for success in the nearest competitions.

The athletic performance rating indices validity analysis will be applied to assess the information value of every selected index depending on, among other things, the athlete’s skill level. Highest priority in this context will be given to the question of whether or not the starting system performance level is of any influence on the working capacity recovery mechanisms in the pre-competition conditioning process.

It is the physical working capacity variation and periodicity analysis that will be used as a basis for the physical load planning and management process and selection of the athletic training tools and methods in application to university athletes.

Methods and organisation of the study

Since the objective of the study was to explore the dependence of the competitive performance rates on the recovery degrees of the body functions of special importance for the concrete competitions, we have performed a correlation analysis to assess the athletic performance rates variability versus the Integrated Competitive Error (ICE) rates. The study was designed to highlight the top-priority psycho-physiological functions that need to be recovered to secure the athlete being fully fit for the upcoming competitions – and thereby obtain a set of indirect indices to rate the body working capacity recovery process in application to university athletes.

Subject to the study was the first swimming team of the university which was split up into two groups for the purposes of the study, as follows: Group 1 was composed of 8 elite swimmers qualified Masters of Sport and Candidates for Master of Sport; and Group 2 of 12 swimmers having lower-level Class Athlete qualifications.

We applied the following tests to obtain the body function variation data: Tapping Test; Attention Span Correction Test; Stange-Gench's Breath-Holding Test; Low Muscular Effort Fine Differentiation and Repeat Test; Body Adaptive Potential Test; and the Complex Space-and-Time-Specific Response to Moving Object (RMO) Test. Every of the above tests was designed as provided by the relevant standard test procedures.

The psycho-physiological function rating indices were obtained by the following three tests: one hour prior to the competitive heat starting time; right after the heat completion time; and next day morning after the competitions.

Integrated Competitive Error (ICE) means herein the integrated rate indicative of the athlete’s competitive performance efficiency – specifically the core competitive heat performance efficiency. The IEC rate was computed by summation of the relevant error rates for the specific competitive performance errors made by the tested athletes, the errors being rated based on the expert assessments. The IEC rating method was essentially designed to assess every error by taking a few expert assessments and computing the mean rate. We used the mean arithmetic value in the specific error processing procedures.

The IEC rate calculation was based on the quality-metric valuations of the subjects [1] using a set of parameters measurable using the relevant qualitative and quantitative data. We used the following qualitative data as the constituent criteria in the ICE rate calculations: total difference of the forecast vs. actual distance times for specific distance segments; total difference of the forecast vs. actual stroke paces in the specific distance segments; and the total difference of the forecast vs. actual “step” length in the specific distance segments. The quantitative data for the ICE rate calculations were the following: technical competitive performance rates; tactical competitive performance rates; and the willpower quality manifestation rates in the competitive heat performance process.

Study results and discussion

Given in Table 1 hereunder are the results of the correlation analysis of the psycho-physiological functionality test data versus the competitive performance efficiency rates.

Table 1. Correlation analysis of the psycho-physiological functionality test data versus the competitive performance efficiency rates (ICE) of the subject university swimmers

Note: * data significance level p˃0.05

The test data and analysis were found indicative of the psycho-physiological functionality test data being in correlation with the competitive performance efficiency rates of the subject university students, with the correlation being variable for the different body function systems.

The Integrated Competitive Error (ICE) rates were found to be in highest inverse correlation with the Muscular Effort Fine Differentiation and Repeat Test rates and RMO Test rates both in the Masters Group and Class Athletes Group. In view of the fact that the ICE rates were found being in no signigicant correlation with the Hand-Held Dynamometry Test rates in both of the test Groups, the tests may be interpreted as indicative of the competitive athletic skills being rather dependant on labilities of the movement analyzer systems than on the neuromuscular apparatus condition.

It should be noted that some drop of the correlation ratios in the second test of the subject university swimmers followed by these ratios coming back to the starting values (normally by the third test time) may be interpreted as indicative of their high psycho-physiological potentials and better working capacity recovering qualities as demonstrated by the fine muscular efforts and space-and-time specific actions efficiency tests.

The Tapping Test and Stange's Breath-Holding Test data of the Masters Group were found to be in higher inverse correlation with the ICE rates than that of the Class Athletes Group. The trends of the correlation recovery to the starting level following the competitive loads were found to be much the same for both of the test Groups. However, the significant drop of the correlation ratios in the second test of the Masters Group indicative of the impact of the competitive loads on the working capacity rates shows the test rates being sensitive to – and, hence, the test data being highly informative of – the competitive fitness levels in this test Group.

The Attention Span Correction Test rates obtained in the second test were found correlating with the competitive performance efficiency rates in the Class Athletes Group swimmers, and this fact may be interpreted as indicative of the dominating role of the cortical centers in the competitive success of the lower-skilled athletes.

Conclusion

The study results and analysis give the grounds to state that the fatigue condition of differently skilled university swimmers as a result of the competitive loads may be quite accurately diagnosed based on the relevant psycho-physiological function test data.

It is the starting functionality development level that was found to determine the content and variability of the working capacity recovery process in the post-competition period. It were the Tapping Test and RMO Test of the athletes’ adaptation potentials that were found the most informative test tools for the Masters Group swimmer’ working capacity recovery testing. Most informative in this context for the Class Athletes Group were the Muscular Effort Fine Differentiation Test, Attention Span Correction Test and the Body Adaptive Potential Test. These tests were found to provide efficient working capacity control tools in application to the university swimmers of the relevant sport qualifications.

References

1. Azgaldov, G.G. Kvalimetriya dlya vsekh (Qualimetry for all) / G.G. Azgaldov, A.V. Kostin, V.V. Sadov. – Moscow: Inform Znanie, 2012. – 165 p.
2. Aulik I.V. Opredelenie fizicheskoy rabotosposobnosti v klinike i sporte (Assessment of physical working capacity in clinic and in sport)/ I.V. Aulik. – Moscow: Meditsina, 1989. – 192 p.

Corresponding author: o-pony@mail.ru

Abstract

The researchers explored the possibility of monitoring of physical working capacity of student-swimmers of mass sports categories. There was defined the concept of indirect indicators of physical working capacity that characterize the processes of recovery of the institute team swimmers. It was found that the differentially applied psychophysiological tests most accurately characterize the functionality of the athletes of various skill levels. There was presented the correlation matrix of the relationship between the results of the implementation of psycho-physiological tests and the integral error of competitions characterizing the dynamics of the working capacity of certain functions of the body in the course of competitive activity.