Passive Drag in Young Swimmers: Effects of Body Composition, Morphology and Gliding Position

Matteo Cortesi, Giorgio Gatta, Giovanni Michielon, Rocco Di Michele, Sandro Bartolomei and Raffaele Scurati
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Matteo Cortesi: Department for Life Quality Studies, University of Bologna, 40132 Bologna, Italy
Giorgio Gatta: Department for Life Quality Studies, University of Bologna, 40132 Bologna, Italy
Giovanni Michielon: Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20129 Milan, Italy
Rocco Di Michele: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40132 Bologna, Italy
Sandro Bartolomei: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40132 Bologna, Italy
Raffaele Scurati: Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20129 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-11

Abstract: The passive drag (Dp) during swimming is affected by the swimmer’s morphology, body density and body position. We evaluated the relative contribution of morphology, body composition, and body position adjustments in the prediction of a swimmer’s Dp. This observational study examined a sample of 60 competitive swimmers (31 male and 29 female) with a mean (±SD) age of 15.4 ± 3.1 years. The swimmer’s Dp was measured using an electro-mechanical towing device and the body composition was assessed using a bioelectrical impedance analyser. Body lengths and circumferences were measured in both the standing position and the simulated streamlined position. Partial correlation analysis with age as a control variable showed that Dp was largely correlated ( p < 0.05) with body mass, biacromial- and bi-iliac-breadth, streamline chest circumference and breadth. Body mass, Body Mass Index, chest circumference and streamline chest circumference showed a significant and moderate to strong effect (η2 > 0.55) on Dp. Body mass was the best predictor of Dp explaining 69% of the variability. These results indicate that swimmers with lower Dp values were: (i) slimmer, with lower fat and fat-free mass, (ii) thinner, with lower shoulder breadth, chest circumference, and streamline trunk diameters (iii), shorter, with lower streamline height. These findings can be used for talent identification in swimming, with particular reference to the gliding performance.

Keywords: gliding; performance; streamline; swimming; young athletes; resistive forces; exercise testing; body composition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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