Biomechanical and kinematic analysis of the crawl stroke in swimmers of the youth category B of the Miguel Iturralde Sports Club
Keywords:
swimming, front crawl, biomechanics, kinematics, sports technique, high elbow.Abstract
The objective of this study was to diagnose the kinematic and biomechanical profile of the front crawl stroke to identify the technical deficiencies that limit propulsive efficiency. The issue addressed responds to the loss of intracyclic velocity and postural imbalance in youth swimmers during the swimming cycle. A non-experimental, quantitative, and cross-sectional diagnostic design was used on a sample of 10 swimmers (6 males, 4 females; age 15.4 ± 0.5 years) in the youth B category. The 25-meter Maximum Speed Kinematic Test was applied using high-speed underwater videogrammetry (120 fps) processed in Kinovea and SPSS. Results showed a reduced mean speed of 1.48 ± 0.08 m/s due to a high stroke frequency (52.40 cycles/min) compensating for a limited stroke length (1.69 m/cycle). Ninety percent of the sample exhibited the critical flaw of dropped elbow during the pull phase (X̄ = 118.50°), accompanied by over-rotation in body roll (X̄ = 51.40°) and high speed fluctuation (IVV = 0.21). It is concluded that low performance is not due to a static strength deficit, but rather a lack of optimization in applying hydrodynamic force, supporting the urgent need to apply a structured technical correction program.
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