The Effects Of Age On Backstroke Turn Kinematics In Swimmers

PURPOSE: Optimizing the turning technique is one possible way to improve backstroke performance. This study addresses the limited research on kinematic patterns in backstroke turns between swimmers of different age groups. Kinematic variables, including turn time (Tturn), distance in (Din), underwater distance (Dunderwater), underwater velocity (Vunderwater), push-off velocity (Vpush-off), Tuck Index (TI), and contact time (Tcontact), were compared between younger and older swimmers. METHODS: This study included fifteen elite swimmers aged 13 to 20 years, divided into a young group (age under 17, n = 8) and an older group (age 17 and above, n = 7). A 3D motion analysis system (Qualisys, Sweden) with eleven underwater and eight surface cameras was used to capture kinematic variables. Twenty-seven markers were attached to the swimmers’ head, upper limbs, and lower limbs. Kinematic patterns were compared between the groups using an independent samples t-test. RESULTS: Out of the selected parameters, only Din (horizontal distance between the swimmer’s head and the wall from the last hand entry on the back) exhibited significant differences between the two groups (t = -3.13, p < 0.01). However, no significant differences were observed between age groups for the remaining parameters (Graph 1). CONCLUSIONS: The kinematic variable was found to be different between the young and older swimmers. Older swimmers demonstrated a longer “distance in” compared to their younger counterparts.