Kinematic and dynamic analysis of swimming 2009-2013

Centre of sport activities of Brno University of Technology has been successfully involved in kinematic and dynamic analysis of swimming since 2009. A device for speed measuring of rectilinear movement of an object or a person with synchronous video-recording can measure the speed of swimming using two tachographs and it can synchronously record the underwater movement of a swimmer using three camcorders. An immediate evaluation of swimming technique is computerised using the software SwimDataViewer v3.0 proposed by our research team. Since 2009 we have measured and evaluated the recordings of 270 swimmers; most of them have been measured several times a year. After completing the measurements, we printed 1,367 individual recordings of speed and acceleration of swimming in twenty five meter sections. We printed 1,605 video-recordings with errors in swimming technique. We produced a DVD of completed measurements and after the lectures showing the recordings from measurements of national teams we forwarded the printed recordings to the coaches and measured swimmers. Each year, we drew up the tables comparing the highest efficiency of swimming technique achieved by junior and senior national teams of the Czech Republic. The measured values in the tables led to efforts of each measured person to be involved the tables, or to approach the highest efficiency of swimming techniques as closely as possible. Coaches and swimmers were no longer solely interested in the amount of performed kilometres and their evaluation. They started to be also interested in swimming technique because they received our documents (recordings of swimming speed and videos taken underwater by camcorders) and the objective information on the errors and deficiencies in swimming technique of swimmers measured by our research team. This project represents our contribution to how to achieve a major success of national swimming teams of the Czech Republic in European and worldwide competitions.