Jumping Abilities and Swimming Grab-Start Performances in Elite and Recreational Swimmers

This study examined the relationships between the performances of a swimming grab start and each of countermovement jump for distance, countermovement jump for height, squat jump for distance and squat jump for height. Nine elite and 7 recreational female swimmers performed 6 trials in each of the 4 jumping techniques, and six 25-m freestyle sprints following a grab start. Elite subjects performed significantly better in the start performances, and this was attributed to the greater horizontal impulse. Correlations in the elite group revealed that grab-start performance was not related to performances of any jumps. This suggests that the grab start is independent of the jumping techniques for this group, and performance of one skill may not translate to performance in the other. Significant correlations were found between performances of the grab start and the f4 jumps in the recreational group, possibly because of adoption of an “incorrect” motor pattern that may be similar to those of the jumps. This study highlighted the importance of practicing the start as a whole skill during training