Analysis of selected kinematic and physiological performance determinants during incremental testing in elite swimmers.

This study examined the relationships between selected kinematic and physiological parameters and their influence on performance, during incremental exercise in elite swimmers (competing at international level). Eleven men and ten women (all specialised in 200m events) performed an incremental 7x200m test in their specialised stroke. Stroke Rate (SR), Stroke Length (SL), Velocity (V) and Blood Lactate concentration (BLa) were measured for each 200m. In addition to the cross-sectional group design, the longitudinal performance of a male swimmer was evaluated by 4 tests during a period of 20 weeks. SR increased and SL decreased with V regardless of the age, stroke or gender of the swimmers. Statistically significant correlations were found between SR and V (