SPORTS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY / RESEARCH PAPER
Evaluation of Land-Based Simulated Data
and In-Water Assessments for Butterfly
and Freestyle Swimming Strokes
1
Faculty of Sports Sciences, Marmara University, İstanbul, Türkiye.
Submission date: 2025-06-30
Final revision date: 2025-08-11
Acceptance date: 2026-01-30
Online publication date: 2026-06-01
Corresponding author
Ali Özüak
COACHING EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, Marmara Universty Fakulty of Sport Sciense, Cuma Yolu Cad, 34815, istanbul, Turkey
COACHING EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, Marmara Universty Fakulty of Sport Sciense, Cuma Yolu Cad, 34815, istanbul, Turkey
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the relationship between isometric pull forces measured during land-based simulations and propulsive forces generated in water during arm pulls and leg kicks in butterfly and freestyle swimming techniques. Thirty male competitive swimmers (age: 19.47 ± 2.35 years; FINA points: 626.57 ± 65.21; body height: 184.10 ± 5.14 cm; body mass: 70.61 ± 8.91 kg; training experience: 9.53 ± 2.00 years; BMI: 22.17 ± 2.03 kg/m²) volunteered to participate in the study. Isometric arm pull forces were measured on a swim bench (Vasa Swim Trainer), while aquatic forces were assessed using a custom-built tethered system to isolate kick, pull and full-stroke conditions. The results indicated that arm contribution to propulsion was 66.91% in butterfly and 69.03% in freestyle, while legs contributed 33.09% and 30.97%, respectively. Significant positive correlations (p < 0.05) were found between land-based and water-based force data and swimming performance. These findings suggest that such simulations can be useful for both short-term performance assessment and long-term training strategy development.
REFERENCES (42)
1.
Amara, S., Barbosa, T. M., Chortane, O. G., Hammami, R., Attia, A., Chortane, S. G., & van den Tillaar, R. (2022). Effect of concurrent resistance training on lower body strength, leg kick swimming, and sport-specific performance in competitive swimmers. Biology, 11(2), 299. https://doi.org/10.3390/biolog....
2.
Amaro, N., Marinho, D. A., Batalha, N., Marques, M. C., & Morouço, P. (2014). Reliability of tethered swimming evaluation in age group swimmers. Journal of Human Kinetics, 41, 155–164. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-....
3.
Amaro, N. M., Marinho, D. A., Marques, M. C., Batalha, N. P., & Morouço, P. G. (2017). Effects of dry-land strength and conditioning programs in age group swimmers. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 31(9), 2447–2454. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.00....
4.
Callaway, A. J. (2015). Measuring kinematic variables in front crawl swimming using accelerometers: A validation study. Sensors, 15(5), 11363–11386. https://doi.org/10.3390/s15051....
5.
Chalkiadakis, I., Arsoniadis, G. G., & Toubekis, A. G. (2023). Dry-land force–velocity, power–velocity, and swimming-specific force relation to single and repeated sprint swimming performance. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 8(3), 120. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk80....
6.
Chen, X., Lu, Y., Zhang, B. & Shen, Y. (2025). A Correlational Analysis between the Rate of Force Development among the Arm Stroke, the Leg Kick, the Full Stroke and Short Distance Front Crawl Speed in Highly Trained Swimmers. Journal of Human Kinetics, 102, 203–214. https://doi.org/10.5114/jhk/20....
7.
Chollet, D., Seifert, L., Boulesteix, L., & Carter, M. (2006). Arm to leg coordination in elite butterfly swimmers. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 27(4), 322–329. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2005....
8.
Cortesi, M., Di Michele, R., Fantozzi, S., Bartolomei, S., & Gatta, G. (2021). Arm-stroke descriptor variability during 200-m front crawl swimming. Sensors, 21(2), 324. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21020....
9.
Deschodt, V. J., Arsac, L. M., & Rouard, A. H. (1999). Relative contribution of arms and legs in humans to propulsion in 25-m sprint front-crawl swimming. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 80(3), 192–199.
10.
Dominguez-Castells, R., & Arellano, R. (2011). Muscular and arm crawl stroke power: Evaluating their relationship. In ISBS Conference Proceedings Archive. Portuguese Journal of Sport Sciences, 11(2), 203–206.
11.
Fone, L., & van den Tillaar, R. (2022). Effect of different types of strength training on swimming performance in competitive swimmers: A systematic review. Sports Medicine - Open, 8(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798....
12.
Gourgoulis, V., Boli, A., Aggeloussis, N., Toubekis, A., Antoniou, P., Kasimatis, P., Vezos, N., Michalopoulou, M., Kambas, A., & Mavromatis, G. (2014). The effect of leg kick on sprint front crawl swimming. Journal of Sports Sciences, 32(3), 278–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404....
13.
Haskins, A., McCabe, C., Kennedy, R., McWade, R., Lennon, A. B., & Chandar, D. (2023). A novel method of determining the active drag profile in swimming via data manipulation of multiple tension force collection methods. Scientific Reports, 13, 10896. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598....
14.
Knihs, D. A., Bishop, C., Guglielmo, L. G. A. & Dal Pupo, J. (2025). Assessing the Relationship between In-Water Kinetic Asymmetries and Performance in Swimming. Journal of Human Kinetics, Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.5114/jhk/21....
15.
Kwok, W. Y., So, B. C. L., Tse, D. H. T., & Ng, S. S. M. (2021). A systematic review and meta-analysis: Biomechanical evaluation of the effectiveness of strength and conditioning training programs on front crawl swimming performance. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 20(4), 564–575. https://doi.org/10.52082/jssm.....
16.
Loturco, I., Barbosa, A. C., Nocentini, R. K., Pereira, L. A., Kobal, R., Kitamura, K., Abad, C.C.C., Figueiredo, P., & Nakamura, F. Y. (2016). A correlational analysis of tethered swimming, swim sprint performance and dry-land power assessments. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 37(3), 211–218. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0035....
17.
Mezêncio, B., Pinho, J. P., Huebner, R., Vilas‑Boas, J. P., Amadio, A. C., & Serrão, J. C. (2020). Overall indexes of coordination in front crawl swimming. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(8), 910–917. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404....
18.
Morais, J. E., Forte, P., Nevill, A. M., Barbosa, T. M., & Marinho, D. A. (2020). Upper-limb kinematics and kinetics imbalances in the determinants of front-crawl swimming at maximal speed in young international level swimmers. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 11683. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598....
19.
Morouço, P., Keskinen, K. L., Vilas-Boas, J. P., & Fernandes, R. J. (2011). Relationship between tethered forces and the four swimming techniques performance. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 27(2), 161–169. https://doi.org/10.1123/jab.27....
20.
Morouço, P. G., Neiva, H. P., Marinho, D. A., & Marques, M. (2012). Relationships between power in dry land exercises and swimming performance. Journal of Biomechanics, 45(Suppl 1), S629.
21.
Morouço, P. G., Marinho, D. A., Izquierdo, M., Neiva, H., & Marques, M. C. (2015). Relative contribution of arms and legs in 30 s fully tethered front crawl swimming. BioMed Research International, 2015, 563206. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/5....
22.
Morris, K. S., Osborne, M. A., Shephard, M. E., Skinner, T. L., & Jenkins, D. G. (2016). Velocity, aerobic power and metabolic cost of whole body and arms only front crawl swimming at various stroke rates. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 116, 1075–1085. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421....
23.
Morris, K. S., Jenkins, D. G., Osborne, M. A., Rynne, S. B., Shephard, M. E., & Skinner, T. L. (2019). The role of the upper and lower limbs in front crawl swimming: The thoughts and practices of expert high-performance swimming coaches. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 14(5), 629–638. https://doi.org/10.1177/174795....
24.
Oliveira, M. D. N. S., Queiroz, D. D. R., Costa, M. S. F. D., Silva, A. H. O. D., Silva, J. F. D., Correia, M. A. D. V., ... & Santos, M. A. M. D. (2020). Body segments and biological maturation to estimate the propulsive force of the arm in young swimmers. Revista Brasileira de Cineantropometria & Desempenho Humano, 22, e74881. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-0....
25.
Oz, Y., Gülmez, İ., Yılmaz, S., & Cumbur, C. (2024). The relationship between horizontal push-off and land-based vertical jump during tumble turns in freestyle swimming. Turkish Journal of Sport and Exercise, 26(3), 388–396. https://doi.org/10.15314/tsed.....
26.
Ozuak, A. (2025). The Effect of Underwater Distance and Speed on Performance in Freestyle and Butterfly Style Sprint Races. Turkish Journal of Sport and Exercise, 27(3), 514–522. https://doi.org/10.15314/tsed.....
27.
Psycharakis, S. G., Paradisis, G. P., & Zacharogiannis, E. (2011). Assessment of accuracy, reliability and force measurement errors for a tethered swimming apparatus. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 11(3), 410–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/247486....
28.
Riewald, S. A., & Rodeo, S. A. (2015). Science of swimming faster. Human Kinetics.
29.
Ruiz-Navarro, J. J., Andersen, J. T., Cuenca-Fernández, F., López-Contreras, G., Morouço, P. G., & Arellano, R. (2024). Quantification of swimmers' ability to apply force in the water: the potential role of two new variables during tethered swimming. Sports Biomechanics, 23(12), 2533–2545. https://doi.org/10.1080/147631....
30.
Ruiz-Navarro, J. J., Morouço, P. G., & Arellano, R. (2020). Relationship between tethered swimming in a flume and swimming performance. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 15(8), 1087–1094. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.....
31.
Sanders, R. H., Fairweather, M. M., Alcock, A., & McCabe, C. B. (2015). An approach to identifying the effect of technique asymmetries on body alignment in swimming exemplified by a case study of a breaststroke swimmer. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 14(2), 304–314.
32.
Santos, C. C., Garrido, N. D., Cuenca-Fernández, F., Marinho, D. A., & Costa, M. J. (2023). Performance tiers within a competitive age group of young swimmers are characterized by different kinetic and kinematic behaviors. Sensors, 23(11), 5113. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23115....
33.
Santos, C. C., Marinho, D. A., Neiva, H. P., & Costa, M. J. (2024). Propulsive forces in human competitive swimming: A systematic review on direct assessment methods. Sports Biomechanics, 23(10), 1263–1283. https://doi.org/10.1080/147631....
34.
Seifert, L., Chollet, D., & Allard, P. (2005). Arm coordination symmetry and breathing effect in front crawl. Human Movement Science, 24(2), 234–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humo....
35.
Soncin, R., Mezêncio, B., Ferreira, J. C., Rodrigues, S. A., Huebner, R., Serrão, J. C., & Szmuchrowski, L. (2017). Determination of a quantitative parameter to evaluate swimming technique based on the maximal tethered swimming test. Sports Biomechanics, 16(2), 248–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/147631....
36.
Strzała, M., Stanula, A., Krężałek, P., Ostrowski, A., Kaca, M., & Głąb, G. (2017). Butterfly sprint swimming technique: Analysis of somatic and spatial-temporal coordination variables. Journal of Human Kinetics, 60, 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1515/hukin-....
37.
Swaine, I. L. (2000). Arm and leg power output in swimmers during simulated swimming. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 32(7), 1288–1292. https://doi.org/10.1097/000057....
38.
Tuncel, S., Gülmez, İ., Kahraman, M. Y., Sani, F., & Ramazanoglu, N. Evaluation of the Hand Grip and Sheet Rope Pulling Strength in Laser Sailing Athletes by Using Hiking Bench.
39.
Vorontsov, A. (2011). Strength and power training in swimming. In L. Seifert, D. Chollet, & I. Mujika (Eds.), World book of swimming: From science to performance (pp. 313–344). Nova Science Publishers.
40.
Vorontsov, A. R., & Rumyantsev, V. A. (2000). Propulsive forces in swimming. In V. Zatsiorsky (Ed.), Biomechanics in sport: Performance enhancement and injury prevention (pp. 205–231). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/978047....
41.
Wei, T., Mark, R., & Hutchison, S. (2014). The fluid dynamics of competitive swimming. Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, 46(1), 547–565. https://doi.org/10.1146/annure....
42.
Wirth, K., Keiner, M., Fuhrmann, S., Nimmerichter, A., & Haff, G. G. (2022). Strength training in swimming. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5369. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph....
| eISSN: | 1899-7562 |
| ISSN: | 1640-5544 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
