The Relationship between Foot Movement and the Com Velocity in Elite Female Breststroke Swimmers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of foot movement on the instantaneous COM velocity changing during kick movement for elite female breaststroke swimmers. Nine elite swimmers swam at their maximal effort in a 25-m pool. The swimming motions were recorded with the motion capture system. The COM velocity generated by kick movement was not related the foot velocity. In contrast, the COM velocity was correlated with the sweepback angle of foot. The swimmers who showed high kick velocity were moved their foot outward during early kick movement. In contrast the swimmer who showed low kick velocity moved their foot backward. These results suggest that the higher increased COM velocity obtained by kick movement would not be related to foot velocity, but foot angle for elite female swimmers.