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Running Head: ANKLE STRETCH IN SWIMMING FLUTTER KICK 1

An Ankle Stretching and Strengthening Program in Performing the Flutter Kick in Collegiate

Swimming

Tiffany Jean Martin

University of La Verne

May 2011

Author Note

Tiffany J. Martin, Movement and Sports Science Department, University of La Verne.

Correspondence concerning this thesis should be addressed to Tiffany Martin. Email:

[email protected]

ANKLE STRETCH IN SWIMMING FLUTTER KICK 2

Table of Contents

Chapter I: The Problem

Introduction

3

Variables

4

Operational definitions

4

Hypotheses

4

Assumptions

4

Limitations

5

Purpose of the Study

5

Chapter II: Review of Literature

Introduction 6

Body 6

Summary 8

Chapter III: The Method

Subjects 9

Procedures 9


Instruments

11

Reliability

11

Statistical Design

11

Works Cited

12

Chapter I: The Problem

Introduction

The sport of competitive swimming has flourished in the last decade. The workouts, diet,

equipment, and suits have all changed the dynamics of the sport dramatically (Chatard 2008).

With all the research being done to make the athletes faster and push the human body past limits

ever imagined swimming has become a very technical sport (Deschodt 2004). Specialty clinics

help swimmers at any age work on the positions of every body part in all four competitive

strokes. Work is being done outside of the pool as well, with research studies showing imagery

and visualization as a key component in many sports (McCarthy 2009).

After sixteen time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps stepped into the swimming limelight

in 2004, extensive studies have been conducted on his remarkable ability inside the water (Chat

Wang-Jun 2008). His physique is what allows him to be unusually quick in the water, but


specifically his hypermobile ankles were intriguing to most who follow the sport. After watching

Phelps swim his way through the record books, technique specialists began to look at what was

making him so fast. His ankles were oddly over-flexible allowing him to kick his feet in a whip-

like motion much faster than an average individual (Chat Wang-Jun 2008). Substantial evidence

demonstrated flexion and extension of the ankle was essential in a fast kick and recovery

(Mookerjee 1995). Coaches began to add ankle stretches into the daily swim workout to increase

hypermobility of the ankle (De Deyne 2001). This study will be conducted to analyze the flutter

kick, and research methods of ankle stretch and strength in order to decrease swimming speed.

This study is potentially significant to coaches and athletes because increasing range of motion

and muscle strength in the ankle may result in better performance by the athlete.

Variables

Independent variables.

#1 Ankle stretch program 4 times a week for 4 weeks.

#2 Ankle strength program 4 times a week for 4 weeks

#3 Time trial, 50-yard flutter kick, 1 time a week for 4 weeks.

Dependent variables.

-Ankle flexibility

-Ankle strength

- 50-yard flutter kick time trial

Operational Definitions

-ankle flexibility measured in degrees

-ankle strength measured in pounds


-50-yard flutter kick measured in seconds

Control variables.

Collegiate swimmers from the University of La Verne

Hypotheses

Research hypothesis.

#1 The ankle strength program will significantly decrease the time in the 50-yard flutter kick.

#2 The ankle stretch program will significantly increase the range of motion in the ankle.

Assumptions

The researcher assumed the subjects were healthy and injury free at the time of the study.

Also, the researcher assumed the subjects would follow the ankle stretch and strength programs

with their best effort for the entire duration of the study.

Limitations

In an ideal research study any possible extraneous variables would be non-existent, but

due to the structure of the study it is impossible to completely control every element of the

experiment. The researcher did not have control of the subject’s previous ankle history, although

potential subjects with a history of ankle problems will not qualify for the study. The researcher

did not control the subject’s range of motion. The extra weight training or stretching could not be

completely controlled outside of the study. The weather conditions could not be controlled

possibly making muscles tighter during stretch or testing.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of ankle stretch and strengthening on

the speed of the flutter kick in swimming.


Chapter II: Review of Literature

Introduction

Swimming fast is made up of a combination of different aspects. Some of the key

components include: power, muscle strength, endurance, mental strength, technique, and

flexibility. Many coaches train their swimmers to have all of these skills and they create what

many deem as elite athletes. Flexibility is one of those components that coaches focus a large

amount of time in training. Bill McKeon writes in his article, “Ankle flexibility is one area where

a swimmer might benefit from having a better than average range of motion. In all swimming

strokes, the ability to extend the foot and point the toes enhances the kick. An inflexible ankle

not only inhibits kicking butt can actually create unnecessary drag by causing the feel to act like

flaps on airplane wings.” (McKeon 2007). Stretching out the muscle and joint can alter

flexibility. There are specific stretches that can be done to increase flexibility in the ankle. Ankle


strengthening is another key component in the flutter kick in swimming. Strengthening the

muscles around the joints can be beneficial for strength, power, and endurance. The more muscle

in the ankle the stronger the flutter kick will be. Studies can prove or disprove these allegations.

Body

Ankle Stretching.

Stretching has become an important part of many swim programs around the world.

Coaches are incorporating stretches into their daily workouts to enhance the athlete’s

performance. “Swimmers with very flexible ankles get more propulsion for less effort than

swimmers with less ankle flexibility. It is actually less work to go faster. Regular ankle

stretching is now a part of my everyday routine. Prototypes are being used at Stanford with

similar effectiveness. With more use, the legs will attain higher levels of development. They will

get stronger. Faster swimming for more swimmers will be the result.”(Hull, 1991).

“One of the most important physical qualities which determines specialized work capacity,

effectiveness and economy of movement in different swimming events is joint mobility. This is

especially true for the shoulder and ankle joints. Increasing the amplitude of movement in these

joints is possible only with systematic daily execution of specialized exercises that can be done

independently and with the help of a partner.”(Maksimov, 1980).

Ankle Strengthening

Strengthening programs have been known to improve the performance of athletes in most

sports. “Whether it's having your athletes perform heel/calf raises off the edge of platforms after

every set of squats, or using specially designed machines for plantar (toes down) flexion and

dorsi (toes up) flexion, some form of ankle strengthening is critically important. And vet, it is

one of the most neglected areas in many strength-training programs.”(Mannie, 2009). There are


many different exercises that can increase ankle strength to improve power.

Flutter Kick Speed.

The flutter kick speed is going to depend on a few different aspects of an athlete.

A fast tempo of the kick is going to significantly decrease the time of the freestyle and

backstrokes. The lower limb strength will give the kick power, and the flexibility of the joints in

the lower extremities will provide the desired range of motion for the kick. According to Sanders

and Psycharakis, “A H3 body wave of moderate and increasing velocity travelled caudally from

hip to ankle. In the light of existing knowledge of aquatic locomotion this was compatible with

the goal of generating propulsion in an efficient manner.”(Sanders & Psycharakis, 2009). The

speed of the kick can be increased and the wave like motion, due to flexibility, will allow for this

to occur.

Reliability.

In any study being conducted reliability is essential to the validity of research. A study

done by Rees and his team showed, “Four weeks of PNF stretching of the ankle joint resulted in

a number of significant physiological and biomechanical changes. The PNF stretching program

involved 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks. The program incorporated a gradual, systematic

increase in intensity and volume of stretching with gains in flexibility (1). Bilateral stretching

was performed with an instrumented stretching apparatus.”(Rees, Murphy, Watsford, Mc-

Lachlan, & Coutts, 2007).

Summary

Ankle flexibility can contribute to a faster flutter kick in both the freestyle and

backstrokes. Having a faster kick can increase the speed of the stroke and decrease competitive


swim times. Hyperextension of the ankle over 180 ْcan be highly beneficial to a swimmer

because the foot is going to have a stronger downward motion, propelling the swimmer through

the water faster. Strengthening muscles in the ankle can have great advantages because more

muscle power will create a faster, stronger kick, displacing more water in the mean time.

Chapter III: The Method

Subjects

The researcher will have 21 subjects in the experiment, 11 males and 10 females. The

twenty-one subjects will be assigned to the flexibility program, strengthening program, or control

group. The researcher will carefully select the subjects using the following criteria: All the

subjects will be NCAA Division III collegiate swimmers with at least two years of participation

in the sport at any competitive level. All the subjects will have at least 4 months of in-the-water

training prior to the study being conducted. Along with that, the subjects will have at least 5

months of weight training experience before the study begins. All the subjects will continue the

same in-the-water and weight training programs during the duration of the study. The subjects

will be males and females, with ages ranging from 18-23. Also, the subjects will all be healthy,

have no major health problems, no history of ankle injury, and will injury-free at the time of the

study. All subjects will be required to complete a signed consent form to participate in the study,


as well as obtain clearance by a certified athletic trainer at the University of La Verne before the

study begins.

Procedures

The 21 subjects that will be tested will be split into three groups, a stretching group, a

strengthening group and a control group. All the subjects will be required to perform a pretest

before beginning the workout program they will be assigned to. The pretest will be a 100-yard

flutter kick time trial. The researcher will conduct a time trial for all subjects. Before testing, all

the subjects will perform a warm-up of 300 yards: 100 swimming, 100 kicking, and 100 pulling.

Once the subjects have warmed up, they will be given a © TYR kickboard and perform a 50-

yard sprint flutter kick time trial. Each subject will be allowed time to fully recover with a 200-

yard easy freestyle swim cool-down. Subjects will perform a time trial once a week during the 4-

week duration of the stretching program, of which the researcher will conduct. The times will be

documented to record progress.

The subjects in the flexibility program will perform their stretching program 4 times a

week for 4 weeks. The subjects in the strengthening program will perform their strengthening

program 4 times a week for 4 weeks. The subject’s will perform their program at the Las Flores

Aquatics Center, in the pool and on the pool deck. They will be under supervision of the

researcher, two swimming graduate assistants, and the University of the La Verne head Men and

Women’s Swim Coach. The subjects performed the exercises starting at 11:45 am on Monday,

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Those subjects who cannot arrive at that time on those days

will perform their program later in the day at the same facility under the same supervision.

Before the program begins the subjects will be given a thorough explanation of what the

study is, how it is going to be conducted, the purpose of the study, and the importance of their


dedicated participation. Each day the researcher will have the subjects do the same stretching

program for every individual. The strengthening subjects will do a specific sitting ankle stretch

for duration of 60 seconds 6 times. The strengthening subjects will do one leg calf raises with

weight. The weight in pounds of the free-weights will depend on the subjects body weight. The

same procedures found in the pretest also applied in the posttest. The posttest will be a 100-yard

flutter kick time trial. The researcher will conduct the final posttest and recorded the subject’s

progress in the study. These results will then relate to the pretest results and be compared to the

weekly time trials to determine if either program was effective in increasing flutter kick speed.

Instruments

The subjects will use a © TYR kickboard to kick during the time trials. This or a similar

kickboard can be purchased at any sporting good retail store. The researcher will use a stopwatch

to record the times of the subjects during their flutter kick time trials. The stopwatch can be

found at any sporting goods store as well. A goniometer will be used for the measurement of

ankle flexibility during the duration of the stretching program. A goniometer can be bought at

any medical supply store. The goniometer that will be used in the study will be bought from CVS

pharmacy. Colorado touch pad system will be used to record the pre-test and post-test time trials.

The Touch pads will be provided by the University of La Verne Swimming and Diving team.

The free weights will be used in the strengthening group and will be obtained from Coach Durant

in the University of La Verne weight room.

Reliability

“The reliability of the ankle stretch was a mean difference of .75 seconds, 2.38 seconds,


and 5.7 seconds respectively was observed for a period of 9 weeks prior to power circuit weight

training and post power circuit weight training.”

Statistical Design

The researcher will use the within groups design. A pair-sample t-test will be conducted

by the researcher to test for the significance of the research hypothesis at the .05 level to see if

the results from the sample can be inferred to the entire population.

Works Cited

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of Wuhan Institute of Physical Education, 42(11), 46-49.

Chatard, J., & Wilson, B. (2008). Effect of Fastskin Suits on Performance, Drag, and Energy

Cost of Swimming. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 40(6), 1149-1154.

De Deyne, P. (2001). Application of passive stretch and its implications for muscle fibers.

Physical Therapy, 81(2), 819-827.

Deschodt, V., & Arsac, L. (2004). Morning vs. Evening Maximal Cycle Power and Technical

Swimming Ability. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (Allen Press

Publishing Services Inc.), 18(1), 149-154.


Fulton, S., Pyne, D., & Burkett, B. (2009). Validity and reliability of kick count and rate in

freestyle using inertial sensor technology. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(10), 1051-1058.

Geladas, N. D. (2005). Somatic and physical traits affecting sprint swimming performance in

young swimmers. International journal of sports medicine, 26(2), 139-144.

Hamilton, A. (2009). Flutter kicking in female swimmers. Peak Performance, 282, 12.

Haywood, K.M. (1986). Differential effects of age-group gymnastics and swimming on body

composition, strength, and flexibility. Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness,

26(4), 416-420.

Hull, M. (1991). Flexible ankles; faster swimming. With the help of a new ankle stretcher,

swimmers no longer have to be born with flexibility. Swimming technique, official

publication of the American Swimming Coaches Association, 27(3), 23-24.

Konstantaki, M., & Winter, E. (2007). The Effectiveness of a Leg-Kicking Training Program on

Performance and Physiological Measures of Competitive Swimmers. International

Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 2(1), 37-48.

Maksimov, N, M. (1980). Exercises for development of joint mobility in swimmers. Soviet

sports review, 19(2), 69-71.


Mannie, K. (2008). Odds ‘n Ends: Covering Strength Trainings Details. Powerline, 10(1), 6-11.

Manning, J, M. Effects of Power circuit weight training program on power production and

performance. The Journal of Swimming Research, 2(1) 24-29.

McCarthy, P. (2009). Putting imagery to good affect: A case study among youth swimmers.

Sport & Exercise Psychology Review, 5(1), 27-38.

McKeon, B. (2007). Swimming and Flexibility: Where on the Flexibility Scale Should

Competitive Swimmers Be?. American Swimming, 2007(3), 6-8.

Moeller, M. (1985). Duration of stretching effect on range of motion in lower extremities.

Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 66(3) 171-173.

Mookerjee, S., Bibi, K. W., Kenney, G.A., Cohen, L. (1995). Relationship between isokinetic

strength, flexibility, and flutter kicking speed in female collegiate swimmers. Journal of

Strength & Conditioning Research, 9(2), 71-74.

Rees, S., Murphy, A., Watsford, M., McLachlan, K., & Coutts, A. (2007). Effects of

Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching on stiffness and force producing

characteristics of the ankle in active women. Journal of Strength & Conditioning

Research (Allen Press Publishing Services Inc.), 21(2), 572-577.


Sanders,R., Psycharakis, S. (2009) Rolling rhythms in front crawl swimming with six-beat kick.

Journal of Biomechanics, 42(3), 273-279.

Sheeran, T.J. (1980). Electrogoniometric analysis of the knee and ankle of competitive

swimmers. Journal of Human Movement Studies, 6(3), 227-235.

Youdas, J. W. (1993). Reliability of goniometeric measurements and visual estimates of ankle

joint active range of motion obtained in a clinical setting. Archives of physical medicine

and rehabilitation, 74(10), 1113-1118.

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