Different perspectives of the action of lower members in the four competitive names: an integrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18593/eba.24807Keywords:
Strength, Physiology, Anthropometry, Biomechanics, DynamometryAbstract
It is currently known that the speed of swimming is a function of the propulsion generated from the lower limbs and not just the upper limbs. However, for years the action of the legs, during swimming, had its importance mitigated. Thus, the objective of this work was to raise, by means of an integrative literature review, the state of the art regarding the importance of the lower limbs in swimming. This research was delimited in the action of surface legs and underwater legs, excluding the analysis of exits and turns. Studies indexed in the following databases were analyzed: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs and SciELO. The search system included reading of titles, abstracts and articles in full, found through blocks of descriptors that combined main and secondary terms. A total of 154 articles were found, of which 55 were included for qualitative analysis. The results showed that studies on the use of the lower limbs in swimming have a low sample value and a heterogeneous description of the levels of the participants. Breaststroke and underwater swells are the most studied variables. It is recommended to examine the effectiveness of other anthropometric, kinematic and coordination variables to better understand the production of maximum speed and to consider the importance of individual techniques in the action of the legs in swimming. Still, in the field of using the lower limbs in swimming, there are some gaps, which the articles themselves point out. These demands are due to the strength generated by these segments, in addition to the discussion of the importance of considering individual factors in the action of the legs for swimmers.
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