The effects of visual-verbal and mixed feedback methods on swimming learning skills

The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of visual, verbal and mixed feedback methods on swimming learning skills. The research is an experimental model study. 29 non-swimmer and female students studying at Sinop University constitute the research group. In this context, before starting their swimming training, individuals participating in the resarch have been divided into Visual (GGBG), Verbal (SGBG) and Mixed (KGBG) feedback groups bu applying the Personal Information Form prepared by the researcher and the BIG16 Learning Styles Inverntory developed by Şimşek (2002). The same training program has been applied to the groups for eight Weeks (once a week, for one hour) with different feedbacks. In the fourth week, measurements related to frontal, lateral and supinal flutter kicks have been videotaped, and in the eighth week, mesaurements related to freestyle swimming and backstroke style swimming have been videotaped. Participants have been evaluated in 25 meters swimming. The evaluations of participants' measurement videos have been analyzed six senior and experienced swimming coaches at separate times and scored according to a 5-point Likert Scale. Data have been analyzed with the help of the SPSS 26.0 package program and the type of feedback that is effective has been examined by making the intergroup comparison. In the data analysis, Shapiro – Wilk has been used to determine whether they exhibit a normality distribution or not. Oneway ANOVA test has been used for intergroup comparison of data that show parametric distributions. The intergroup comparison has been observed via the Kruskal Wallis Test for the data that show non-parametric distributions and the significance level has been taken as p<0,05. As a result of this study, it has been observed that all of the participants could swim in freestyle and backstroke style and these findings once again proved the importance of the feedback in the learning process. When we consider the types of feedback effectiveness, it has been observed that the Mixed Feedback Method was the most effective one and the Verbal Feedback Method was the least effective of all. Based on these results, especially during the technical training process, it is important that swimming coaches should benefit not only from verbal feedback methods, but also from visual feedback methods, for the athletes to develop more accurate techniques.