The comparison of long and short distance elite male swimmers' physiological profiles ın Turkey

Purpose: Swimming as one of the fundamental sports, develops individual's basic and auxiliary bio motor skills. Swimming can be beneficial for the trainers and athletes to define anthropometric and physiologic characteristics correlated to various distances in swimming branches. In this study, our aim is to compare and analyze the physiological and anthropometric characteristics of elite distant swimmers and sprinters in Turkey. Method: From the Turkish National Swimming Team, 18 male elite swimmers (9 short, 9 long distance swimmers) aged between 14 to 21 and swimming for 6 to 8 years participated in the study voluntarily. Tests and measurements were conducted on to the swimmers to define their physiological and anthropometrical properties. Conducted tests are; body composition measurements (height, body weight, body fat and muscle weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat ratio), stroke length measurement, 25 meter (m) and 400 m swim, vertical jump and calculation of anaerobic power, back and leg dinamometer test (strength), stroke rate and pulmonary function tests. Results: For the statistical analysis of the data the SPSS 21.0, Pearson correlation test. Mann-Whitney U test was used. The results of the anthropometric characteristics do not reveal a significant difference between long and short distance swimmers. However, the vertical jump and the anaerobic power demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the short and long distance swimmers; the short distance swimmers having higher values in both (P<0,01). In 400 m freestyle swimming, the long distance swimmers' performance was significantly higher than the short distance swimmers'. The percentage of maximum voluntary ventilation (%MVV) results were higher in short distance swimmers versus long distance swimmers (p<0,05). Conclusion: Vertical jump, anaerobic power and MVV% was found higher in sprinters whereas 400m freestyle swimming time was found to be lower in long distance swimmers. Key Words: Short distance swimming, long distance swimming, physiological and anthropometric characteristics, lung function test, performance test.