This study aimed to examine the effects of post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) on swim start performance and lower body power performance after different warm-up protocols. Ten male national-level swimmers performed three different warm-ups: (i) a swim-specific warm-up (SW, control protocol); (ii) PAPE (an experimental protocol); and (iii) SW followed by PAPE (SW + PAPE, an experimental protocol). PAPE consisted of performing three series of 5 drop jumps. A repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant differences between the protocols in the swim start performance (F = 8.89; P < 0.001) and countermovement jump (F = 2.22; P = 0.047). SW + PAPE induced greater improvements in swim start time to 15 m (ES = − 0.47, P = 0.017) and entry time (ES = − 1.83, P < 0.001), the countermovement jump reactive strength index modified (ES = − 1.83, P < 0.001), eccentric rate of force development (ES = 0.69, P = 0.047), and index of explosive strength (ES = 0.94, P = 0.005) compared to SW. The current findings of this study indicate that the drop jump PAPE protocol, in addition to SW, is an effective tool because it could improve athletes' capacity for a more efficient swim start and their countermovement jump performance. Furthermore, the results of this study indicate that PAPE induced by drop jumps could be time-efficient and practically applicable in facilities with limited resources.

Children and adults may react differently to warm‐up preservation due to different physical characteristics. This study aimed to: (i) assess the impact of different rewarm‐up routines in swimmers during a transition phase (20–25 min), including passive rest (SWU) or dynamic activities (RWU), on countermovement jump and swimming start performances, and (ii) explore potential RWU adaptations considering maturity offset (peak height velocity—PHV) and sex. Performance was analyzed using mixed effect ANCOVA, considering protocol, maturity offset (pre‐PHV, mid‐PHV, post‐PHV, and adv. post‐PHV), and sex. Results favored RWU over SWU with substantial magnitudes for jump height: pre‐PHV (min‐20, ES = 1.21; min‐25, ES = 1.65), mid‐PHV (min‐20, ES = 1.23; min‐25, ES = 1.14), post‐PHV (min‐20, ES = 1.37; min‐25, ES = 0.73), and adv. post‐PHV (min‐20, ES = 1.03; min‐25, ES = 0.65). Significant interactions at 25 min (p = 0.033, 0.047) showed that RWU outperformed SWU, especially in younger groups (pre‐PHV, mid‐PHV). RWU was superior to SWU for the reactive strength index at 20 min (p = 0.042) and 25 min (p = 0.047), with females having lower RSI than males at 20 min (p = 0.008, p = 0.015) and 25 min (p = 0.049) in later developmental stages. The flight distance (p = 0.009) and horizontal hip velocity (p = 0.014) revealed significant three‐way interactions, with the male adv. post‐PHV group responding better to RWU. Knee angular velocity was also higher after RWU, with male adv. post‐PHV group showing more pronounced improvements (p = 0.016). These results suggest that though RWU had higher influence in male adults, it is a valuable approach for varying ages athletes.

COVID-19 infection and its consequences (long-term COVID-19 syndrome) have implications for weight loss, body composition, and diet quality. In the context of the "PostCovSwim" project, which is part of a broader international study, the impact of an eight-week swimming program on post-COVID-19 patients' nutritional status (i.e., body composition and dietary intake) was evaluated. Body composition and dietary intake were assessed by medically approved and calibrated bioelectrical impedance (Tanita 780 S MA) and food frequency questionnaires. At the baseline, most participants were classified as overweight based on their body mass index (BMI). However, their body fat percentage (BF%) classification indicated normal weight, although females were near obesity thresholds. Furthermore, at the baseline, according to the BMI classification, 62% of females and 61% of males were female, whereas according to the BF% for obesity classification, 44% of females and 43% of males were considered overweight or obese. Surprisingly, despite the eight-week program, there were no significant changes in body composition. Additionally, the assessment of dietary intake, which remained consistent throughout the study, revealed dietary imbalances characterized by an unhealthy low-carbohydrate, high-fat dietary pattern. This dietary pattern entailed excessive consumption of ultraprocessed foods; reduced carbohydrate intake (39% E vs. 37% E); increased total fat intake (46% E vs. 47% E); increased saturated fatty acids (14% E vs. 13% E); increased cholesterol (412 mg/d vs. 425 mg/d); increased free sugars (7% E vs. 7% E); and inadequate intake of fibre (24 g/d vs. 20 g/d), polyunsaturated fatty acids (6.6% E vs. 7.7% E), vitamin B12 (in females: 3.1 mu g/d), vitamin C (86 mg/d vs. 66 mg/d), vitamin D (2 mu g/d vs. 3.2 mu g/d), folate (in males: 258 mu g/d), calcium (777 mg/d vs. 743 mg/d), and selenium (in males: 66 mu g/d). After an eight-week swimming program following COVID-19, no significant changes were observed in the subjects' body composition. Their dietary intake was found to not align with the dietary recommendations. These findings underscore the urgency of implementing comprehensive dietary and lifestyle interventions for post-COVID-19 patients to optimize their recovery and overall well-being. Physical activity, like a swimming program, may positively affect various aspects of human well-being.

The aim of this research was to determine the differences in specific race performance characteristics of male swimmers in the 50-m and 100-m freestyle at the Serbia Open Championship 2017 (long-course). The overall sample included in this study consisted of 40 swimmers divided by a K-Means Cluster Analysis into three groups in relation to the results in the 50-m freestyle (G1_50, T50=23.53±.27 s, n=6; G2_50, T50=24.54±.33 s, n=18; G3_50, T50=25.52±.33 s, n=16), and 55 swimmers also divided into three groups in relation to the results in the 100-m freestyle (G1_100, T100=50.99±.82s, n=10; G2_100, T100=53.41±.48 s, n=17; G3_100, T100=56.13±1.32 s, n=28). The research results indicate that there is a difference in the specific race performance characteristics in relation to the achieved results in the 50-m freestyle, including: t10_50 (F=16.79, p=.000), SL2_50 (F=4.44, p=.019) and SI2_50 (F=13.49, p=.000), also in the 100-m freestyle, including: t10_100 (F=36.45, p=.000), SL1_100 (F=5.77, p=.005), SL2_100 (F=17.47, p=.000), SL3_100 (F=7.72, p=.001), SL4_100 (F=9.84, p=.000), SI1_100 (F=5.12, p=.009), SI2_100 (F=45.97, p=.000), SI3_100 (F=13.86, p=.000), SI4_100 (F=31.23, p=.000), SR1_100 (F=4.12, p=.022) and SR2_100 (F=6.37, p=.003). Based on these results we can draw the conclusion that swimmers who have better control over their race performance characteristics during all the segments of the race, including stroke length, stroke index and stroke rate have the potential of being faster in the 50-m and 100-m freestyle.

The aim of this study was to consolidate as many studies as possible and draw a general conclusion about the effects of dry-land strength and conditioning training on swimming performance. Accordingly, 16 studies were analyzed. Of that number, 14 studies looked at the direct effect of additional dryland strength training on swimming performance. One of them examined the effect of additional strength training on dry land on the swimming performance of Paralympic swimmers. Of the remaining 2 studies, one study examined the effect of additional dryland strength training on swimming turns, while the other examined the effect of additional dryland strength training on starting blocks. As a general conclusion of the study, we conclude that additional strength training on dry land has a positive effect on swimming performance, regardless of variable factors in terms of the type of training, age, gender and swimming level of the subject, if it is properly designed and implemented in practice. This conclusion came from the results of 12 analyzed studies in which a statistically significant improvement in swimming performance was recorded. In the 4 remaining studies, there was also a tendency to improve swimming performance or an improvement in some of the swimming performance, but this improvement in performance was not statistically significant, or the improvement in ability did not lead to an improvement in the final swimming performance.

Background/Objectives: Motor coordination is the essential ability that influences children’s overall physical development and their ability to engage in various activities. The development of motor skills and coordination continues for several years, as it is a gradual process that extends beyond the early stages of walking. The study aimed to describe the differences in genders and physical activity levels using the Body Coordination Test for Children (KTK) test battery to assess motor coordination in kindergarten children. Methods: The sample consisted of 814 participants, including both sexes (aged 5.57 ± 0.49 years). Participants were divided into two groups according to their involvement in physical activity (OPA) or physical inactivity (NO OPA). OPA had to have a minimum of 2 days per week of additional organized training/lessons with at least 60 min. Results: The results show significant gender differences in walking backwards; girls outperformed boys with a statistically significant mean difference of −3.11 (p = 0.01; 95% CI: −4.57 to −1.64). Similarly, for total motor quotient (MQ), girls scored higher than boys, with a significant mean difference of −4.92 (p = 0.01; 95% CI: −7.85 to −1.99). The results revealed that the OPA group consistently outperformed the NO OPA group across all subtests, with significant differences in Total MQ (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Our study results indicated that physically active children demonstrated better motor coordination in comparison to their inactive peers. This suggests that regular physical activity positively influences motor coordination development in children.