Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Clarys
124
previously. At the same time, the Ikai et al. (1961-1964; Note 1) studies
initiated EMG investigations in new directions.
J!!~~st Germany during 1966 Kipke (1966, p. 116) stated "in order to
improve performance,e-~-S~!Il_!ll~r needs power, whichcannot be developed in water alone." If the swimmer wants to reach the top level, he or
she must strengthen the arm musculature by working with specific
dryland exercises.
Since the coordination and economic use of muscles in swimming
movement is regulated by the nervous system (Counsilman, 1962), Kipke
and many others have accepted the idea that the actual swimming movement had to be reproduced on dry land. Kipke Q966) 11sed the findings of
Ikai (1962) for selecting the muscles. He took 507 EMGs on 17 subjects
during dryland crawl movements against the resistance of a rubber rope
andcompared his results with those of Ikai (1962) without calibration
and 1wi!ho11t n~rmalizatiop of the data.
DraWing conclusions out of such a comparison obviously is very difficult. Nevertheless, Kipke (1966) had initiated controversy and, at the
same time, presented a problem for further investigation. In his discussion he stated that by using afl!j:l\}er _r5lpe, the EMG patterns~ere _totallY
different from the patterns in water, but Kipke conCluded that if the dryland exercise is ~lit~ cgrre<:tly at 50-60 pulls/min, the relationship
between the tension and the relaxation of the muscle is optimal and thus
wil! inlPI:.~':~ the muscular strength and endurance of the swimmer.
Ikai et al. (1961-1964) initiated methodological research on the electroniyographlc -analysis of different swimming techniques using conventional wire electrodes witll_J!le EMG apparatus mounted on a tr()lley
whic;h 1110ved along with the swimmer. ~~~-Q_~~l!. 12(i~J:>t attempted
!Q qetefii!ine t}1e poss!Qi}itie_~,~[!~~~~:!EY mJ;M~_choosing the swimmer
as his major subject. Lewillie's experiments w~~~conduct~jg~,a co!Jlmunity swimming pool". .The~dimensions of the transmitter, anipllfier
antennae and reCorder" he used have been described elsewhere (Lewillie,
1968a). The entire telemetric system.~ develope<f QY LewillkJ1268a,
1968b) and his collaborators avoid the cumbersome work with conventional wire EMG apparatuses and allows the swimmer CQil1PIte[~~~-Q!!l
.oJmov~::menL~ _sp~~
p,,_-
.~
,.-
Front Crawl
Already mentioned were Ikai et al. (1961-1964) and Ikai (1962) with
the study of 15 muscles, Kipke (1966) with six muscles and dryland move-
EMG IN SWLMMING
125
ments, and Lewillie (1968a, 1968b, 1973) with three muscles. Vaday and
Nemessuri (1971) studied 20 muscles using the conventional wire apparatus and stressing the importance of the pull-and-push phase in the
crawl movement. Clarys et al. (1973) compared the water polo and competitiveJroJl:Lq_awl !!l~asu611_gJ~km~Jrigl)Jy, four arm muscles. Maes et
al. (1975) studied six muscles with the same device in an atteiiiiito
-evalualetiie movements of handicapped swimmers. Belokovsky (1971)
was the ffrsfto work: with a reasonably large group of 57 subjects, investigating the dynamic elements and fundamental deviation of these
elements within the front crawl arm movement.
Renner (1980) used three muscles to analyze the various components
of the front crawl underwater arm stroke, combining the wire apparatus
EMG technique with the use of maximal isometric contraction as introduced by Lewillie (1971). Front crawl EMG research by Clarys et al.
(1983, this volume) presented standardized myoelectric integrated EMG
patterns of 25 muscles.
Using the methodological investigations of Lewillie (1967; 1968b;
1971) and based on previously published preliminary research (Clarys et
al., 1973; Maes et al., 1975; Piette and Clarys, 1979) this writer has attempted to produce a total experimental image of all superficial body
muscles presumed to be electrically active during the front crawl movement (excluding the smaller hand, feet and head musculature).
In order to allow practical use and a possibility for comparison of
these data, the results are presept~ "' 11- normalized pattern diagrams
based on the nondimensional expression of integrated EMG patterns.
These results are the subject of further discussion in this article.
/~ . C. .ItA,,.~
Breaststroke
Compared to the front crawl and breaststroke, very little work has
been done to gather information and/or to explain the myoelectric patterns in the backstroke (Lewillie, 1974, two muscles) and the dolphin
(Barthels and Adrian, 1971, six muscles; Lewillie, 1974, two muscles).
From these studies, interesting feedback information was obtained concerning the high variability and thus differences observed in the kicking
patterns of top dolphin swimmers.
Clarys
126
In completing the review of EMG swimming research, one must mention the work of Tokuyama et al. (1976), Oka et al. (1979) and Okamoto
and Wolf (1979) for two distinct reasons:
These studies show the importance of EMG feedback information in
the process of learning to swim.
New possibilities arise since the experiments used fine wire electrodes
instead of the more typical surface electrodes.
As an example of the first case, Oka et al. (1979) trained a 6-year-old
boy with appropriate instruction based on the electromyographic observations obtained from skilled adults. After some time his flutter kick
movement was much improved and the discharge patterns approached
those of the skilled adult.
The other possibilities were introduced when Okamoto and Wolf
(1979) used nylon-karma alloy fme-wire electrodes. Movement artifacts
can now be avoided and recording sessions can last for several hours
without interruption. Since percutaneous recordings from muscles have
the advantage of enabling the investigator to assume that the pickup is
from a specific muscle, this technique will enable one to explain more
precisely the myoelectric behavior during various aquatic activities.
Considering all these studies over the last 20 years, they have not
solved the problem of both quantitative and qualitative comparison of
EMG data. We investigated 25 muscles (Clarys et al., 1983) covering the
overall surface area of the human body; the selection criteria have been
described previously (Piette and Clarys, 1979).
Subjects (n = 60) were studied (30 competitive swimmers and 30 swimmers with good technical skills). Swimming speed was standardized for
all subjects using a series of successive lights, fixed 1 m below the water
surface. Before fiXation of the electrodes, the "motor point" of each
muscle was defined. Unfortunately, the localization of these highpotential points was not always technically adequate for efficient recordings in all muscles. Therefore, the electrodes were cutaneously fiXed in
the topographical midpoint of the muscle surface area, independent of
the motor point position and according to the recommendations of
Basmajian (1967) and Goodgold (1974).
Before the actual data collection, the amplification apparatus was adjusted to the signal intensity of each subject, while the actual EMG recording consisted of the integrated recording of: (a) the dynamic swimming contraction at a known speed of 1.7 m sec-l (DC); (b) the
(relative) isometric maximal contraction (IC), and (c) a constant calibration value (CV).
The surface area of the integrated patterns was also measured (Piette
and Clarys, 1979). Expressing microvoltage results in terms of surface
area simplifies further calculation and allows for a normalized dynamic
EMG IN SWIMMING
127
REGISTRATEO PATTERN
NORMALISED PATTERN
1 :
I1 1I :
lj I
ig
pi
pho
'
:1:
:\!.-'I
I I
\1
I
I
I',
1
i:
f \l
I
1 I
pl
i~
1\ I
NORMAliSED
PAmRN
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A:
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! 1.~ ! 'tI
REGISTRATED
PATTERN
pho
I
r
i =input
g the glido phose
pi =the pull phosa
~~~::
=:.r..
contraction
~: =2
point
point
: 0,6
=0,6 Clll
=
contraction index:
NDC
= DC (cm2
100.
M. BICEPS BRACHII
par upr1or
~-~.l'$:)
~~ ..... ,,-.,-1~
r.~~'ff.-
~~.v
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~-,.
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c:
v'
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r ~iPI~~ ...
M. QLUTAEUS MAXIMS
M.TRICEPS_. .
~OO ~
I
caput longum
pars tnhli'IOr
~~~~~:.:::-:.-~-~
y~-~. ~~
5;~~-~~~-.
.----------
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i\.IJ
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A..,.w.mm"~
~~'~\
0
INPUT
'
(I)
~IDIPIIIIIJ(tl
"''
(--
IllI
VADAY NIIIIIIIUIII
Figure 2-Normalized reference pattern diagram of the m. gluteus maximus and explanation of phases and cycle timing.
Figure 4- Normalized reference pattern diagram of the m. biceps and triceps brachia.
... IXTI!NSOR
DIOITORuM'~..a. pi. ph
.e!..:l!.!~ ...
I IL..
M STERNOCLEIDO
MASTOIOEUS
>~-~
it --~.
(;;:, '--
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'
""'''~
-t
./ ~::-:< /?r;:.~;_:<'-~cP%
~
goo'if11w1mrners
M. RECTUS
ph o
I Q pi
~ph
....
par55upar1or~~~e;
' " ~" ' ' t
0~~/~ ~~ :::::~
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-:
.; '
~. ~
',;,
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... ~P
r 'a plpho ~-
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M. RECTUS ABDOMINIS
',a pi-ph o
r I g pl.-ph n
r ' ...
''"'"''"
"~
~-~;
.x:::~
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&?, -""" ~""'~
q'
~., ~t' l
~-~:~
~. tA,A
\
70
p~~
....
top
SWtmfT\flr&
~~~-~
Figure 7- Normalized reference pattern diagram of the m. Iatissimus dorsi and rectus
abdominis.
-' Q fllph
r I A pi Ph 0
M. FLEXOR CARPI
ULNARIS
M. GASTROCNEMIUS
Cllf)ut lattrllll!:
pi ph o r
'g
P'
ph 0
r '....
'
'.
~~~"',C"-}JJJJJ
.
- ' .. ~
~----'ll::--~~-
~~~.,~1
~~
- ., >t-:_,~
~~-~-~'.
11
-~
:,w .. m~'"
[!
::
1-.
ij plpl'l(l, r
M. PECTORALIS MAJOR
M. RECTUS FEMORIS
1g
P'pl'[l
'.
A;t .
A.
.'.
A, ~
\-_f~:v~~~~l
.'I
pan;clllvCularu;.
tap swtmmers
. .,.
~:: ..~:- A
%~ tza/
~ ''i!TC:f~~~~
;~..-. <~
~~
i" ...
:--~
r.
~
)
..
.
~sw,mmers
. 'lil
11~,._.!:.~ ..
M. SEMITENDINOSUS
'
\.
GWtnunera
.. 'uel~ph.o
-~~';_~---rt::
M. PECTORALIS
MAJOR
pi pt\ o
ij pi pt\ o
:~ ~ 6W~~~~
~-1!;::-:-~t!ff'" ~--~~ ~
-' .
..:
~''~--.~-~
.}J"',.,.f~ie-~~~n...
,/
./1
'...
pars ster<mr,ostals
~--
,
~
A A A ..
J vvv:M.
;'\:"-..- 1\
-~-
good swommers
Figure 8-Normalized reference pattern diagram of the m. gastrocnemius, rectus femoris and semitendinosus.
EMG IN SWIMMING
131
Clarys
132
t.
RELATIVE
ISOMETRIC
MAXIMUM
100
90
SUBJECT
EXERCISE
MUSCLE
80
C 009
ISOKINETICS
M. PECTORALIS
MAJOR
70
60
50
40
30
6:
X~
"
+
+
20
10
OUTPUT
RECOVERY
6LIDIN6 PHASE
TIME
Worthingham (1972), Stijns (1973) and Clarys et al. (1983). During dryland exercise, EMG recordings and integration were synchronized with
video film.
All movement patterns were selected based on their correct execution.
Mter the cycle time and the amplitude of the total cycle time were determined, a standard dry cp.rve was made by selecting 15 points from the
rest of the total cycle. These standard dry curves (SDC) contained a time
sequence as described by Vaday and Nemessuri (1971) and were presented as ''normalized pattern diagrams" (Clarys et al., 1983). In this
manner, the standard dry curves of 10 muscles per subject and per exercise were plotted against the normalized pattern diagrams for the standard wet curves of the same muscles. For these procedures, a HewlettPackard Digitizer 9874 and a desk-top computer 9825A with the Model
17601 plotter were used.
It is expected that the comparison of both the normalized "wet" and
"dry" myoelectric recordings will provide practical information and
direct feedback for training. Detailed results are reported by Olbrechts
and Clarys (1983) elsewhere in this volume.
Note
1. Similar results were published by Ikai in 1962 in French.
EMG IN SWIMMING
133
References
Q. 6:49-58.
KIPKE, L. 1966. Das elektromyographische Bild des am Trainingsgeriit imitierten Armzuges der Freistilschwimmer. Med. Sport 6:116-121.
134
Clarys
EMG IN SWIMMING
135
VADAY, M., and Nemessuri, N. 1971. Motor pattern of freestyle swimming. In:
L. Lewillie and J.P. Clarys (eds.), Swimming I, pp. 167-173. Universite Libre de
Bruxelles, Brussels.
WEINECK, J. 1981. Sportanatomie Beitrage zur Sportmedizin. Perimed
Fachbuch Verlaggesellschaft, Erlangen.
YOSHIZAWA, M., Okamoto, T., Kumamoto, M., Tokuyama, H., and Oka, H.
1978. Electromyographic study of two styles in the breaststroke as performed by
top swimmers. In: E. Asmussen and K. Jt~rgensen (eds.), Biomechanics Vl-B, pp.
126-131. University Park Press, Baltimore.