Joel A. Bloom

Publication Date

1965

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Dunn, J. Hubert||Kahler, Robert

Degree Name

M.S. Ed. (Master of Education)

Legacy Department

Department of Physical Education

LCSH

Swimming

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the application of functional overload as a training medium for competitive swimming. The subjects for the study were selected from three general physical education classes in swimming at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois. The 111 participants whose mean age was eighteen, were tested as to the time it took for each man to swim 100 yards. On the basis of the time required to swim one hundred yards, as determined by a stopwatch, each subject was assigned to one of three sub-groups. Each group was then retested to determine the mean time for the separate groups. The Initial means of the three groups were compared and found not to differ significantly. By random method, each group was assigned to one of three exercise programs. Group I was assigned as the NON-RESISTANCE swimming group. Group II was appointed as the WEIGHT TRAINING group, and Group III was designated as the RESISTANCE swimming group. The experiment lasted for a period of eight weeks. The NON-RESISTANCE group’s program was to swim a total of 600 yards during each workout. They swam only against the resistance of the water. Their drills were based on the fundamentals of swimming; kicking, pulling, and using the combined stroke. The WEIGHT TRAINING group's assignment was to allot twenty minutes of their total workout time to exercises involving a series of weight training drills. Over the eight week duration of the experiment they followed a progression of repetitions as well as changes in the amount of weight with which they worked. The remainder of each workout period was spent in the swimming pool. Each man swam a distance of 125 yards and culminated each day’s program with six windsprints of 25 yards each. The total distance swam per workout was 250 yards. The RESISTANCE training group swam 600 yards during each workout session. Four hundred seventy-five yards of the total yardage swam was accomplished against the resistance of the water. The weight and resistance of the suit were known as was the resistance of the subject*s body to the water without the suit. This was measured by a spring scale attached to a pulley system devised by the author. Following the training program, a final one hundred yard swim test was given to all the subjects. A series of t tests was run on the data. The initial tests were collated to the final tests and both within group and between group comparisons were made. The investigator elected to work at the .05 level of confidence. From the information obtained from the experiment, it would appear that overdistance training, weight training, and functional overload are all effective methods In training swimmers. The non-resistance, resistance, and weight training groups reduced the mean time to swim one hundred yards by 7.02, 6.19, and 5.03 seconds respectively. It was also found that weight training is a feasible and economical means of Increasing the value of limited facilities and time during pre-season and normal season practice sessions. The within group comparisons indicated an improvement of performance by each group, significant at the ,05 level of confidence. The between group comparisons, however, indicated that one method of training was not superior than either of the others in so far as improved time in swimming one hundred yards was concerned. From these findings it may be ascertained that all three methods are equally effective in preparing swimmers for competition in the 100-yard swim.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references.

Extent

vii, 36 pages, 6 unnumbered pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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