ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BIO-MOTOR ABILITIES AND PERFORMANCE IN 200M INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: A STUDY OF MALE COMPETITIVE SWIMMERS

Abstract

Background: Swimming performance in individual medley events depends on multiple
physiological and biomechanical factors. Understanding the relationship between bio-motor
abilities and competitive performance can inform training strategies and talent identification
protocols.
Objective: This investigation aimed to examine the relationship between selected bio-motor
abilities and 200m individual medley performance in male swimmers, and to develop a
predictive regression model for performance estimation.
Methods: Forty competitive male swimmers (age: 19.80 ± 1.16 years) from Madhya Pradesh,
India, participated in this cross-sectional study. All participants had a minimum of five years
of competitive swimming experience and were actively training 6-7 hours per week. Bio-motor
assessments included bilateral hand grip strength (dynamometry), shoulder flexibility
(Bloomfield test), and lower limb explosive power (vertical jump test). Swimming
performance was evaluated through timed 200m individual medley trials conducted according
to World Aquatics regulations. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine
relationships between variables, and stepwise multiple regression analysis was employed to
construct a predictive model (α = 0.05).
Results: All examined bio-motor variables demonstrated significant negative correlations with
200m individual medley completion time: left hand grip strength (r = -0.774, p < 0.01), right
hand grip strength (r = -0.739, p < 0.01), shoulder flexibility (r = -0.626, p < 0.01), and
explosive leg strength (r = -0.517, p < 0.01). The stepwise regression analysis identified left
hand grip strength as the primary predictor, accounting for 60% of the variance in swimming
performance (R² = 0.60, F = 56.90, p < 0.001). The regression equation was: Performance time
(seconds) = 286.76 – 2.28 × (Left Hand Grip Strength).
Conclusions: Left hand grip strength emerged as the most significant predictor of 200m
individual medley performance among the examined bio-motor variables. These findings
suggest that upper body strength assessment, particularly grip strength, may serve as a valuable
tool for talent identification and performance monitoring in male swimmers. Coaches should incorporate targeted grip strength development within comprehensive training programs to
optimize individual medley performance.