Is Real-Time Poolside Assessment of Upper Limb Errors in Front Crawl Swimming Technique Reliable and Equivalent to Video Analysis?

Context: Swimming technique is widely believed to influence performance, but this relationship has rarely been tested objectively using a real-time poolside assessment.

Objective: To determine the (1) test-retest reliability, interrater reliability, and criterion validity (live vs video) of real-time poolside assessment of upper limb (UL) errors in front crawl (FC) swimming technique and (2) the relationship between UL errors and FC swimming performance.

Design: Cross-sectional reliability, validity, and correlational study.

Pectoralis minor muscle elongation and scapulothoracic motion do not differ in individuals with short versus typical resting pectoralis minor muscle length: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Individuals with short resting pectoralis minor muscle length have been shown to have aberrant scapulothoracic motion when compared to individuals with long resting pectoralis minor muscle length. However, the degree to which the pectoralis minor muscle can be lengthened and whether or not scapulothoracic motion differs between individuals with short and typical resting pectoralis minor muscle length is unknown.

Objectives: To determine if: (1) pectoralis minor muscle elongation (percent pectoralis minor muscle can be actively and passively lengthened beyond resting length), (2) pectoralis minor muscle percent length change during overhead reaching, and (3) scapulothoracic motion during overhead reaching differ between individuals with short and typical resting pectoralis minor muscle length.