Kinematic analysis as a part of objective method of functional classification in disability swimming-pilot studies

Background: A new functional classification system (FCS) of disability swimming is based only on functional abilities in water. The aim of this research was to evaluate the possibility of kinematic analysis to supplement the FCS. Material/Methods: The investigations were carried out during the Polish Winter Disability Swimming Championships in 2008 and involved recording the results of the 100 m freestyle swimming event. Participants included 10 women and 11 men aged 21.7 ± 6.6. Results: The averages and standard deviations (SD) of stroke length (SL), stroke rate (SR), clean swimming speed (CSS) and stroke efficiency index (SI) were calculated. There is a strong negative correlation between SL and SR reaching 0.86 (p < 0.05) in particular classes. There were no statistically significant correlations between classes in the SL, CSS and SI parameters (p < 0.01) and no statistically significant differences were revealed in the Wilcoxon test (p < 0.01), which suggests that the division of swimmers into these classes was performed inaccurately and subjectively. Conclusions: Kinematic parameters could support FCS, and it might be an indicator of progress and the effectiveness of training methods for coaches.