Biomechanics Support for Great Britain Para-Swimming and the International Paralympic Committee.
Submitting Institution
Manchester Metropolitan UniversityUnit of Assessment
General EngineeringSummary Impact Type
SocietalResearch Subject Area(s)
Medical and Health Sciences: Human Movement and Sports Science, Neurosciences
Summary of the impact
Research into the biomechanics of elite swimmers with a disability
undertaken by Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) has contributed
directly to the development of Para-swimming both nationally and
internationally. Firstly, it has made a significant and sustained
contribution to the development of British Para-swimmers and their
coaches, leading to outstanding performances by British swimmers at major
International competitions including, most notably, the Beijing 2008
Paralympics, the IPC World Swimming Championships, 2010 and the London
2012 Paralympics. Secondly, In 2009 the IPC mandated the development of
new, evidence-based classification systems for Paralympic sports and, in
2010, announced its intention to use the research findings from MMU to
help devise a new classification system for Para-swimming.
Underpinning research
Para-swimming is the most highly-funded and successful Paralympic sport
in Britain. Following a successful Beijing Paralympics, at which swimmers
won 43% of Britain's medals, UK Sport significantly increased funding to
Para-swimming. This was to ensure that the sport could access world class
coaching and cutting edge medical and scientific support, in the run-up to
London 2012. The biomechanics research undertaken at MMU formed an
important part of that support.
The research undertaken by the MMU research team (details below) from Jan
2008 to July 2013 encompasses the areas of computational fluid dynamics,
three-dimensional motion (video) analysis and the measurement of
hydrodynamic drag and propulsive forces. Studies in these areas have added
to the body of knowledge in swimming biomechanics and provided swimming
coaches, teachers, scientists and classifiers with an enhanced
understanding of the factors that limit the performances of swimmers with
a physical impairment. Specifically, the research has helped explain:
- How swimmers with a single arm amputation can increase the propulsion.
Two ground breaking studies by Lecrevain et al. [4 and 6]
used unsteady Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to quantify how much
propulsion a swimmer's partially amputated arm could generate and the
factors that influence the magnitude of this propulsion. No previous
study had looked at the contribution made by the upper arm to
propulsion. The studies demonstrated that, for any given swimming speed,
there is a minimum speed at which the upper arm must be rotated to
generate effective propulsion. Below this, the upper arm will experience
a net resistive drag force which adversely affects swimming performance.
- How physical impairment can affect force production and fatigue in
swimming. A number of studies funded by UK Sport [2] used
tethered and semi-tethered force analysis and electromyography to
measure indices of fatigue in physically impaired swimmers. The
hypothesis that fatigue is associated with the level of physical
impairment was rejected. No previous study has reported fatigue rates in
trained swimmers with a disability. The study by Lee et al. [2]
found that those Para-swimmers who have to rely predominantly on one arm
for propulsion are able to sustain propulsive forces when sprinting, as
effectively as those who have two arms for propulsion.
- How physical impairment affects the amount of hydrodynamic drag
(resistance) produced by a swimmer. A large scale study [1] has
established the hydrodynamic drag of swimmers with a wide range of
physical impairments. The hypothesis that there would be an inverse
relationship between level of physical impairment and hydrodynamic drag
was accepted. The study found that in the physical impairment classes
3-6, some athletes had a substantial advantage over others with regard
to passive drag, which in turn may translate to a significant
performance advantage.
- How a single limb loss affects a swimmer's coordination and movement
patterns in the water. Two studies by Osborough et al. [3
and 5] have quantified how swimming speed influences the
underwater motion of swimmers with a single arm amputation. The
relationships found between swimming speed, coordination and movement
patterns for the physically impaired swimmers were different to those
for able-bodied swimmers. Unlike able-bodied swimmers, arm amputees
maintained a stable inter-arm coordination pattern, regardless of the
speed they swam at.
Key Researchers
Dr. Carl Payton. Senior Enterprise Fellow in Biomechanics, MMU Cheshire,
Dept. Exercise & Sport Science. (employed by MMU from Sept 1989 to
present).
Dr. Conor Osborough. Senior Lecturer in Biomechanics, MMU Cheshire, Dept.
Exercise & Sport Science. (employed by MMU from Sept 2009 to present).
Dr. Ian Kennedy. Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, MMU, School
of Engineering. (employed by MMU from Jan 1998 to present).
References to the research
1. Oh, Y-T., Burkett, B., Osborough, C., Formosa, D. &. Payton, C.J.
(2013). London 2012 Paralympic swimming: passive drag and the
classification system. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 47,
1-6. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092192 (Included in REF2)
2. Lee, C.J., Sanders, R.H. & Payton, C.J. (2013) Changes
in force production and stroke parameters of trained female able-bodied
and unilateral arm amputee swimmers during a 30 s tethered front crawl
swim. Journal of Sports Sciences.
3. Osborough, C., Payton, C.J. & Daly, D. (2010). Influence of
swimming speed on inter-arm coordination in competitive unilateral arm
amputee front crawl swimmers. Journal of Human Movement Science, 29,
921-931. DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2010.05.009
4. Lecrivain, G., Payton, C.J., Slaouti, A. & Kennedy, I.
(2010). Effect of body roll amplitude and arm rotation speed on propulsion
of arm amputee swimmers. Journal of Biomechanics, 43(6),
1111-1117. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.12.014
5. Osborough, C., Payton, C.J. & Daly, D. (2009). Relationships
between the front crawl stroke parameters of competitive unilateral arm
amputee swimmers, with selected anthropometric characteristics. Journal
of Applied Biomechanics, 25(4), 304-312.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20095451
(Included in REF2)
6. Lecrivain, G.M., Slaouti, A., Payton, C.J. & Kennedy, I. (2008).
Using Reverse Engineering and Computational Fluid Dynamics to Investigate
a Lower Arm Amputee Swimmer's Performance. Journal of Biomechanics,
41, 2855-2859. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2008.06.036
(Included in REF2)
Relevant Grants to indicate research quality
UK Sport Graduate Innovation Project: Development of a Swimming
Specific Test of Anaerobic Power using an Isokinetic Ergometer
(October 2007-September 2010). Amount £74,000. Awarded to Dr. Carl Payton.
British Disability Swimming, High Performance Swimming Ltd (HPS Ltd): Biomechanics
Support for British Para-swimming (April 2000 — June 2013). Amount
£290,000. Awarded to Dr. Carl Payton.
Details of the impact
The research has helped enhance the performances of British Para-swimmers
at major competitions and improved coaching practice in Britain; it has
impacted on the international system for classifying Para-swimmers and has
also helped promote the sport to the wider public.
i) Biomechanics Support for Great Britain Para-swimming
The first impact of the research was its significant and sustained
contribution to the development of British Para-swimmers and their
coaches, leading to outstanding performances by British swimmers at
International competitions including, most notably, the Beijing 2008
Paralympics, the IPC World Swimming Championships, 2010 and the London
2012 Paralympics. The new knowledge gained through the research has been
used to educate and inform Britain's leading coaches and elite swimmers
such as multi world champions Ellie Simmonds and Amy Marren, helping them
to identify strategies for optimising their performances.
Direct application of the knowledge generated by the research was
achieved through Dr. Carl Payton in his role as Biomechanics Lead for the
British Para-swimming squad [A]. As a member of the High
Performance Science and Medicine Team throughout the impact assessment
period, Dr. Payton was responsible for the delivery of biomechanics
support services to elite athletes on the British Para-swimming World
Class Programme [E, F]. The primary aim of the support was to
provide swimmers with evidence-based advice on how to improve technical
aspects of their performance, e.g. turning technique, arm coordination,
streamlining. A number of research tools were developed to monitor the
progress of Programme athletes, e.g. velocity meter, semi-tethered
ergometer [B]. Dr. Payton worked directly with British
Para-swimming coaches and swimmers at the High Performance Centres in
Swansea and Manchester, at UK and overseas training camps, and at
international competitions (including the last four Paralympic Games).
The impact of the research on the performances of British Para-swimmers
is difficult to quantify directly. However, British Para-swimming clearly
believes that the work is having a significant impact as they continue to
fund it. Funding in Paralympic sports is limited. National Governing
Bodies will not continue to fund applied research unless they perceive it
to be of significant benefit to them. In the London 2012 Paralympics,
Britain had more individual swimming medallists than any other nation (24)
and finished with a medal haul of 7 gold, 16 silver and 16 bronze. The
sport science support, including the biomechanics, is perceived by other
nations as World-Leading and to have contributed significantly to the
ongoing success of British swimmers. A testimonial on file from the Sport
Science and Sport Medicine Manager at British Swimming confirms, "The
biomechanical support we receive from Carl Payton falls into 2 areas: 1)
on deck support to athletes and coaches and 2) major development
projects which answer the big performance questions for Rio 2016.
Working with Carl Payton, British Para-Swimming are able to tap into an
extensive pool of expertise. The link with MMU has allowed British
Para-Swimming to benefit from several applied projects which would be
considered cutting edge within the Paralympic swimming environment."[C]
The knowledge generated by the research has also been disseminated to
coaches and other practitioners at International, National and Regional
level through presentations at coaching conferences, workshops, seminars
and publications in coaching journals (examples listed at end).
ii) Biomechanics Support for the International Paralympic Committee
(IPC)
The second impact of the research is the provision of new scientific
knowledge that led to the decision by the IPC in 2010 to use the research
to improve the fairness and objectivity with which elite swimmers are
classified for international competitions.
An effective classification system should provide athletes who have a
disability with an equitable starting point for competition by minimising
the impact that their impairment has on the outcome of the event. The
current swimming classification system relies on expert, but predominantly
subjective, opinion, rather than on empirical evidence. In 2009 the IPC
mandated the development of a new, evidence-based classification system
for swimming. Research groups from Australia, USA, France and the UK were
then invited to contribute to the project, with the UK group (led by Dr.
Payton) taking the lead on the assessment of drag (resistance). Over 200
elite swimmers have been tested and preliminary results (Oh et al.,
2013) indicated that the current classification system significantly
disadvantages certain swimmers by placing insufficient weighting on drag
assessment. These findings highlighted an important deficiency in the
current system and provided an understanding of how drag assessment could
be incorporated into the new system. The knowledge generated by the drag
research has been communicated directly, in written reports, to swimmers
and coaches in over 41 countries and indirectly to an even broader
audience via the IPC website (http://www.paralympic.org).
As the Medical and Scientific Director for the International Paralympic
Committee writes (in a statement on file at MMU [D])"The
further development of sport-specific classification systems on the
basis of scientific evidence is critical to the continued growth of the
Paralympic Movement and for opportunities available to athletes with a
disability. This project will form the basis for the revision of the
classification system for IPC Swimming to become credible, valid,
transparent and consistent with the IPC classification code. The IPC
recognises the lead role of MMU in this project."
iii) Direct Impact through Coaching, Workshops, Newsletters and Media
Dissemination
Secondary impacts have been achieved through the dissemination of Dr.
Payton's research findings at a range of conferences, workshops and events
to the professional and amateur coaching community throughout the impact
period. Most notably Payton has run workshops for the British
Para-swimming Coaches Annual Meeting, Liverpool (2011), provided the
keynote address and various demonstrations on Biomechanics Support for
Elite Swimmers with a Disability to the 16th FINA Sports
Medicine Congress, Manchester (2008) and in 2013 he was a speaker at the
first ever World Coaches Conference.
Payton has also contributed many articles to coaching publications
including the Peter Harrison Centre Newsletter (2011) [E],
SportEX medicine newsletter [F] and the chapter on Biomechanics
in the British Disability Swimming Delivering on Deck Handbook.
His role and his approach to using biomechanics within it was featured in
an Independent newspaper article:
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/biomechanics-the-gold-standard-434485.html
Sources to corroborate the impact
Reports, reviews, web links or other documented sources of information in
the public domain.
[A] Link to full swimming team list from London 2012 Olympic Games
— evidencing Carl Payton's role as biomechanics lead within the squad (p2)
http://www.swimming.org/assets/uploads/library/Team_List_-_London_2012_Paralympic_Games__GBR_Swim_Team_Holding_Camp.pdf
[B] Swimming Times Article — Science and the Paralympian, June
2012 (electronic copy of the article available on request)
corroborating Carl's work with the British Paralympic team.
[C] Full testimonial on file from Sports Science & Sports
Medicine Manager — Para-swimming, British Swimming corroborating the
impact of MMU biomechanics research on the British Paralympic Swimming
team.
[D] Full testimonial on file from Medical and Scientific Director
- International Paralympic Committee corroborating impacts on
international IPC classification systems for Paralypmic Swimming.
[E] Biomechanics Support for Great Britain Disability Swimming. Peter
Harrison Centre Newsletter (available on request)
[F] Biomechanics Support for British World Class Disability
Swimming. sportEX medicine newsletter (available on request)
The following individuals have agreed to be contacted to further
corroborate the contribution of the research undertaken at MMU to the
development of Paralympic swimming
[G]National Performance Director — Para-swimming, British Swimming
[H]Classification Research Manager - International Paralympic
Committee