Smartpaddle® as a New Tool for Monitoring Swimmers’ Kinematic and Kinetic Variables in Real Time

Abstract

Smart technology, such as wearables, applied to sports analysis is essential for the performance enhancement. New technological equipment can promote the interaction between researchers, coaches, and athletes, facilitating the information exchange in real-time. The aim of this study was to present a new wearable equipment (SmartPaddle®) to measure kinematic and kinetic variables in swimming and understand the agreement of the propulsive force variable with a pressure sensor system. Four male university swimmers (age: 18.75±0.50 years-old, 71.55±6.80 kg of body mass, and 175.00±5.94 cm of height) were analyzed. The SmartPaddle® and a pressure sensor system were used to collect the kinetic data (propulsive force). The comparison between the propulsive force methods was based on t-test paired samples, simple linear regression, and Bland-Altman plots. SmartPaddle® is a system that consists of: (i) A wearable device; (ii) The Trainesense Session Manager mobile application for recording, and; (iii) The Analysis Center for analysis and data storage. It records a set of kinematic and kinetic parameters useful for coaches on a daily basis. The comparison between the different methods revealed non-significant differences and a very-high relationship. SmartPaddle® is a feasible wearable device that can be used by swimmers to provide immediate data about their kinematic and kinetic profile. Coaches can easily monitor these parameters and give immediate suggestions to their swimmers on a daily basis.