EO SwimBETTER is a SwimSwam Partner.
A recent study conducted at the University of Leon in Leon, Spain, evaluated the accuracy and applicability of the EO SwimBETTER device for measuring kinetic and kinematic variables in swimming. Essentially, the study set out to determine if the EO SwimBETTER sensors, which go on the palms of a swimmer’s hands, can accurately and reliably provide feedback on the propulsive forces generated by a swimmer performing freestyle over both 50 and 200 meter distances. For anyone who hasn’t stepped foot in a kinesiology classroom lately, kinetic refers to “evaluating the forces involved in propulsion, starts, and turns,” while kinematic focuses on movement such as body position, speed, and acceleration.
The study, published in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, declared that “the overall objective of this research was to verify the validity, reliability, and sensitivity of EO SwimBETTER. devices for recording kinetic and kinematic variables during 50 m and 200 m freestyle tests, exploring their usefulness as a technical assessment tool in real training contexts.”
The study involved ten participants, including seven male and three female swimmers “with an average age of 20 ± 3.5 years,” and was conducted in three sessions on non-consecutive days. Each day the swimmers performed a 50 meter freestyle at maximum intensity from an in-water start. On the third day of the study, after the 50 was performed swimmers were given 30 minutes to recover and then swam a 200 freestyle at maximum effort in order to understand how fatigue and pacing strategies can influence kinematic variables such as stroke length. The EO SwimBETTR sensors measured propulsive force generated by the swimmers’ hands by “recording the pressure differences between the palm and the back of the hand.” The devices also measured the distribution of power in swimmers’ strokes, allowing participants in the study to see discrepancies, such as one hand creating more power or drag than the other, as well as stroke path, hand velocity, stroke phases, force versus time, stroke rate, and stroke consistency.
The study concluded that the EO SwimBETTER device provided reliable measurements for kinetic (force) and kinematic (stroke frequency) variables performed in real training conditions. The sensitivity of the device was determined to have a moderate effect size, meaning that it can capture meaningful variations in exertion demands, such as the different stroke techniques used in the 50 versus the 200 freestyle. Based on these observations, the researchers concluded that the EO SwimBETTER device is feasible and user-friendly and provides swimmers and coaches with technical monitoring and individualized feedback.
It is worth noting that there is no conflict of interest between the researchers and EO SwimBETTER and that the researchers have no relation to EO SwimBETTER and that the study received no external funding.
