Abstract
Background: The biggest advantage of swimming is that the muscles and joints can move without the need to bear weight, thus the tension is limited which reduces most risks of injury. The water environment allows freedom of movement and exercise choices that are impossible on land.
Aim: The objective of our study is to test the hypothesis that the execution of a well designed training plan will result into the improvement of the technique and swimming speed in the front crawl and backstroke styles for the participants.
Methods: 16 children have been selected, 10 boys and 6 girls. Their mean age (8.4±0.96) is between 7 and 10. We chose 5 specific tests in order to evaluate our hypothesis.
Results: The final tests demonstrate that both performance and technique have been considerably improved as a result of the training plan.
Conclusion: After a well designed training plan for a period of 3 months, the group of children experienced a positive change in the quality of their motor skills associated with swimming which improved their technique and performance.