Effects of knowledge of results and change-oriented feedback on swimming performance

Kenji Doma, Alexander Engel, Jonathan D. Connor, Daniel Gahreman

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Purpose: This study examined the effect of providing knowledge of results (KR) with, and without, promotion- and change-oriented feedback on repeated-sprint ability in swimmers.
    Methods: Twenty-nine male and female swimmers (age = 16 [1] y, height = 1.74 [0.07] m, body mass = 61.0 [8.4] kg) were randomly allocated into 2 different feedback conditions, or a condition without feedback (NoFb), as a crossover, repeated-measures design. In one feedback condition, the swimmers were provided with lap completion times as KR. The other feedback condition was athlete-driven, where the swimmers were asked to estimate their lap completion times, and the investigators responded on whether their actual sprint times were faster (promotion-oriented), slower (change-oriented), or the same.
    Results: The results showed significantly faster average completion times during the repeated-sprint swim protocol in the athlete-driven KR (P = .014) and KR condition (P = .023), when compared with the NoFb condition. However, significantly faster best completion time was only found in the KR condition (P = .012), when compared with the NoFb condition. Furthermore, the stroke rate was significantly greater during the athlete-driven KR (P = .009) and KR (P = .021) conditions, when compared with the NoFb condition.
    Conclusions: The KR condition exhibited the greatest benefit for improving several swimming performance measures during a repeated-sprint protocol, and the increase in stroke rate may have contributed to this performance enhancement. Thus, it is recommended that swimmers receive lap completion times during repeated-sprint training sessions to optimize training quality.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)556-561
    Number of pages6
    JournalInternational Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance
    Volume17
    Issue number4
    Early online date10 Jan 2022
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Apr 2022

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Effects of knowledge of results and change-oriented feedback on swimming performance'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this