Introduction: This study evaluated three-dimensional kinematic parameters of the front crawl stroke in physically impaired swimmers across a range of functional classification levels. Facts and Results: Eight highly-trained competitive swimmers (5 male and 3 female) from IPC classes S5 to S9 performed 50m maximal front crawl trials while being video-taped by six cameras (four under- and two above water). The most distal point of the right upper limb was manually digitised at 50Hz to allow three-dimensional reconstruction of the limb's trajectory through the water. Conclusion: The stroke presented large inter-swimmer variability, reflecting individual characteristics and severity of the impairment. The swimmers who combined shallow and narrow stroke movements produced a shorter trajectory. This study provides swimmers and coaches with an overview of the kinematic characteristics of a range of physically impaired swimmers.
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