Is drop jump related to front crawl tumble turn performance in adolescent swimmers? An exploratory, sex-stratified analysis

Plyometric training has been proposed as a relevant tool for swimming performance, especially in turns, given its biomechanical similarity to the push-off phase. This study aimed 1) to analyse the relationship between the drop jump (DJ) variables and the tumble turn variables and 2) to explore which DJ variables may predict the tumble turn time. A cross-sectional design was used to examine the relationship between the DJ and tumble turn performance. Eighteen swimmers (9 females, 14.3 ± 0.8 years; and 9 males, 15.2 ± 0.5 years) participated. Swimmers completed a standardized dryland warm-up followed by 5 sets of a single DJ. Subsequently, participants underwent a standardized in-water warm-up before performing 3 front crawl tumble turns. Sex-stratified correlations, exploratory linear stepwise multiple regression, and network analyses were performed to examine the relationships between DJ variables and tumble turn performance. Jump height correlated with the mean horizontal velocity during the wall contact active phase for females (r = 0.71; p = 0.033) and males (rho=0.9; p = 0.001). The tuck index of the DJ (TI G ) showed association with the time from wall contact to 2.5 m (T2.5m-out) for females (r = 0.76; p = 0.018) and males (r = -0.67; p = 0.047). Exploratory multiple regressions explained the T2.5m-out for females and males (87% and 88% of the variance, respectively) with TI G as the main predictor in both. In conclusion, DJ performance was associated with tumble turn performance. Variations in the tuck index during DJ, reflecting different hip and knee displacement patterns, may be linked to differences in tumble turn efficiency.