The aim of the diploma thesis is to observe the influence of articular mobility through swimming lessons in younger school age children. Verified articulated mobility tests are used for these findings. Testing will take place twice, at the beginning and at the end of the swimming training over the course of one half-year. Testing will be done in two groups of children. The first group consists of students who participate in compulsory swimming lessons. The second group consists of children regularly taking part in swimming training in the swimming section in Brandýs nad Labem. In addition, people divided into swimmers and non-swimmers, and into boys and girls, were tested. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the characteristics of motor abilities with focus on flexibility, characteristics of younger school age children and swimming training and swimming. The practical part consists of a description of the experiment and analysis of the results of the individual flexibility tests. The results of the work have shown that swimming is an appropriate means of developing flexibility. Improvements in all the groups studied were confirmed. KEYWORDS motor ability, flexibility, swimming, swimming training, younger school age, motor tests, student

Good quality of bathing water is an increasingly important factor taken into account when we choose summer vacations, a place to stay for a weekend or a weekend trip destination. In the Czech Republic, bathing waters may be divided according to the legal status into outdoor swimming pools, surface waters used for bathing (swimming areas), other water surfaces or artificial pools. In my thesis I dealt only with outdoor swimming pools and swimming areas. The difference between them lies in the fact that outdoor swimming pools have their own operators who monitor water quality and provide other services in the waterside. Usually there is a fee charged. Swimming areas have no operators and water quality monitoring is placed under the responsibility of regional public health authorities. In the Czech Republic, at present, 188 outdoor swimming pools and swimming areas have been monitored on a regular basis each bathing season. For my research I chose four sites located in the South Bohemian region and four sites in the South Moravian region. For each of these eight sites, I collected results of laboratory analyses, including categories of water quality in bathing seasons of the past five years, it means from the year 2005. With these obtained data I assessed the water quality development both during the bathing season of 2009 and its evolution over the past five years. On the basis of particular categories of water quality I also tried to compare water quality in the South Bohemian and the South Moravian region and also to compare water quality between individual sampling points in one locality. Another aim was to evaluate some measures and interventions made in order to improve water quality. I focused particularly on the pond Olšovec in the South Moravian region and the VN (water reservoir) Orlík in the South Bohemian region. The results do not show any prominent changes in water quality both during the bathing season 2009 and over the past five years. Pronounced fluctuations in water quality were recorded only at certain locations during the 2007 bathing season. Not even between individual regions significant differences in water quality were found. The proportion of individual water quality categories in the two regions did not differ by more than 4%. We can therefore say that water quality in selected localities in the South Bohemian and South Moravian regions is comparable. As for certain measures and interventions implemented to improve water quality, it is important to focus also on the wider neighborhood of the locality, because it could also be a source of substances worsening water quality.

TITLE: Influence of swimming on increasing flexibility as a component of the desterity of primary school pupils in the Louny region. AUTHOR: Bc. Veronika Benková DEPARTMENT: Department of physical education SUPERVISOR: PaedDr. Irena Svobodová ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis is to find out how basic swimming training taking place in Louny region affects joint mobility in children of younger school age and at the same time, compare the results of the measured group with similar, already conducted research from 2015 and 2018. In order to get results, proven joint mobility tests are used. Testing will take place twice in total; before the beginning and at the end of the swimming training, e. g. after the end of the ten two-hour lessons period. This research will be conducted for about ten weeks. Testing will take place at two primary schools. The test persons were divided according to gender into boys and girls, as well as whether they are non-swimmers and swimmers. The theoretical part deals with the characteristics of younger school age, motor skills - especially joint mobility, swimming training and swimming. In the practical part, I describe individual flexibility tests and the results gained from these tests. The work showed that swimming helps to develop flexibility, but in comparison with previous...

Positive youth development is a holistic approach that considers both internal (e.g., life skills and positive psychosocial characteristics) and external (e.g., coach and parent) developmental assets. The positive youth development framework has largely been used to examine multi-sport and recreational/high-school level programmes as a means to understand how participation within these environments can contribute to positive psychosocial development. The aim of the present thesis, comprised of four distinct studies, was to understand how a positive youth development approach might be applied to and integrated within the performance environment of British swimming. Study 1 comprised a two-stage investigation focused on identification and consensus related to a specific set of psychosocial assets appropriate for swimming. Following a content analysis of existing literature, a dialectical methodology was utilised to interview a panel of 10 experts from professional (coach and practitioner) and academic fields within swimming and youth sport. Five higher order categories containing 17 internal assets emerged; namely, self-perceptions, behavioural skills, social skills, approach characteristics and emotional competence. In Study 2, coaches (n=181) attitudes towards and perceptions of the 17 psychosocial assets were examined via a bespoke quantitative survey. The five-factor higher order model that emerged from the first study was quantitatively tested and supported. Coach characteristics were also examined regarding coaches overall value of the assets. Results indicated that assets within self-perceptions, behavioural skills and approach characteristic groups were more valued than those within social and emotional categories. Full-time, paid coaches provided higher value ratings for all asset groups compared to part-time, volunteer coaches. Study 3 replicated and extended Study 2 by examining attitudes of British swimming parents (n=249) towards the psychosocial assets, in conjunction with perceptions of their parenting style and levels of social support provided to their children within a swimming environment. Structural equation modelling was used to test hypothesised relationships between parental perceptions of parenting style, social support availability and value placed on the five internal groups of assets. Results indicated that parents asset value profiles were very similar to those of swimming coaches, with swimming specific assets of self-perceptions, behavioural skills and approach characteristics valued more than the less specific assets within social and emotional subgroups. Further, parents who reported high levels of esteem support also placed greater value on all assets apart from self-perceptions, and parents who reported a warm style were more likely to provide this esteem support. vi Finally, Study 4 examined perceptions of autonomy supportive coach and parenting styles and social support availability in addition to motivational goal orientation, perceived sport competence and self-esteem in a sample of 246 swimmers. Hypothesised relationships between coach and parenting style, perceived social support availability and the asset related outcomes were tested using structural equation modelling. Results revealed that autonomy supportive coach and parenting styles both positively predict respective perceptions of social support availability. Athletes also reported that coach social support positively predicted both task and ego orientation, while parental emotional support positively predicted task orientation only. Both task and ego orientation positively predicted perceived sport competence which, in turn, positively predicted self-esteem. Overall, the findings of this thesis revealed a comprehensive list of internal assets that were highly valued by both coaches and parents, although the assets contained within the social and emotional groups were valued to a lesser degree, prompting calls for greater awareness on the relevance and applicability of these assets within British swimming. Furthermore, the styles that coaches and parents operate within positively predict the types of perceived social support availability which, in turn, predict internal asset value and level. Specifically, an autonomy supportive coaching style and a parenting style characterised by a high degree of warmth are both thought important elements to promote, with parental esteem and emotional support found to be most related to internal asset value and level, respectively. Links between social support, motivational goal orientation, perceived sport competence and self-esteem were also tested and supported. Overall, therefore, this thesis provides a unique contribution to the sport psychology and positive youth development literature by illustrating key areas of development (i.e., the internal assets) and by demonstrating one mechanism through which a degree of this development occurs (i.e., social support).

In this thesis, three fluid dynamical problems are studied. First in chapter 2 we investigate, via both theoretical and experimental methods, the swimming motion of a magnetotactic bacterium having the shape of a prolate spheroid in a viscous liquid under the influence of an imposed magnetic field. The emphasis of the study is placed on how the shape of the non-spherical magnetotactic bacterium, marked by the size of its eccentricity, affects the pattern of its swimming motion. It is revealed that the pattern/speed of a swimming spheroidal magnetotactic bacterium is highly sensitive not only to the direction of its magnetic moment but also to its shape. Secondly, an important unanswered mathematical question in the theory of rotating fluids has been the completeness of the inviscid eigenfunctions which are usually referred to as inertial waves or inertial modes. In chapter 3 we provide for the first time a mathematical proof for the completeness of the inertial modes in a rotating annular channel by establishing the completeness relation, or Parseval’s equality, for any piecewise continuous, differentiable velocity of an incompressible fluid. Thirdly, in chapter 4 we investigate, through both asymptotic analysis and direct numerical simulation, precessionally driven flow of a homogeneous fluid confined in a fluid-filled circular cylinder that rotates rapidly about its symmetry axis and precesses about a different axis that is fixed in space. A particular emphasis is placed on the spherical-like cylinder whose diameter is nearly the same as its length. An asymptotic analytical solution in closed form is derived in the mantle frame of reference for describing weakly precessing flow in the spherical-like cylinder at asymptotically small Ekman numbers. We also construct a three-dimensional finite element model, which is checked against the asymptotic solution, in attempting to elucidate the structure of the nonlinear flow.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to determine if mild heat stress induced by wearing a wet suit while swimming in relatively warm water (25.4 ± 0.1°C) increases the risk of heat injury during the subsequent cycling and running stages. Specificlly, during an Olympic distance triathlon in a hot and humid environment (32°C & 65% RH). Five male triathletes randomly completed two simulated triathlons (Swim=30 min; Bike=40 km; Run=10 km) in the laboratory using a swimming flume, cycle ergometer, and running treadmill. In both trials, all conditions were identical, except for the swimming portion in which a full length, sleeveless neoprene wet suit was worn during one trial (WS) and a competitive brief swimming suit during the other (SS). The swim portion consisted of a 30 min standardized swim in which oxygen consumption (V02) was replicated, regardless of WS or SS. During the cycling and running stages, however, the subjects were asked to complete the distances as fast as possible. Core Temperature (T) was not significantly different between the SS and WS trials at any time point during the triathlon. However, mean skin temperature (TSk) and mean body temperature (Tb) were higher (p<0.05) in the WS at 15 (TSk=+4.1°C, Tb=+1.5°C) and 30 min (TSk=+4°C, Tb=+1.6°C) of the swim. These TSk and Tb differences were eliminated by 15 min of the cycling stage and remained similar (p>0.05) through the end of the triathlon. Moreover, there were no differences (p>0.05) in V02, heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), or thermal sensation (TS) between the WS and SS. Additionally, no significant differences were found in cycling (SS=1:14:46 ± 2:48 vs. WS=1:14:37 ± 2:54 min), running (SS=55:40 ± 1:49 vs. WS=57:20 ± 4:00 min) or total triathlon times (SS=2:40:26 ± 1:58 vs. WS=2:41:57 ± 1:37 min). Therefore, the primary finding was that wearing a wet suit during the swimming stage of an Olympic distance triathlon in 25.4°C water does not adversely affect the thermal responses or the triathlete's ability to perform on the subsequent cycling and running stages. / School of Physical Education

We theoretically investigate the fluid mechanics of self-propelled (or swimming) bodies. An important factor concerning the hydrodynamics of locomotion concerns the relative strength of inertial to viscous forces experienced by the swimmer, the ratio of which is quantified by the Reynolds number, Re. Particular attention is given to the regime where Re is intermediate, where viscous and inertial forces are both relevant to fluid motion. We study two broad classes of swimmers: ‘pushers’ and ‘pullers’. Pushers produce thrust from the rear of their body, while pullers generate thrust from the front. We first investigate the near-field flow due to pushers and pullers by numerically solving the Navier-Stokes equations for Re of 0.01–1000. We show that, although the locomotion of pushers and pullers is similar at small Re, drastic differences due to fluid inertia arise as Re is increased. Most remarkably, flow instabilities develop at much smaller Re for a puller than a pusher. Further, we investigate the large scale fluid transport induced by a swimmer as a function of Re in the context of the induced ‘drift volume’. The drift volume quantifies the volume of fluid swept out by a ‘dyed’ fluid plane that is initially perpendicular to the body’s path. However, we first address the previously unsolved problem of the drift volume due to a body that is towed by an external force at finite Re. While the drift volume is comparable to the body volume in inviscid flow (Re ! 1), it is much larger when Re is finite due to viscous effects. The drift volume due to a swimmer is smaller than that due to a towed body because swimmers generate a weaker far-field flow. However, it is still potentially large compared to the volume of the swimmer’s body in the viscously dominated small-Re regime. However, the drift volume of a swimmer quickly diminishes as Re is increased.

Amateurism acted as the guiding principle for the many sporting clubs and governing bodies that were created and developed by the late Victorian middle-classes. While some forms of coaching and training were tolerated, many organisations, such as the Amateur Rowing Association, expressed a preference for amateur honorary coaches rather than professionals. Through the use of archival material, oral history interviews, and ongoing case studies in athletics and swimming, this thesis traces the trajectory of the less than harmonious relationship between amateurism and professional coaching in Britain throughout the twentieth century. In the pre and interwar period, a number of proposals for coaching schemes emerged, especially after poor Olympic performances, but continuing resistance within the amateur establishment meant that these initiatives were uncoordinated and experienced short life-spans. Even in the post-war period, characterised by an increasing number of centralised coaching schemes and the appointment of national coaches, amateur officials sought to maintain strict control over their appointments. A reluctance to accept advice from professional coaches, coupled with a struggling economy and a government determined to remain distant from sport, contributed to a further decline in international sporting performance. British athletes had long proved unable to compete with the Americans and the emergence of another sporting superpower at the 1952 Olympics, the Soviet Union, finally prompted a number of responses, including the 1960 Wolfenden Report. The government subsequently took a more active role in sport, resulting in an inevitable shift towards greater specialisation as centralised funding became inextricably linked with targets and results. Although this encouraged a more widespread utilisation of professional coaches and improved the integration of sports science, the ethos of amateurism proved farreaching, even at elite levels. The evidence suggests that, while it is no longer considered a guiding principle, its legacy continues to impact on the working lives of many British coaches.

Title: Application of backstroke to a patient with ankylosing spondylitis Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of the application of backstroke with chosen parameters to a patient with ankylosing spondylitis. To compare the effectiveness of this swimming exercise programme with a traditional exercise programme held in a gymnasium. This work investigates whether it is suitable to recommend backstroke swimming to patients with ankylosing spondylitis as an effective form of physical exercise for improving range of movements and reducing pain. Methods: The effectiveness of a 9 week long swimming programme was evaluated using a range of movements of the glenohumeral and coxal joints and of the spine. The presence of pain was measured by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Diasese Activity Index. The same parameters were measured for another patient with the similar activity of the disease who took part in group exercises in a gymnasium. At the end of the programmes the parameters were compared and evaluated. Results: The swimming programme has improved the patient's posture and has strengthened back muscles. Pain was reduced in some parts of the back and also general pain measured by BASDAI. The range of movements of both glenohumeral joints improved in all measured directions. The range of movements...