The Effect of Verbal Encouragement on Performance and Muscle Fatigue in Swimming
Luca Puce,
Carlo Trompetto,
Antonio Currà,
Lucio Marinelli,
Laura Mori,
Marco Panascì,
Filippo Cotellessa,
Carlo Biz,
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi,
Pietro Ruggieri
Affiliations
Luca Puce
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Carlo Trompetto
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Antonio Currà
Academic Neurology Unit, Ospedale A. Fiorini, Terracina, Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Polo Pontino, 04019 Terracina, Italy
Lucio Marinelli
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Laura Mori
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Marco Panascì
Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Filippo Cotellessa
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Carlo Biz
Orthopedics and Orthopedic Oncology, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology (DiSCOG), University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi
Laboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (LIAM), Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
Pietro Ruggieri
Orthopedics and Orthopedic Oncology, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology (DiSCOG), University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
Background and Objectives: Verbal encouragement (VE) can be used to enhance performance in several sports, even though no studies have been conducted among swimmers and only a few effects have been reported in elite athletes. Besides influencing motor performance, VE is also known to enhance the physical load, thus potentially increasing the probability of developing fatigue. With this in mind, this study aimed to explore the effects of VE in swimmers in order to fill in the knowledge gap concerning the aquatic environment. Materials and Methods: Each athlete swam a maximal 200 m freestyle trial under two different conditions: one trial with VE and the other without VE. The two main outcome measures were: (1) performance velocity (m/s); and (2) muscle fatigue, investigated by means of surface electromyography. Sixty swimmers were recruited, aged 18.63 ± 3.46 years (median 18 years), 28 men (47%), and 32 women (53%), with 7.03 ± 3.9 years of experience. Results: With VE, performance significantly improved in the swim trial (p p = 0.011). There was a significant increase in muscle fatigue induced by VE, overall, and during the second half, but not during the first half of the trial. Conclusions: The present study indicates that VE during a middle-distance event (200 m) increases performance most in swimmers with little experience. However, it has a negative impact on fatigue.
