Resumen en español

The force measurement during the stroke in freestyle swimming can be established as a tool to prevent shoulder injuries in swimmers, correcting faults in training routines and improving the physical performance of the swimmer. However, the lack of research on swimming biomechanics in Colombia makes it difficult to have access to devices that allow the performance evaluation of a swimmer, both quantitatively and qualitatively. This project involves the development of a prototype that measures the force of the freestyle stroke in swimming through force sensors located at the hand; the prototype consists of an electronic circuit for signal acquisition and a signal processing software. Preliminary research tests made with the prototype yielded satisfactory results regarding force patterns applied at the stroke. It should be noted that test subjects who participated in this project were not trained, so it is expected to obtain lower force values than those obtained by other groups where subjects were trained. The final results contain similar patterns to those reported by other authors in which the peaks represent the phases of the stroke of freestyle swimming.