The aim of this study was to cluster swimming intra- and inter-cyclic variability to identify effect of technical skills profiles on performance. 91 trained to world-class swimmers performed 25m front crawl sprints with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) on the sacrum. Data were clustered based on stroke pattern and dispersion around it. Technical and performance profiles of each cluster were respectively determined based on mean cluster curves with credibility regions and discrete parameter, and swimming speed. Results showed that combining high levels of both kinds of variability are associated with sprint performance. Coaches should target the development of a jerky and unsteady stroke pattern for sprinters along with huge longitudinal and anteroposterior acceleration variations while reducing body roll.
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