Pacing Behavior Development in Adolescent Swimmers: A Large-Scale Longitudinal Data Analysis

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to use a large-scale longitudinal design to investigate the development of the distribution of effort (e.g., pacing) in adolescent swimmers, specifically disentangling the effects of age and experience and differentiating between performance levels in adulthood.MethodsSeason best times and 50-m split times of 100- and 200-m freestyle swimmers from five continents were gathered between 2000 and 2021. Included swimmers competed in a minimum of three seasons between 12 and 24 yr old (5.3 ± 1.9 seasons) and were categorized by performance level in adulthood (elite, sub-elite, high-competitive; 100-m: n = 3498 (47% female); 200-m: n = 2230 (56% female)). Multilevel models in which repeated measures (level 1) were nested within individual swimmers (level 2) were estimated to test the effects of age, race experience, and adult performance level on the percentage of total race time spent in each 50-m section (P < 0.05).ResultsIn the 100-m, male swimmers develop a relatively faster first 50-m when becoming older. This behavior also distinguishes elite from high-competitive swimmers. No such effects were found for female swimmers. Conversely, more experienced male and female swimmers exhibit a slower initial 50-m. With age and race experience, swimmers develop a more even velocity distribution in the 200-m. Adolescent swimmers reaching the elite level adopt a more even behavior compared with high-competitive. This differentiation occurs at a younger age in female (>13 yr) compared with male (>16 yr) swimmers.ConclusionsPacing behavior development throughout adolescence is driven by age-related factors besides race experience. Swimmers attaining a higher performance level during adulthood exhibit a pacing behavior that better fits the task demands during adolescence. Monitoring and individually optimizing the pacing behavior of young swimmers is an important step toward elite performance.

Pacing Strategy of 800 m and 1500 m Freestyle Swimming Finals in the World Championships According to the Performance in Males and Females of Different Age Groups

“…The anthropometric differences between the male and female body types account for this disparity between the sexes [51]. Therefore, males and females may benefit from slightly different pacing behaviours [4]. Junior swimmers showed a faster central part of the race in the 1500 m than in the 800 m competitions.…”

“…Their first part of the race resulted slower than the elites in both distances. It is likely that pacing skill development needs to begin at a young age as a crucial step towards elite performance [1,4,50,[68][69][70].…”

“…To perform to the best of their abilities while remaining healthy, engaged, and injury-free, athletes must be mentored and coached in proper energy management through an appropriate pacing strategy, whether during training or competitions. Given the highly resistive properties of water, pacing strategy in swimming is a crucial aspect of performance, and it can significantly impact training and race outcomes [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9].…”

Tracking performance and its underlying characteristics in talented swimmers: a longitudinal study during the junior-to-senior transition

“…While acknowledging that swimmers have unique profiles contributing to swimming performance, cross-sectional studies show a range of characteristics that set elite swimmers (i.e., those ranked in the top 50 worldwide) apart from non-elites. These include faster progression of swim performance between and within seasons ( Post et al, 2020a ; Post et al, 2020b ); a highly efficient stroke ( Sánchez & Arellano, 2002 ); pacing behaviour which better fits the tasks demands ( Lopez-Belmonte et al, 2022 ; Menting et al, 2023 ) and advantageous anthropometrics ( Rejman et al, 2018 ). However, with most studies in elite swimming focusing on adults ( Costa et al, 2012 ), little is known about the developmental pathway towards swimming expertise.…”

Unraveling the Role of (Meta-) Cognitive Functions in Pacing Behavior Development during Adolescence: Planning, Monitoring, and Adaptation

“…Following Newell's constraints-led approach (10), an individual's pacing behavior is determined by a multitude of interacting factors (5), broadly falling into three main categories (8): the task (e.g., task duration or sport-specific characteristics (2,11)), the environment (e.g., terrain or presence/ behavior of competitors (12,13)), and the individual (e.g., muscle fiber distribution or level of experience (8,14)). With regard to the individual, a recent series of robust longitudinal studies evidenced that the pacing behavior of athletes is not innate but rather develops throughout adolescence (15)(16)(17). It was ventured that with age, individuals gain an appreciation for their performance capabilities and how these fit the task demands (8).…”