Quantity of within-sport distance variety - what can pool swimmers and track runners learn from each other?

Objective: To determine the relationship between success at peak performance age and and compare the between swimming and track running by determining probability of becoming an international-class female athlete based on the number of different race distances the athletes compete in each year throughout their development process.

Methods: Race times of female Tier 2 to Tier 5 freestyle pool swimmers ( = 2,778) and track runners ( = 9,945) were included in the present study. All athletes were ranked according to their personal best at peak performance age.

Specializing When It Counts: Comparing the Dose-Time Effect of Distance Variety between Swimming and Track Running.

Objective: To conduct a longitudinal retrospective analysis, explore the relationship between success at peak performance age and the number of different race distances athletes competed in each year (within-sport distance variety), and compare the dose-time effect of this distance variety throughout the development process between male swimmers and track runners.

Methodology: Male swimmers ( = 6033) and track runners ( = 19,278) still competing at peak performance age were ranked, and the number of different race distances was extracted retrospectively for each year until early junior age (13-14-year-old category) from the databases of the European Aquatics and World Athletics federations. Firstly, correlation analysis determined the relationship between ranking at peak performance age and distance variety.

Sprinting to the top: comparing quality of distance variety and specialization between swimmers and runners.

Objectives: To compare performance progression and variety in race distances of comparable lengths (timewise) between pool swimming and track running. Quality of within-sport variety was determined as the performance differences between individual athletes' main and secondary race distances across (top-) elite and (highly-) trained swimmers and runners.

Methods: A total of 3,827,947 race times were used to calculate performance points (race times relative to the world record) for freestyle swimmers ( = 12,588 males and  = 7,561 females) and track runners ( = 9,230 males and  = 5,841 females).

Diving into a pool of data: Using principal component analysis to optimize performance prediction in women's short-course swimming.

This study aimed to optimise performance prediction in short-course swimming through Principal Component Analyses (PCA) and multiple regression. All women's freestyle races at the European Short-Course Swimming Championships were analysed. Established performance metrics were obtained including start, free-swimming, and turn performance metrics.

Streamlining performance prediction: data-driven KPIs in all swimming strokes.

Objective: This study aimed to identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for men's swimming strokes using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multiple Regression Analysis to enhance training strategies and performance optimization. The analyses included all men's individual 100 m races of the 2019 European Short-Course Swimming Championships.

Results: Duration from 5 m prior to wall contact (In5) emerged as a consistent KPI for all strokes.

Variation vs. specialization: the dose-time-effect of technical and physiological variety in the development of elite swimmers.

Objective: It is heavily discussed whether larger variety or specialization benefit elite performance at peak age. Therefore, this study aimed to determine technical (number of different swimming strokes) and physiological (number of different race distances) variety required to become an international-class swimmer (> 750 swimming points) based on 1'522'803 race results.

Results: Correlation analyses showed lower technical variety in higher ranked swimmers (P < 0.

Specialize Early and Select Late: Performance Trajectories of World-Class Finalists and International- and National-Class Swimmers.

Purpose: To investigate performance progression from early-junior to peak performance age and compare variety in race distances and swimming strokes between swimmers of various performance levels.

Methods: Using a longitudinal data analysis and between-groups comparisons 306,165 annual best times of male swimmers (N = 3897) were used to establish a ranking based on annual best times at peak performance age. Individual performance trajectories were retrospectively analyzed to compare distance and stroke variety.

Predicting future stars: Probability and performance corridors for elite swimmers.

Objectives: To evaluate the new age groups of the World Junior Championships in swimming from a scientific perspective, establish benchmarks and performance corridors that predict success at peak performance age and compare performance corridors between men and women and short-, middle-, and long-distance freestyle races.

Design: Longitudinal big data analysis.

Methods: In total, 347,186 annual best times of male (n = 3360, 561 ± 177 Swimming Points) and female freestyle swimmers (n = 2570, 553 ± 183 Swimming Points) were collected across all race distances at peak performance age and retrospectively analyzed throughout adolescence.

Short-course performance variation across all race sections: How 100 and 200 m elite male swimmers progress between rounds.

Introduction: To investigate performance variation in all race sections, i.e., start, clean swimming, and turns, of elite short-course races for all swimming strokes and to determine the effect of performance variation on race results.

Why age categories in youth sport should be eliminated: Insights from performance development of youth female long jumpers.

Long-term sports participation and performance development are major issues in popular sports and talent development programs. This study aimed to provide longitudinal trends in youth female long jump performance development, participation, and relative age effects (RAEs), as longitudinal data for female athletes are missing. 51'894 season's best results of female long jump athletes ( = 16'189) were acquired from the Swiss Athletics online database and analyzed within a range of 6-22 years of age.

Differences in Race Characteristics between World-Class Individual-Medley and Stroke-Specialist Swimmers.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate differences between world-class individual medley (IM) swimmers and stroke-specialists using race analyses. A total of eighty 200 m races (8 finalists × 2 sexes × 5 events) at the 2021 European long-course swimming championships were analysed. Eight digital video cameras recorded the races, and the video footage was manually analysed to obtain underwater distance, underwater time, and underwater speed, as well as clean-swimming speed, stroke rate, and distance per stroke.

Performance Development of European Swimmers Across the Olympic Cycle.

The aims of the study were to (1) quantify the performance development of race times and key performance indicators of European swimmers across the last Olympic cycle (from 2016 to 2021) and (2) provide reference values for long-course swimming pool events for both sexes from 50 m to 1,500 m including butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley. Individual events from the 2016 and 2021 European swimming championships were included. Specifically, 246 men (age: 24.

Start Fast, Swim Faster, Turn Fastest: Section Analyses and Normative Data for Individual Medley.

The aims of the study were to provide benchmarks and normative data for 100 m, 200 m, and 400 m short-course individual medley (IM) races, investigate differences between the various swimming strokes and turns involved in IM, and quantify the effect and contribution of various race sections on swimming performance. All IM races (n = 320) at the 2019 European Short-Course Swimming Championships were video monitored and digitized with interrater reliability described by a mean intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.968.

Comparing cross-sectional and longitudinal tracking to establish percentile data and assess performance progression in swimmers.

To provide percentile curves for short-course swimming events, including 5 swimming strokes, 6 race distances, and both sexes, as well as to compare differences in race times between cross-sectional analysis and longitudinal tracking, a total of 31,645,621 race times of male and female swimmers were analyzed. Two percentile datasets were established from individual swimmers' annual best times and a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine differences between cross-sectional analysis and longitudinal tracking. A software-based percentile calculator was provided to extract the exact percentile for a given race time.

Turn Performance Variation in European Elite Short-Course Swimmers.

Turn performances are important success factors for short-course races, and more consistent turn times may distinguish between higher and lower-ranked swimmers. Therefore, this study aimed to determine coefficients of variation (CV) and performance progressions (∆%) of turn performances. The eight finalists and eight fastest swimmers from the heats that did not qualify for the semi-finals, i.

Competition age: does it matter for swimmers?

Objective: To establish reference data on required competition age regarding performance levels for both sexes, all swimming strokes, and race distances and to determine the effect of competition age on swimming performance in the context of other common age metrics. In total, 36,687,573 race times of 588,938 swimmers (age 14.2 ± 6.

The Relationship Between Cardiorespiratory and Accelerometer-Derived Measures in Trail Running and the Influence of Sensor Location.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between cardiorespiratory and accelerometer-derived measures of exercise during trail running and determine the influence of accelerometer location.

Methods: Eight trail runners (7 males and 1 female; age 26 [5] y; maximal oxygen consumption [V˙O2] 70 [6] mL·kg-1·min-1) completed a 7-km trail run (elevation gain: 486 m), with concurrent measurements of V˙O2, heart rate, and accelerations recorded from 3 triaxial accelerometers attached at the upper spine, lower spine, and pelvis. External exercise intensity was quantified from the accelerometers using PlayerLoad™ per minute and accelerometry-derived average net force.

Normative data and percentile curves for long-term athlete development in swimming.

Objectives: To provide normative data and establish percentile curves for long-course (50 m pool length) swimming events and to compare progression of race times longitudinally for the various swimming strokes and race distances.

Design: Descriptive approach with longitudinal tracking of performance data.

Methods: A total of 2,884,783 race results were collected from which 169,194 annual best times from early junior to elite age were extracted.

Turn Fast and Win: The Importance of Acyclic Phases in Top-Elite Female Swimmers.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of start and turn performances on race times in top-elite female swimmers and provide benchmarks for all performance levels, all swimming strokes, and all race distances of the European Short-Course Championships (EC). The individual races ( = 798) of all female competitors (age: 20.6 ± 3.

How Relative Age Effects Associate with Football Players' Market Values: Indicators of Losing Talent and Wasting Money.

Background: In football, annual age-group categorization leads to relative age effects (RAEs) in talent development. Given such trends, relative age may also associate with market values. This study analyzed the relationship between RAEs and market values of youth players.

How to improve technical and tactical actions of dominant and non-dominant players in children's football?

As young football players develop important technical and tactical skills during competitive matches, this study investigated quantity and quality of technical and tactical actions in real game conditions in a 4v4 compared to the traditional 7v7 match format. In total, three matches of each format were played by 103 young football players (10.3±0.

Swimming turn performance: the distinguishing factor in 1500 m world championship freestyle races?

Objective: Turn sections represent the second largest part of total race time in 1500 m freestyle races and may substantially affect race results. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate individual race strategies and compare the effect of start, swim, and turn performances between short-course and long-course races. Video footages were collected from all 16 male finalists at the 2018 short and 2019 long-course World swimming championships (age 23.