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Pacing During 200-m Competitive Masters Swimming
Derek Breen1, Cormac Powell2,3, Ross Anderson1,4
1Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
|April 10, 2020
Summary
Masters swimmers
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Exercise Physiology
- Swimming Performance Analysis
Background:
- Pacing strategies significantly influence performance in swimming due to water resistance.
- Limited research exists on how stroke, gender, age, or performance level impact pacing in 200-m masters swimming races.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze pacing strategies in masters swimmers, categorized by stroke, gender, age, and performance level.
- To identify differences in pacing patterns based on these athlete characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 4,272 performances at World and European masters swimming championships.
- Normalized split times to determine relative pace and analyzed the coefficient of variation (CV) of 50-m split times.
- Examined main effects for stroke, gender, age, and performance classification (PC).
Main Results:
- Significant main effects for stroke were observed at each 50-m split (p < 0.001).
- Performance classification significantly affected split-1 pace and CV across most strokes (p < 0.001), except for breaststroke.
- Lower-ranked athletes demonstrated less even pacing and a faster initial start compared to higher-ranked athletes.
Conclusions:
- Masters swimmers exhibit distinct pacing patterns influenced by swimming stroke.
- Athlete performance level is a critical factor in pacing strategy, with lower-ranked swimmers starting faster and pacing less evenly.
- Individualized analysis of pacing strategies may be beneficial for masters swimmers.
