Bouvet Antoine, Pla Robin, Nicolas Guillaume, Bideau Nicolas
M2S Laboratory (Movement, Sport & Health), University Rennes 2, Bruz, France.
MIMETIC-Analysis-Synthesis Approach for Virtual Human Simulation, INRIA Rennes Bretagne Atlantique, Rennes, France.
Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2025 Jan 27;20(3):420-428. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2024-0305. Print 2025 Mar 1.
To investigate technical regulation mechanisms of long-distance swimmers that differentiate optimal pacing strategies and the underlying kinematic parameters.
Twenty-one national and international swimmers were equipped with a sacrum-worn inertial measurement unit performed during 5000-m indoor French championships. Percentage of critical swimming speed (CSS), stroke rate, stroke length, jerk cost, stroke index, and mechanical proficiency score were computed by lap. Athletes were divided into groups of pacing effectiveness based on optimal potential performance level (OPPL)-optimal (nearOPPL) and suboptimal (farOPPL)-using functional clustering of percentage of the CSS. Race sections were analyzed with a change-in-slope detection method. Common stroke-regulation abilities and deviations by pacing groups were profiled by fitting hierarchical generalized additive models between mechanical variables and laps.
The 2 clusters were discriminated by percentage of the CSS sustainment (P < .01). Optimal performers showed a +41.4% more stable pacing (2 race sections vs 3 for farOPPL) and a +36.7% higher end spurt, with a trend combining higher overall stroke rate (P = .08) with lower jerk cost (P = .17). Functional profiles showed that maintaining a higher stroke length and stroke index in a fatigued state, rather than overall values, allows the swinner to reach OPPL (P < .001). High regulation of mechanical proficiency score across the race, in line with pacing expectations of particular race sections, is a game changer to sustain CSS (P < .001).
Specific profiles of stroke regulations, regarding tradeoff between stroke smoothness and resultant speed, lead to optimal pacing during the 5000-m. The results of this study enhance the technical understanding of optimal pacing in long-distance pool races for coaches and swimmers.
研究长距离游泳运动员区分最佳配速策略及潜在运动学参数的技术调节机制。
21名国家和国际级游泳运动员在5000米室内法国锦标赛期间佩戴骶部惯性测量单元。逐圈计算临界游泳速度（CSS）百分比、划频、划幅、加速度成本、划水指数和机械效率得分。根据最佳潜在表现水平（OPPL），通过CSS百分比的功能聚类，将运动员分为配速有效性组——最佳（接近OPPL）和次优（远离OPPL）。采用斜率变化检测方法分析比赛段落。通过拟合机械变量和圈数之间的分层广义相加模型，剖析各配速组的常见划水调节能力和偏差。
通过CSS维持百分比区分出两个聚类（P <.01）。最佳表现者的配速稳定性提高了41.4%（2个比赛段落，而远离OPPL者为3个），冲刺阶段速度提高了36.7%，总体上有划频较高（P = 0.08）而加速度成本较低（P = 0.17）的趋势。功能概况表明，在疲劳状态下保持较高的划幅和划水指数，而非总体数值，能使游泳者达到OPPL（P <.001）。在整个比赛中对机械效率得分进行高度调节，符合特定比赛段落的配速预期，是维持CSS的关键因素（P <.001）。
关于划水流畅性和合成速度之间权衡的特定划水调节概况，可在5000米比赛中实现最佳配速。本研究结果增进了教练和游泳运动员对长距离泳池比赛中最佳配速的技术理解。
