186 Chapter 8 swim times, this includes a multidimensional profile with levels and progression rates of anthropometrics, physiological, psychological, technical and tactical aspects. The findings of this thesis assist in this effort by providing athletic profiles that relate to successful progression towards the elite level. These profiles highlight which underlying characteristics may be of particular importance during a specific developmental phase. Coaches and swimmers can use this information to focus on developing these underlying characteristics accordingly. Moreover, concrete insights into the levels and progression rates of swim performance and its underlying performance characteristics across various developmental phases of swimmers on track to the elite level are provided. With regard to the development of season best times between within seasons, Chapter 2 and 3 describe the general pathway towards the elite level, whereas the formula’s in Chapter 4, 6 and 7 model the development of underlying performance characteristics in terms of pacing behavior, maximal swimming velocity, SI, starts, turns and lower body power of swimmers on track to the elite level. These insights, summarized in Appendix A and B, may function as guideline for coaches and assist them a more objective and evidence-informed evaluation of their swimmers’ abilities. That is, the provided developmental patterns give a more clear indication of the meaning of a swimmers’ levels and progression of season best times and underlying performance characteristics in relation to advancements towards the elite level. However, coaches should perceive analyses like these as a starting point rather than an endpoint for further development, and take inter-individual differences in sex, maturation and training into account when evaluating swimmers’ current performance and future potential. Moreover, it is important to be aware that developmental trajectories provided in this thesis are dynamic, and should be updated regularly as the sport of swimming is constantly evolving. Use the power of self-regulated learning to keep improving While the first two recommendations focused on analyzing and evaluating swimmers' abilities, the last recommendation delves into the ongoing process of improvement that takes place (or not) after testing and assessment. As indicated in Chapter 5, self-regulation of learning plays a crucial role in this context. Instead of relying solely on natural progression due to growth and maturation or increased training hours, this factor can benefit swimmers consistently, making SRL an inherent strength that must be maximized. As coaches can play a vital role in learning and stimulating SRL in swimmers, we recommend that they intentionally include SRL in daily practice, just as they do with technique drills and physical conditioning. During training, coaches could encourage swimmers to reflect more frequently on their strengths and weaknesses, for example by asking questions such as “What went well and why?” Additionally, they can assist swimmers in directing their focus and efforts towards the most crucial tasks. After training, coaches could stimulate evaluation by allowing swimmers to assess their training outcomes in relation to their goals,
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