62 Chapter 4 races, elite swimmers adopt a fast start followed by an even pace (Skorski et al., 2014a). Comparing different strokes, it is evident that the butterfly and breaststroke events are characterized by a gradual decrease in velocity over the duration of the race, which is mostly attributed to the relative inefficiency of these strokes compared to front crawl or backstroke. Regarding pacing behavior development in swimming, one study reported that adolescent swimmers performing a 200m front crawl trial started off too fast and therefore lacked in speed at the end of the trial (Scruton et al., 2015). A second study reported that adolescent swimmers have difficulty in selecting the optimal pace, performing better in a 400m front crawl trial when executing an externally imposed pace compared to a self-selected pace (Skorski et al., 2014b). It was proposed that the difference between adolescent and adult swimmers was due to the disparity in task experience (Skorski et al., 2019a; Turner et al., 2008; Dormehl & Osborough, 2015). This, however, seems to be an oversimplification as the shift of pacing behavior during adolescence is thought to originate not only from increased exercise experience but also from age-related physical maturation and cognitive development (Elferink-Gemser & Hettinga 2017; Menting et al., 2019b). Additionally, as the chronology of physical maturation and cognitive development processes differ between boys and girls (Buckler & Wild, 1987; Arain et al., 2013), it logically follows that the timeline of pacing behavior development differs between sexes (Menting et al., 2019c; Menting et al., 2022). A profound understanding of the mechanisms behind the pacing behavior of adolescent swimmers, including the influence of factors such as age, experience and sex, could help coaches to guide their athletes in developing a more optimal pacing behavior. The present study aimed to investigate the development of pacing behavior in adolescent swimmers, specifically disentangling the effects of age and experience and differentiating between performance levels in adulthood. It was hypothesized that the pacing behavior of swimmers would develop during adolescence, gradually exhibiting more resemblance to adult behavior. The demands of the task would influence the direction of the development. In short tasks, the development would present itself as a change towards a more all-out pacing behavior, characterized by a higher velocity during the initial stages. In longer tasks, the shift would be towards a more even effort distribution. Moreover, it was hypothesized that, independent of age, increased experience would facilitate a better fit with the task demands: a higher velocity in the initial stages in the shorter tasks and an overall more even distribution of effort in longer tasks. Adolescent swimmers who eventually reached a higher performance level in adulthood were hypothesized to exhibit a pacing behavior more resembling that of adult swimmers, compared to adolescent swimmers who attained a lower performance level. As females generally exhibit puberty-related physical maturation and cognitive development at an earlier age compared to their male counterparts, it was hypothesized that the split between swimmers of different future performance levels would occur earlier in females compared to males.
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