Interpretation and Perception of Slow, Moderate, and Fast Swimming Paces in Distance and Sprint Swimmers. Issue 3 (June 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Invernizzi, Pietro Luigi; Longo, Stefano; Scurati, Raffaele; Maggioni, Martina A.; Michielon, Giovanni; Bosio, Andrea
• Is Part Of: Perceptual and motor skills. Volume 118:Issue 3(2014)
• Page Start: 833
• Page End: 849
• Publication Date: 2014-06
• Subjects: Perception -- Periodicals; Motor ability -- Periodicals; Motor Skills; Perception; Psychology; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 152
• DOI: 10.2466/27.29.PMS.118k23w0
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0031-5125

Abstract

This study assessed how accurately professional swimmers can interpret instructions to swim "slow, " "moderate, " and "fast." 8 distance swimmers (6 males, 2 females; M age = 19 yr., SD = 3) and 8 sprint swimmers (7 males, 1 female; M age = 18yr., SD = 1) performed an all-out 50-m crawl stroke and three sets of 8 × 50-m crawl stroke trials interpreting the coach's instruction to swim at slow, moderate, and fast paces. No differences were detected between groups in absolute speed. Nevertheless, distance and sprint swimmers significantly differed in speed normalized to their own 50-m all-out speed (effect sizes = 6.72, 6.20, 1.35 for slow, moderate, and fast, respectively), stroke frequency (effect sizes = 0.81, 1.12, 1.54, respectively), and blood lactate concentration (effect sizes = 0.99, 2.56, 1.70, respectively).