1. Prevalence and Impact of the Relative Age Effect on Competition Performance in Swimming: A Systematic Review
- Author
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Daniel Mon-López, Moisés Marquina, Alfonso de la Rubia, Santiago Veiga, Jorge Lorenzo-Calvo, and Monica Hontoria-Galán
- Subjects
Male ,Competitive Behavior ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Athletic Performance ,Competition (biology) ,talent identification ,athlete development ,Prevalence ,Humans ,Swimming ,media_common ,Aged ,young athletes ,biology ,sport success ,Athletes ,Individual sport ,competition performance ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Relative age effect ,sport talent ,biology.organism_classification ,Systematic review ,Medicine ,individual sport ,Female ,Systematic Review ,Psychology ,Demography ,Systematic search - Abstract
This systematic review aimed to examine the prevalence of the relative age effect (RAE) in swimming and its impact on competition performance according to different types of interacting constraints. A systematic literature search, following the PRISMA guidelines for preparing systematic reviews, was performed through four electronic databases, and nine studies met the inclusion criteria. The quality of the selected studies was evaluated using STROBE, and an average score of 16.2 points was obtained. In these studies, the prevalence of the RAE in swimming was observed in more than half (58.65%) of the participants analysed, and the effect of the RAE was more accentuated in young categories (decreased as age increased and was inverted in older ones) and in male swimmers (double that in female swimmers).The impact of the RAE on competitive performance appeared to be related to the strength demands of the event, as the performance in simultaneous strokes, in shorter events, and of swimmers in the postadolescence period seems to be more affected by the RAE. These results indicate that the RAE in competitive swimming relies on individual and environmental (the swimmer’s age group and gender) but also task (the competitive events) determinants or limitations. This should serve as a guide for a more effective design of selection and development procedures for young athletes.
- Published
- 2021