Advances in Swimming Science and Performance Evaluation: From Acute Responses to Chronic Adaptations

Dear Colleagues,

Swimming research has evolved substantially over the past decades, progressing from descriptive analyses of stroke mechanics to highly integrated investigations that combine physiology, biomechanics, technology, and applied performance science. Nevertheless, an important challenge persists, which is to identify the minimum effective training dose that reliably stimulates performance-enhancing adaptations. The aim of this Special Issue, “Advances in Swimming Science and Performance Evaluation: From Acute Responses to Chronic Adaptations,” is to capture this evolution by bringing together cutting-edge research that enhances our understanding of how swimmers respond, adapt, and ultimately perform across different time scales.

The scope of this Issue spans acute effects derived from single-session interventions, such as training sets, technical modifications, equipment use, or warm-up protocols, to chronic adaptations resulting from long-term training, athlete development, and periodization strategies. By linking acute markers such as metabolic load and mechanical output with their accumulated effects over time, researchers can better determine which training stimuli are most efficient for different types of swimmers. This knowledge is relevant across the spectrum of competitive levels and race distances. For endurance athletes, it can help optimize workload distribution and minimize maladaptive fatigue. For sprinters, it is particularly valuable, as their performance depends on maintaining high power, technical precision, and neuromuscular freshness, requiring carefully calibrated training doses that elicit adaptation without unnecessary fatigue. Emphasis is placed on both fundamental scientific mechanisms and applied performance evaluation, including innovations in technology, race analysis, sensor-based monitoring, and modeling approaches.

We invite original research articles, systematic or scoping reviews, methodological papers, and applied case studies that advance knowledge in biomechanics, physiology, motor learning, sports medicine, performance prediction, or technology-assisted assessment in swimming. Interdisciplinary contributions and studies with practical implications for coaches and athletes are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Francisco Cuenca-Fernández
Guest Editor

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