Active start (4–6 years) – learning to swim

The first training phase for swimmers typically begins at the ages of 4–6, when children are capable of participating in group-based motion teaching. Water activities earlier in life do not form an integral part of the Hungarian system, although there is an opportunity for participation in the so-called baby swimming. During this phase, the aim is to foster a love for the sport and to develop a body-cultural education. The swimming instructor must perform precise work to ensure that children attending swimming classes receive solid foundations for modern competitive techniques and integration into the training and competition system, or potentially move into other water sports (such as water polo, kayak, triathlon, synchronized swimming, etc.). It is necessary to teach swimming students to be able to preserve their physical integrity and be engaged in water-related leisure activities [16]. To acquire this body-cultural educational content, the sporty lifestyle of the family and environment mentioned by Géczi and Balyi [17] is not sufficient; a properly trained sports professional needs to handle the children's training.

Similarly to other nations' swimming LTAD models [3, 18], the first emphasis should be on acclimatization to water. The domestic practice additionally assigns a significant role to the technical execution of gliding on the stomach and back according to specific criteria, followed by mastering the basic techniques of the four swimming strokes [19].

In the Canadian swimming model, a daily, at least 60-min session is the expectation [18]. In our country, participation 2–3 times a week is necessary to maintain the continuity of the learning process. Those children who already know they want to compete, are grouped separately, and the number of swimming instruction sessions increases to 4–5 times a week. For prospective competitors, beyond mastering the basic technique, the technical execution of dives, regular turns and finishes are also required [20]. At this stage of Hungarian swimmers' training, dryland preparation appears as an additional element compared to other models. The preparatory and introductory practices during the training process are supplemented by balance and rhythm-developing exercises [16, 20].

In the first LTAD stage, competitions are rarely mentioned. In addition to smaller competitions held during instructional hours, children participate in club/school internal competitions to provide prospective swimmers with a sense of achievement and a positive orientation towards physical activity, primarily swimming. It is also a Hungarian speciality that during this stage, children prepare for the Hungarian Swimming Federation's Professional Basic Requirements Examination [21, 22]. This professional exam ensures that well-prepared children start at competitions. This entry requirement into competitive sports raises the level of training for youth competitive swimmers.

Fundamentals (7–10 years) – frog and dolphin age groups

According to the LTAD model, Hungarian swimmers enter the Fundamentals phase from the age of 7. Interestingly, in the training of Canadian and Australian swimmers, girls are categorized in this phase from the age of 5 [3, 18]. The main goal is to perfect the basic techniques of the four swimming strokes, start developing modern competitive techniques, master the competition rules, and get acquainted with the fifth swimming style, the medley. Coaches need to focus on developing water sensitivity and agility, maintaining diverse and stimulating training sessions, and ensuring that 70–80% of training involves technique improvement exercises. Children learn several new technical elements [23], including underwater work specific to each stroke and practice starts. At this point, our swimmers' technical training is advanced compared to other models, as it covers the technical requirements of turns and underwater work for each stroke, as well as the precise and high-quality execution of glides after push-offs [19]. According to the model's recommendations, attending training sessions is not yet mandatory, and many engage in other sports alongside swimming. However, by the end of this phase, the volume of training increases so much that if the family is considering competitive activity, it becomes necessary to choose a sport. Especially since, in this phase, the swimmers' training sessions are longer than in other swimming models. Instead of 60-min, 90 to 120-min-long training sessions characterize the preparation, and dryland skill development is also a part of general training. From a competition point of view, a slightly higher standard is expected of Hungarian swimmers by the end of this stage compared to other swimming nations, as they participate in regional championships besides in-house practice meets, where they need to meet qualifying times. In recent years, however, there has been progress in Hungary, with the youngest age group championships being divided into smaller regions [24]. This division helps to avoid the overload and pressure caused by the compulsion for results, fulfils the recommendations related to relative age in Hungarian youth training [25–27], and provides more children with the opportunity to experience success, thus easing their staying in the sport.

Learn to train (11–12 years) – shark age group

The main goal during this period is to familiarize and master various training methods, coupled with high-level technical training for aerobic capacity development [23]. Coaches keep a mixed-type preparation in mind in line with the LTAD model when planning the athletes' training, as it develops them across a broad spectrum and encourages swimmers to gain experience in different swimming styles and competition distances [28]. As mentioned in the LTAD model, this stage makes the athlete's movement more harmonious and economical [17], so technique-improving drills continue to be a prominent part of training tasks, as well as increasing time spent on starts, turns, and underwater work [29].

Daily training attendance, including Saturdays, is a basic requirement for domestic swimmers aged 10–12. Morning sessions are introduced into long-term preparation with introductory objectives, thus the number of training sessions changes to 6–7 per week. The Canadian swimming model also features a similar number of training sessions, but the duration of each session is shorter, not reaching 120 min [18]. Consequently, Hungarian swimmers do not have the opportunity to engage in other sports, as suggested by the LTAD model [30]. The main focus of dryland skill development at this time is creating the conditioning background necessary for executing modern competitive techniques. This involves the development of core and leg muscles involved in swimming through bodyweight strength training, as well as joint mobility and flexibility, which receive heightened attention in Hungarian practice compared to other nations. Other models do not mention this, but in Hungary, shoulder preventive exercises also begin with bands, preparing for the greater loads and physical changes of puberty [20, 23]. In other models, competition appears at this stage [3, 18], but domestic practice moves to a more advanced level. Instead of a two-day, timed regional championship, a four-day preliminary-final competition format is used. Furthermore, the evaluation becomes national. This change in the competition system contradicts the recommendations of the LTAD model, as Hungarian swimmers thus become acquainted with the competitive swimming system around the age of 11, while the model only deems this necessary in the next stage [17]. To maintain success experiences and motivation, the final fields are determined by year of birth, and championship placements are also announced by year of birth. Canadian swimmers are advised to measure aerobic capabilities, ideally under competition conditions [18]. This is also possible in the domestic competition system by participating in the National Long Distance Swimming Championships, where competitors start in the same 1,500 m freestyle as in the National Shark Swimming Championships [21, 31].

Train to train (13–14 years) – children age group

Contrary to the theoretical LTAD model and its practical implementation in other nations, in this phase, domestic swimmers spend only two years instead of four. During this period, in addition to aerobic development, the initiation of anaerobic capacity development is crucial, as well as beginning to form the swimmer's own stroke and competitive distance by the end of the stage [28]. Although the formation of an individual style is not yet recommended at this time [18], it starts for Hungarian swimmers and unfolds in the next stage. Technique improvement, monitoring of starts, turns, and underwater work in terms of strength and speed, and enhancing the time spent underwater remain focal points during training.

The number of weekly training sessions can be increased to 7–8, including 2-3 morning sessions, every weekday afternoon, and Saturday morning [30]. During dryland sessions, coaches begin developing endurance with light weights. Strengthening the core and leg muscles remains a priority, while the development of the arm and shoulder muscles involved in swimming becomes an integral part of the training during this period. Suggestions for stabilizing the shoulder, elbow, spine, and ankle are noted for this stage [18], but Hungarian swimmers are already ahead as they started this in the previous phase and are now building upon that foundation to start strength development. Exercises that promote joint mobility and flexibility, similar to those read in previous studies [3, 18], are part of the dryland training every training day [23]. A new element in the competition system is the introduction of the National Short Course Age Group Swimming Championships, responding to recent changes in the international sports scene. With the international emergence of short course races, it became necessary to introduce this type of competition at the domestic junior level as well, to ensure that Hungarian swimmers can keep pace with the international field both in junior and adult categories.

Train to compete (boys 15–16 years) - adolescent age group

This training phase also lasts for two years in the case of Hungarian swimmers. In the LTAD model, the Train to Compete phase lasts much longer, up to age 21 for girls and 23 for boys. In other nations' LTAD models, the maximum age is 18, considering the international trends in swimming and based on practical experience, this phase cannot last longer. The main goal is specialization, determining which events and distances a swimmer can be most successful in. Thus, beyond the recommendations of the LTAD model and in line with other swimming models [3, 18], it is necessary not only to repeat technical elements but also to adjust them to individual characteristics.

In terms of training methods, as the end of the period approaches, swimmers begin to learn the fundamental elements of a “Three-macrocycle training system” and start their preparation using it [23], which is still used today by Hungarian adult swimmers at world competitions [32]. The specific Hungarian preparation system in this phase integrates into the long-term training program, which requires well-constructed, cumulative work from previous stages.

During this period, swimmers have 10 swimming practices and 3–5 dryland skill development sessions per week. The strength development part of the dryland work becomes dominant, considering the biological maturity emphasized by the model. Swimmers mostly work with small and large weights, resistance bands, and various other aids. Special attention is directed towards joint mobility and flexibility training, and facilitate recovery processes [23], as recommended by the training strategies of Australian and Canadian swimmers during this period. A significant difference in terms of competition compared to earlier phases is that finals are organized by age group rather than by year of birth, and evaluations are also separated accordingly. This is the first age group where the Hungarian Swimming Federation (HSF) has introduced an international evaluation system. There is an opportunity at the National Championships for Adolescents for a so-called up-competition, allowing younger swimmers who meet the qualifying times to compete. As the LTAD model emphasizes, results already matter at this stage. The best adolescent-age swimmers, as members of the Hungarian Adolescent National Team, can participate in two international competitions. Thus, international competitions also begin for Hungarian swimmers in this phase [21, 31].

Train to win (boys 17 years and older) – youth and adult age group

The goal of this phase is to maximize skills and abilities to achieve peak performance and to unfold the swimmer's talent. This is the last station in the career of an age-group athlete, which also marks the transition into the adult age group [33]. Hungarian swimmers enter this phase two years earlier than the model suggests for both genders, a practice common in other nations as well. The phase starts early but lasts long, potentially into their early thirties. Utilizing the “Three-macrocycle training system” developed by Tamás Széchy, Hungarian swimmers prepare by blending Hungarian traditions with innovations born from international competitive requirements [32]. Specific training in energy systems is the main focus.

Swimmers are given flexibility regarding the structure of their preparation. Thus, some train in teams, in smaller or larger elite sports club groups, while others train alone or in pairs, forming smaller teams. The number and duration of training sessions are determined by the specific preparation for individual events [32]. Preparation for competitions focuses on the Summer Olympic Games, held every four years, as a central element [32]. Youth athletes often have the opportunity to gain experience in domestic and international competitions for adults. Upon entering the adult age group, first, the Olympics, and the World and European Championships (25 and 50 m) become the most important goals [21, 31]. The ratio of training to competition suggested by the LTAD model (25–75%) can currently be approached by participating in the World Cup series. Although the HSF tries to improve the competitive opportunities for youth and adult swimmers, it currently does not meet the necessary quality and quantity. There are multiple competition opportunities in the country, however, the fields mostly consist of age-group athletes, thus not reaching the level that would encourage development in swimmers who make it to the national team. Participation in the mentioned World Cup series is voluntary but must be coordinated with the team's international competitions. Strengthening this area is seen as one of the developmental opportunities for Hungarian swimming. The European Swimming Federation (LEN) introduced the U23 age group into its competition system for the first time in 2023. This internationally organized age group competition could provide a more continuous transition between the youth and adult categories, where typically most athletes quit high-level sports. We believe that this decision could be a good alternative to the American college competition system, as similar international competitions are expected to emerge in the long run, and this might shift the onset of high-volume training. This could also help the Hungarian National Team in transitioning a higher proportion of the successes achieved at the Youth European Championships into adult achievements [34].

Activity for life (25 years and older) - recreational swimming, senior age group

This stage can be entered from any age group following the rapid growth phase but is primarily indicative in the period following a competitive career. It includes various paths depending on when one joins. For those swimmers who cannot spend the majority of their days preparing but wish to stay close to the sport and remain active as part of a healthy lifestyle, there is an opportunity to enter the senior competition system. The LTAD model refers to this path as “Competition for Life” [17]. Many sports clubs offer senior swimming training and organize senior competitions. The main focus of the “Fitness for Life” direction [17] is health preservation, thus characterized by unstructured sports activities. In Hungary, this often represents a transition from competitive sports to recreational sports. There are also opportunities for training in sports clubs or attending swimming sessions for adults. The “Sport and Physical Activity Leadership” direction serves as a kind of talent transfer, aiming to retain talented individuals in sports [33]. This is quite common in Hungary. The majority of students at Hungary's largest sports university, the Hungarian University of Sports Science, were previously involved in competitive sports daily and continue to be involved in sports. Thus, upon concluding an active sporting career, there is an excellent opportunity to employ the experiences gained as an athlete in service of future sports participating in teaching, coaching, management, and other sports science fields. It appears that this stage is well-developed for Hungarian swimmers and provides a variety of meaningful opportunities to stay connected to the sport.