Development of 1500-m Pacing Behavior in Junior Speed Skaters: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Maintaining high speed into 700 to 1100 m, accompanied by a relatively slower start, appears crucial for high performance in 1500-m speed skating. Generally, juniors develop toward this profile, with a more pronounced development toward a relatively faster 700- to 1100-m from U17 to U19 for elite junior speed skaters. The results of the current study indicate the relevance of pacing behavior for talent development.

Pacing Behavior of Elite Youth Athletes: Analyzing 1500-m Short-Track Speed Skating

“…The only longitudinal research on the development of pacing strategies in talented adolescent exercisers was a recent study on the development of pacing behaviour of adolescent long-track speed skaters performing a 1500-m race. This study concluded that as youth athletes go through adolescence, their pacing behaviour develops more towards that of senior performers 21 . The more successful long-track speed skaters differentiated themselves by an early adaptation of the lap time pattern similar to that of elite long-track speed skaters 21 .…”

“…This study concluded that as youth athletes go through adolescence, their pacing behaviour develops more towards that of senior performers 21 . The more successful long-track speed skaters differentiated themselves by an early adaptation of the lap time pattern similar to that of elite long-track speed skaters 21 . However, this study is performed in a time-trial type sport in which the winner of the event is the speed skater with the fastest completion time 5,22 .…”

Optimal Development of Youth Athletes Toward Elite Athletic Performance: How to Coach Their Motivation, Plan Exercise Training, and Pace the Race

“…In longtrack speed skating (1,500 m), the pacing behavior of elite adult skaters is characterized by a relatively slow start and a fast 700-1,100 m section. At ∼15-16 years of age, there is a relatively large shift in the pacing behaviors of junior speed skaters, in which their pacing behavior becomes more closely aligned with the pacing behavior exhibited by adult skaters (Wiersma et al, 2017). Furthermore, junior skaters who exhibit a more conservative pacing behavior, as typically seen in adult skaters, earlier on in their career, will reach a higher performance level during adulthood (Wiersma et al, 2017).…”

“…At ∼15-16 years of age, there is a relatively large shift in the pacing behaviors of junior speed skaters, in which their pacing behavior becomes more closely aligned with the pacing behavior exhibited by adult skaters (Wiersma et al, 2017). Furthermore, junior skaters who exhibit a more conservative pacing behavior, as typically seen in adult skaters, earlier on in their career, will reach a higher performance level during adulthood (Wiersma et al, 2017). Junior short-track speed skaters show a similar development, as their pacing behavior shift during adolescence, to resemble the typically conservative pacing behavior seen in adults, featuring a relatively slow start and fast final laps.…”

“…Additionally, during the adolescent time period, many athlete programs increase the amount of training and competition, providing athletes with more opportunities to gather experience with an exercise task. Indeed, the small number of studies which have investigated the development of pacing behavior in junior athletes see a development of behavior during adolescence (Wiersma et al, 2017;Menting et al, 2019b). Despite these findings, previous research has focussed more on how the pacing behavior of elite senior athletes resulted in optimal performance, and much less so on the process of how junior athletes acquire and develop the skills to optimally pace a race (Hettinga, 2018).…”