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

Abstract

Elite athletes have invested many years in training and competition to reach the elite level. One very important factor on the road to elite performance is the decision-making process regarding the regulation of effort over time, termed as pacing behavior. The regulation of effort is vital for optimal athletic performance during a single race and over a longer period of time (e.g., a competitive season) as an inadequate regulation could result in a higher risk of injuries, overtraining, and drop-out. Despite this, there is limited knowledge on how young athletes learn and develop the abilities related to pacing. Pacing behavior of athletes develops from childhood throughout adolescence and is thought to be closely connected to physical maturation, the development of pre-frontal cortical related (meta-) cognitive functions, as well as the gathering of experience with exercise tasks. The motivation of an athlete can critically influence how an athlete paces a single race, but also how they distribute their effort over a longer period of time. Coaches are advised to closely monitor the development of pacing behavior during adolescence (e.g., by gathering split times, and related physiological measurement, during training and competition), as well as the underlying factors including physical maturation (meta-) cognitive development and the motivation of young athletes. Furthermore, pacing behavior development could be aided by providing training in which the task, individual, and environment are manipulated. Hereby, presenting athletes with the opportunity to gain experience in situations which closely resemble the perceptual-motor conditions of upcoming competitions.

Training During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices of 12,526 Athletes from 142 Countries and Six Continents

“…The data suggest that stakeholders would benefit from policy and resources (including support) to facilitate remote training with their athletes. Furthermore, consideration of emerging technology (e.g., virtual reality) to diversify (improving motivation and engagement) lockdown-compatible training warrants discussion [ 42 , 43 ]. Finally, these data and their context provide a clear rationale for careful consideration and prescription of appropriate sport-specific (re)conditioning upon return to “normal” training and/or competition to mitigate heightened injury risk [ 5 , 8 ].…”

Pacing behaviour of middle‐long distance running & race‐walking athletes at the IAAF U18 and U20 World Championship finals

“…Pacing behaviour is an important element in the development of athletes (18). To guide future athletes in developing adequate pacing behaviour, a better understanding of the pacing behaviour of young athletes is needed (18).…”

Differences in pacing pattern and sub‐technique selection between young and adult competitive cross‐country skiers

“…Maturation and experience play a major role in optimizing pacing strategies, 10,11 and hence, the learning process for pacing optimization can be of great importance in the development and future performance of young athletes 12 . Adding to the complexity of pacing in XC‐skiing, accessible tools to monitor exercise intensity, such as heart rate monitors, do not reflect the rapid fluctuations in exercise intensity during races 1,13,14 .…”