Pacing Behaviour of Elite Youth Athletes: Analysing 1500-m Short-Track Speed Skating.

PURPOSE: To gain insight into the development of pacing behaviour of youth athletes in 1500-m short-track speed skating competition.

METHODS: Lap times and positioning of elite short-track skaters during the seasons 2011/2012 - 2015/2016 were analysed (n=9715). The participants were grouped into age groups; under 17 (U17), under 19 (U19), under 21 (U21) and senior. The difference between age groups, the difference between the sexes and the stages of competition within each age group were analysed through a MANOVA (p<0.05) of the relative section times (lap time as a percentage of total race time) per lap and by analysing Kendall's tau-b correlations between intermediate positioning and final ranking.

RESULTS: The velocity distribution over the race differed between all age groups, explicitly during the first four laps (U17: 7.68±0.80%, U19: 7.77±0.81%, U21: 7.82±0.81%, senior: 7.80±0.82%) and laps 12, 13 and 14 (U17: 6.92±0.14%, U19: 6.83±0.13%, U21: 6.79±0.14%, senior: 6.69±0.12%). In all age groups, a difference in velocity distribution was found between the sexes and between finalists and non-finalists. Positioning data demonstrated that youth skaters showed a higher correlation between intermediate position and final ranking in the laps 10, 11 and 12 compared to seniors.

CONCLUSIONS: Youth skaters displayed less conservative pacing behaviour compared to seniors. The pacing behaviour of youths, expressed in relative section times and positioning, changed throughout adolescence and came to resemble that of seniors. Pacing behaviour and adequately responding to environmental cues in competition could therefore be seen as a self-regulatory skill that is under development throughout adolescence.