Pacing and predictors of performance during cross-country skiing races: A systematic review

• Published in: Journal of sport and health science Vol. 7; no. 4; pp. 381 - 393
• Main Authors: Stöggl, Thomas, Pellegrini, Barbara, Holmberg, Hans-Christer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China Elsevier B.V 01.10.2018; 上海体育大学; School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 121,Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 17177, Sweden; Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Salzburg, Hallein/Rif 5400, Austria%CeRiSM Research Centre"Sport, Mountain, and Health,"Rovereto 36068, Italy; School of Sport Sciences, UiT Arctic University of Norway, Troms? 9037, Norway; Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement, University of Verona, Verona 37100, Italy%Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, ?stersund 83128, Sweden; Elsevier; Shanghai University of Sport
• Subjects: Classic style; Competition; Cycle characteristics; Idrettsmedisinske fag: 850; Medical disciplines: 700; Medisinske Fag: 700; Positive pacing; Skating; Special issue on Performance and injury prevention in elite skiing; Sports medicine: 850; VDP; Competition; Classic style; Positive pacing; Cycle characteristics; Skating; 冬季运动; 滑雪; 赛跑; 评论; 性能; 周期长度; 系统; 预言
• ISSN: 2095-2546; 2213-2961; 2213-2961
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jshs.2018.09.005

•Mainly positive pacing irrespective of race format, skiing technique, or sex is presented.•Higher-level athletes utilize more even pacing, whereas lower-level skiers employ more pronounced positive pacing.•Achieving and maintaining long cycles is related to race success, whereas cycle rate is not.•Performance uphill is related to overall race performance, especially in females, with performance on flat terrain being more important for males.•Pacing influences the choice of skiing technique during a race, with faster skiers employing more double poling and kick double poling and less diagonal stride, or more of the V2 (double dance) than V1 (single dance) skating technique. Cross-country skiing (XCS) racing, a popular international winter sport, is complex and challenging from physical, technical, and tactical perspectives. Despite the vast amount of research focusing on this sport, no review has yet addressed the pacing strategies of elite XCS racers or the factors that influence their performance. The aim was to review the scientific literature in an attempt to determine the effects of pacing strategy on the performance of elite XCS racers. Four electronic databases were searched using relevant subject headings and keywords. Only original research articles published in peer-reviewed journals and the English language and addressing performance, biomechanics, physiology, and anthropometry of XCS racers were reviewed. All 27 included articles applied correlative designs to study the effectiveness of different pacing strategies. None of the articles involved the use of an experimental design. Furthermore, potential changes in external conditions (e.g., weather, ski properties) were not taken into consideration. A comparable number of studies focused on the skating or classical technique. In most cases, positive pacing was observed, with certain indications that higher-level athletes and those with more endurance and strength utilized a more even pacing strategy. The ability to achieve and maintain a long cycle length on all types of terrain was an important determinant of performance in all of the included studies, which was not the case for cycle rate. In general, uphill performance was closely related to overall race performance, with uphill performance being most closely correlated to the success of female skiers and performance on flat terrain being more important for male skiers. Moreover, pacing was coupled to the selection and distribution of technique during a race, with faster skiers employing more double poling and kick double poling, less diagonal stride, and more V2 (double dance) than V1 (single dance) skating across a race. We propose that skiers at all levels can improve their performance with more specific training in techniques (i.e., maintaining long cycles without compromising cycle rate and selecting appropriate techniques) in combination with training for endurance and more strength. Furthermore, we would advise less experienced skiers and/or those with lower levels of performance to apply a more even pacing strategy rather than a positive one (i.e., starting the race too fast).