Causal effects of biomechanical variables on initial speed in speed skaters: a Bayesian approach guided by directed acyclic graphs (DAGs)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v78.117807Keywords:
Biomechanics , inline skating, causality, jumping, fitnessAbstract
Introduction: The technical complexity of speed skating requires solid technical mastery and the development of biomechanical variables linked to initial acceleration, particularly stability, flight time, and contact time.
Objective: To estimate the combined effect of TC_CMJ, TV_SJ, and APY_D_FRONTAL on VELOCIDAD_20_M, adjusting for Age, Sex, and Body Fat Index.
Methodology: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional study designed to identify the effects of biomechanical variables on the start phase. The sample size was determined by the availability of athletes in the evaluated competitive group, with 25 participants.
Results and discussion: In the SJ, longer flight time was associated with lower initial speed, suggesting reduced efficiency of the horizontally oriented impulse. The Y-balance test (right anterior reach) showed that greater reach distances were related to higher speed over the first 20 meters, reinforcing the importance of dynamic balance and postural control during initial acceleration. In the CMJ, shorter contact time was associated with higher speed; however, the model did not provide sufficient evidence to confirm a credible effect at the 95% level. The adjustment variables (Age, Sex, and Body Fat Index) showed no credible effects on the main outcome, supporting their role as confounder controls rather than primary predictors.
Conclusions: Training programs should emphasize strength development along a horizontal vector, prioritize reactive training, and enhance anterior-direction postural development. For monitoring purposes, the SJ and Y-balance test are proposed as key tools, as they help track each athlete’s status in relation to 20-meter start speed.
References
Abdelkader, N., Romanelli, A., & Hogg-Johnson, S. (2021, December 1). Does induced fatigue alter dy-namic balance in athletes? A systematic review. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8791551/
Alshehre, Y., Alkhathami, K., Brizzolara, K., Weber, M., & Wang-Price, S. (2021). Reliability and Validity of the Y-balance Test in Young Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain. International journal of sports physical therapy, 16(3), 628–635. https://doi.org/10.26603/001c.23430
Bchini, S., Hammami, N., Selmi, T., Zalleg, D., & Bouassida, A. (2023). Influence of muscle volume on jumping performance in healthy male and female youth and young adults. BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-023-00639-x
Botero, C. W., Palma, B. E. P., Parrací, C. R., Rodas, A. G., Restrepo, D. F. A., & Claros, J. a. V. (2023). Verti-cal jump performance and the relationship with sprint speed at 20 m and 50 m in professional soccer players. F1000Research, 12, 663. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.131225.1
Bullock, G. S., Ward, P., Hughes, T., Thigpen, C. A., Cook, C. E., & Shanley, E. (2023). Using randomized controlled trials in the sports medicine and performance environment: Is it time to reconsider and think outside the methodological box? Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 53(6), 331–334. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2023.11824
de Ruiter, C. J., Van Leeuwen, D., Heijblom, A., Bobbert, M. F., & de Haan, A. (2006). Fast unilateral iso-metric knee extension torque development and bilateral jump height. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 38(10), 1843–1852. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000227644.14102.50
Gajewski, J., Michalski, R., Buśko, K., Mazur-Różycka, J., & Staniak, Z. (2018). Countermovement depth - a variable which clarifies the relationship between the maximum power output and height of a vertical jump. PubMed, 20(1), 127–134. https://doi.org/10.5277/abb-01058-2017-02
Gómez García, M. Ángel, Florez Peña, Y., Gaviria Chavarro, J., & Orejuela Aristizabal, D. F. (2025). Análi-sis de factores físicos en los primeros 20 metros de la fase de salida en patinaje de veloci-dad. Retos, 67, 1356–1366. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v67.115092
Gomez-Rodas, A., Marín, M. B., Santamaría, J. G., Del Rio Gaviria, C., Calderón, S. F., Restrepo, D. F. A., & Palma, B. E. P. (2024). Validez y fiabilidad de la aplicación My Jump 2 para la estimación del tiempo de vuelo y la altura del salto vertical con una sola pierna en futbolistas de élite sub-20. Journal of Sport and Health Research, 16(3), 373–384. https://doi.org/10.58727/jshr.97670
González-Fernández, F. T., Martínez-Aranda, L. M., Falces-Prieto, M., Nobari, H., & Clemente, F. M. (2022). Exploring the Y-Balance-Test scores and inter-limb asymmetry in soccer players: dif-ferences between competitive level and field positions. BMC sports science, medicine & rehabil-itation, 14(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-022-00438-w
Hernán, M. A., & Robins, J. M. (2020). Causal inference: What if. Boca Raton: Chapman & Hall/CRC.
Hooper, T. L., James, C. R., Brismée, J. M., Rogers, T. J., Gilbert, K. K., Browne, K. L., & Sizer, P. S. (2016). Dynamic balance as measured by the Y-Balance Test is reduced in individuals with low back pain: A cross-sectional comparative study. Physical therapy in sport : official journal of the As-sociation of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports Medicine, 22, 29–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2016.04.006
Kennedy, R. A., & Drake, D. (2021). Improving the Signal-To-Noise Ratio When Monitoring Counter-movement Jump Performance. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 35(1), 85–90. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002615
Lin, J., Shen, J., Zhang, J., Zhou, A., & Guo, W. (2023). Correlations between horizontal jump and sprint acceleration and maximal speed performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PeerJ, 11, e14650. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14650
Markovic, G., & Mikulic, P. (2010). Neuro-Musculoskeletal and performance adaptations to Lower-Extremity plyometric training. Sports Medicine, 40(10), 859–895. https://doi.org/10.2165/11318370-000000000-00000
McGhie, D., Østerås, S., Ettema, G., Paulsen, G., & Sandbakk, Ø. (2020). Strength Determinants of Jump Height in the Jump Throw Movement in Women Handball Players. Journal of strength and con-ditioning research, 34(10), 2937–2946. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002684
Nuzzo J. L. (2023). Narrative Review of Sex Differences in Muscle Strength, Endurance, Activation, Size, Fiber Type, and Strength Training Participation Rates, Preferences, Motivations, Injuries, and Neuromuscular Adaptations. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 37(2), 494–536. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004329
Pearl, J. (2009). Causality: Models, Reasoning, and Inference (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Uni-versity Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511803161
Plisky, P., Schwartkopf-Phifer, K., Huebner, B., Garner, M. B., & Bullock, G. (2021). Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Y-Balance Test Lower Quarter: Reliability, Discriminant Validity, and Predictive Validity. International journal of sports physical therapy, 16(5), 1190–1209. https://doi.org/10.26603/001c.27634
Sáez-Michea, E., Alarcón-Rivera, M., Valdés-Badilla, P., & Muñoz, E. G. (2023). Efectos de seis semanas de entrenamiento isoinercial sobre la capacidad de salto, velocidad de carrera y equilibrio pos-tural dinámico. Retos, 48, 291–297. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v48.95284
Song, J., Lee, D. H., & Moon, Y. (2017). Kinematics of the running-like sprint start in long-track speed skating. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 17(4), 563–575. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2017.1372161
Song, J., Lee, D., & Moon, J. (2017). Biomechanical analysis of speed skating 500 m start phase. Korean Journal of Sport Science, 760–767. https://doi.org/10.24985/kjss.2017.28.3.760
Stuart, A., & Cochrane-Snyman, K. C. (2021). Strength training and development in competitive speed skating. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 44(3), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1519/ssc.0000000000000663
Wrona, H. L., Zerega, R., King, V. G., Reiter, C. R., Odum, S., Manifold, D., Latorre, K., & Sell, T. C. (2023). Ability of Countermovement Jumps to Detect Bilateral Asymmetry in Hip and Knee Strength in Elite Youth Soccer Players. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 11(4), 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11040077
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Javier Gaviria Chavarro, Yulimar Florez Peña, Miguel Ángel Gómez García, Diego Fernando Orejuela Aristizaba, Alfonsina del Cristo Martinez Gutiérrez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
