This page summarizes one paper. Findings should be interpreted within its design, sample and limitations.
| Study | A Time-Motion and Error Analysis of Speed Climbing in the 2019 IFSC Speed Climbing World Cup |
|---|---|
| Year | 2022 |
| Design | Competition video/time-motion analysis |
| Evidence label | Direct Speed Evidence — competition analysis |
Research question and overview
Chen and colleagues studied elite competition itself rather than a laboratory simulation. They examined how total time can be broken into reaction and route phases and how errors relate to outcomes.
Methods
The study analyzed 384 climbing performances. Total climbing time, four route phases and start reaction time were calculated, allowing phase-level and sex comparisons.
Main findings
The work demonstrated the value of phase analysis: elite performance differences are distributed across the run, and errors can materially alter outcomes. Reaction is relevant but only one component.
Limitations
Competition-video analysis describes patterns and relationships but cannot isolate the causal effect of a training intervention. The data also represent a particular period of athlete performance and rules.
Practical meaning
The study supports section splits, first-phase analysis and error tracking. It argues against judging a start solely by reaction time.
Read the original paper
A Time-Motion and Error Analysis of Speed Climbing in the 2019 IFSC Speed Climbing World Cup. The original paper is authoritative for exact methods, statistics and author conclusions.