Abstract
One of the main principles of sports is improvement of performance. Based on an expert and statistical analysis, our aim was to determine the impulses that affect the development of performance in the given sport or discipline in the Czech Republic.
Results may help better planning and implementation of sport trainings. The 1.500-metre run is one of the basic athletic disciplines.
Performance in the 1.500-metre run has been unbalanced since the World War Two up to the present time and it has been influenced by many aspects. After a virtually continuous growth of performance until the year 1965, the growth of performance slowed down.
The period of the greatest performance came about in the 1970's and mainly in the 1980's. Performance dropped considerably after 1989, and stagnated after 2000.
Causes of changes of performance include social changes, governmental support of sports, and operation of sports centres. Even though the system of such centres has been renewed to some extent, currently, another long-term increase in performance with respect to the given discipline still has not materialized.
In addition, it has transpired that top sportsmen appear even in periods when performance a more general group of top sportsmen stagnates, but performance of the three best runners in the Czech Republic closely correlates (r=0.899) with performance of the general base of sportsmen.