Nature, Nurture, and Window of Opportunity

This tutorial is guest blogged by Mike Goss, CSCS, and Level II USATF, jumps, throws, and combined events. Mike is also in the Coaches Advisory for USATF-GA.

He previously wrote Motivating and Evaluating Jumpers and Progressive Training for Triple Jump.

Click here for all articles written by Mike Goss.

This is Part 1.

Testing Youth for Athletic Ability

The design and implementation of tests for athletic ability have simple and complex implications. Chronological and biological age are factors. Sports participation and physical activity are components affecting the development of motor abilities. Track and Field places athletes “center stage.” Individual skills are paramount; “Faster, Higher, Stronger” is the central theme. Although a simple idea, discovery and development of talent is important as with other team and individual sports.

Relative Age Effect (RAE) plays a major role in developing young athletes.

RAE refers to the month one is born. Athletes with early birth dates tend to have an advantage. This factor typically leads to a larger, stronger, and faster athlete as compared to those born later in the year. There are exceptions, but the RAE is a proven developmental factor in progressing young athletes.¹

Studies in youth soccer and age group (Canadian) ice hockey have been documented to demonstrate the advantages of older athletes. Among these athletes (though in the same age group classification) there is often the following:

Higher levels of physical maturity
Higher levels of competition
More opportunities to play (starters versus substitutes)
Privilege to work with advanced coaches
Greater training programs (intensity, duration, skill sets)

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The above factors create a snow ball effect; the older athletes, who often tend to be more mature, have a natural advantage leading toward advanced training and competition. A study of the birth dates within the NHL is similar to the youth hockey and soccer study. Much fewer athletes born from April – December, compared to those born early in the year, progress to high level youth teams. Soccer has a similar situation in its most talented organizations. The early birth date theory has been challenged. Yet, the training of older athletes has advantages not afforded many of their younger counterparts.²

COMPARING THE US WITH EASTERN EUROPE

The Cold War was not only a political cauldron of unrest and conflicting ideology.

Athletics were also forefront considering “What’s the best system for athletic supremacy?”

This might be an amusing topic to many, but the sociology of sport is closely tied to cultural and social systems, East and West. Following are points of consideration comparing the USA, Eastern Europe, and Australian sports programs.

The USA places a major emphasis in specialization of prepubescent and pubescent athletes

1. Intensified sport specific training (personal trainers and position/event coaches)

pitching coaches, batting coaches, specific conditioning trainers
sport camps (all age groups)
Sports Medicine (chiropractic, movement analysis, orthopedic modalities)

2. Early identification for specific positions/events

stereotyping an athlete based on height, weight, and early success at specific skills
limiting the development of other skills (sprinters sprint, jumpers only jump)

Repercussions with specialization at early stages of training/age:

higher rates of overuse injuries; elbows, knees, shoulders
years of growth from prepubescence to pubescence may include significant changes in height, weight, and biomotor abilities
a rise in ACL and elbow ligament tears requiring surgery

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According to Fransen participants in several sports perform better than those who specialize, this includes skill testing. ex. standing long jump ³

BIOMOTOR ABILITIES

The USATF coaches education program centers much of it’s curriculum on the 5 basic biomotor abilities:

Strength
Endurance
Speed
Coordination
Flexibility ⁴

Many of the USA’s fitness tests, Presidential Youth Fitness Test and Fitness Gram, are available for evaluation. http://exrx.net

*Ex.Rx is a website with a wide variety of tests and scores

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN EASTERN EUROPE

East European countries incorporate a multifaceted system. Participation in a variety of sports and fitness activities is encouraged; only 5-10% of the training is specific sports development.

Below are the (East European) findings regarding sports specialization:

Best performances at 15-16 yrs.
Inconsistent competition
Age of burnout at 18 yrs.
High rate of overuse injury

The multilateral program produced consistent performance:

The best sports performance was after age 18
Athletes more comfortable with the sport
Lower injury rate ⁵

AUSTRALIA’S TESTING FOR ATHLETIC ABILITY

Testing for athletics (12-29yrs. old), team and individual sports, involve similar evaluations:

Vertical jump ( standing and from 1-2 steps)
Sprinting (10 – 40 meters); objective depending upon test goals
Endurance

Below is a basic test for Athletics (track and field) from Australia:

Endurance – standing height, body mass, 1.6 km run
Jumps – standing height, body mass, standing long jump, vertical jump
Sprints – standing height, body mass, vertical jump, 60M sprint
Throws – standing height, body mass, vertical jump, 4-6K shot throw-between legs fwd. and overhead backwards.

The above test is available to 12 – 29 year olds (Australia). An interactive website provides a scoring grid. If the scores are above average, the athlete is encouraged to visit a Talent Assessment Center (TAC). Individuals are then targeted to specific programs and coaches. ⁶

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SAMPLE – VERTICAL JUMP TESTING – PERCENTILE RANKS

13-14 yr. old boys – (inches) – 10-20% 12.3-13.8 in.

30-40% 15-16 in – 50% 17in. – 60-70% 18-19 in. – 80-90% 20-21 in. ⁷

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT – FITNESS TEST