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Development delay, may become a better athlete

Discussion in 'Pediatrics' started by NewsBot, Dec 11, 2006.

  1. NewsBot

    NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

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    Medical News Today are reporting:
    Children With Delayed Physical Development May Grow Up To Be Better Athletes
    10 Dec 2006
     
  2. carolethecatlover

    carolethecatlover Active Member

    Absolutely! Read a few biographies of famous soccer players, Beckham to Buffon, Keegan to Keane, Zizou to zino, all thought they'd never make it because they were small at 16. Beckham is 6 ft, Buffon 6'4". There is a theory I read that boys still have 22% to grow at 17, whearas girls are fully grown in height. Thanks for posting. Carole
     
  3. Carole:

    In general, males do continue to grow in stature at a later age then do their female counterparts. However, this is a very individual thing with some boys ending their growth at age 15 and others continuing to grow well into their early 20s. However, it is unusual to see girls continue to grow in stature after the age of 18, with most achieving full height by age 15-16.

    Having been around athletes all of my life, the idea that the best athletes mature later is just not true. Indeed, there are some "late-bloomers" who mature later and then become the star athletes, but I personally know many very gifted athletes that matured at a normal or early schedule also.

    One must remember that the factors that are important in an individual becoming a great athlete are related as much to the individual's physical capabilities as to the individual's genetics (were parents athletes also?), personality type, social setting, parental financial support, the country they live in, and avoidance of serious injury, to name a few. I would put the age of full stature achievement very far down on the preceeding list of what factors are most important at producing the best athletes.

    The research by Dr. Chiger is interesting but not surprising. It supports the fact that children that develop slower may be good athletes or may drop out early. I have seen both these scenarios numerous times. Over-motivated and intense coaches and parents are probably the worst thing for many children-athletes with many parents especially killing the love of sport within the child. So many factors affect the athlete. Only a few athletes survive to make it to the top and they all have different stories of how they got there. It is not all about the rate of maturity development in childhood.
     
  4. One Foot In The Grave

    One Foot In The Grave Active Member

    I think this is the take home message from the article.
    IMHO & from what I've seen in junior sport, the kids who are fast / talented in the early years, are the worst winners and losers. They're more likely to quit a sport when others start catching up and beating them. (bat, ball, home scenario)
     
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