True-Sport-Report

Recognizing Child
Developmental Stages in Sport
Sport can be a critical aspect of childhood
development if “taught, organized,
managed, and led in a manner consistent
with sound developmental principles”
(p. 299). 78 Stricker’s 79 insights into sport
skill development stress the importance
of not pressuring children to compete at
levels beyond their developmental capacity.
Stricker’s work also emphasizes the fact
that children develop skills in a sequential
pattern that is unique to them. Development
is age related but not age dependent.
80 Cognition, perceptions, behaviors,
and motor skills progress at different
speeds in children, 37 which means that
parents and coaches need to recognize a
child’s developmental stage. Both early
and late bloomers are found within a
given age range, and tremendous growth
can occur within a 12-month period. This
makes birth date cutoffs for preadolescent
teams even more difficult to manage, with
some players having significant physical
and developmental advantages over others.
This relative age effect can have lasting
effects. In fact, researchers who study the
relative age effect in sport have found that,
within a given cohort, individuals who are
relatively older tend to be over-represented
at elite levels within sport, particularly in
hockey, soccer, and baseball. 81
Numerous research studies show that
children, even in early adolescence, do
not need to be competent in their sport to
benefit psychologically from participating
in it. 38 Thus, the structure and expectations
for the quality of the play should be considered
as much as the quantity of play.
Some children who are late bloomers
never catch up as they lose confidence,
playing time, and even roster slots to more
developed peers. These early lost opportunities
can cause lasting harm. Playing
sport is often seen as a determinant of
social status and acceptance, especially
among boys. 82 Early bloomers benefit
from positive reinforcement and encouragement,
while the late bloomers might
be accused of not trying hard enough—
when in fact, they are doing the best that
they can.
Coakley 83 has studied children in
sport and observed that they do not even
develop a mature understanding of competition
until they reach age 12. Anyone
who watches young children play sport
has seen the girl in the outfield picking
clover, the basketball player running the
wrong way with the ball, or all players
from both teams chasing a soccer ball in a
herd. These behaviors are developmentally
normal. Forcing six- and seven-year-olds
to hold their positions, work harder, and
pay attention is not consistent with their
developmental capacity. Getting frustrated
with them only makes things worse,
because they are unlikely to understand
the source of the frustration. Suddenly,
this “play” is no longer fun.
Team-Up for Youth recommends that
schools and communities consider certain
options when working with youth of
different ages and developmental stages.
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