27 Aug. 2015 – Sports medicine physicians must be familiar with the normal patterns of growth and development of the child and adolescent, in order to detect any abnormal patterns, and make appropriate judgments.
This will allow the physician to detect any deviations during the pre-participation examination, guide children into appropriate activities, aid them in setting realistic goals concerning sports participation, and provide guidance to the community and coaches in the design of safe and effective training and sports programs.
Effective Athletics Training for Children
From the three Growth Stages, we will focus on the Late Childhood (Ages 10-12), because at this specific ages in Lebanon, the children can inter the world of competition.
- Early Childhood (ages 3–5 years)
- Childhood (ages 6–9)
- Late Childhood (ages 10–12)
- Vision: adult pattern.
- Balance: improved; declines at puberty during peak height velocity (Tanner stage 3).
- Motor Skills: complex skills develop, but postural control may deteriorate (uncoordinated body segment growth patterns).
- Learning Ability: integrate information from multiple sources; respond to verbal instruction.
- Sport Recommendations: continue fundamental and transitional skills; successful in skill and team sports, low level competitive sports.
Stages of Growth and Development
Growth and development at puberty occur in an orderly fashion. In general, the onset of pubertal maturation occurs earlier in girls than in boys. On average, the height spurt in girls occurs about two years earlier than in boys, with a peak height velocity at age 12 for girls, and age 14 for boys. This may vary, depending upon the nutritional status and geographic location of the subjects.
Sexual Maturation Ratings have been recommended as a means of determining a child’s readiness to participate in certain sports, especially those involving complex skills, teamwork, and body contact.
Body composition changes markedly at puberty, as a result of rises in sex steroids secretion. Males exhibit a typical growth in muscle mass, while females show a deposition of fat in the estrogen-sensitive areas of the hips, thighs, and breasts.
Bone responds to a wide variety of growth stimulators, including growth hormone, testosterone, sulfation factor, thyroxine, parathyroid hormone, and insulin-like growth factor. Muscle lengthens in response to stretch; growth occurs in the region of the musculo-tendinous junction. The maximum potential for growth is determined genetically. However, this potential can be attained only if there is adequate nutrition, physical activity, and good general health.
Aerobic capacity (VO2 max) increases with age. However, in terms of body mass, when aerobic capacity is expressed in terms of ml/kg, maximal aerobic power does not increase, and may even decrease in the second decade, with the increase in the child’s fat mass.
Anaerobic performance in children is much lower than in adolescents and adults. This is likely due to the development of anaerobic enzyme systems, and also to poorer neuro-muscular control.
The metabolic costs of locomotion are higher in children; hence they have a lower metabolic energy reserve. This is probably due to:
- shorter stride length and faster leg turnover during running; and,
- greater co-contraction of antagonist muscles during activity.
Flexibility and relaxation training may help to reduce the energy costs of running, and improve economy.
- Aerobic capacity may improve nearly as much as in adults. This capacity may be limited by the lower hemoglobin seen in children, with consequent lower oxygen-carrying capacity.
- Anaerobic systems may not be sufficiently mature to adapt well to training, and hence may limit the ability to respond well to anaerobic activities such as the 200m and 400m dashes.
- Strength may improve relative to body size compared to older children, though absolute gains may be small. Little muscle hypertrophy occurs, due to low hormonal (testosterone) levels. Strength gains are due to improvement in a number of neurological factors, including increased neural recruitment, improved synchronisation of motor unit fibres, and better motor skills coordination.
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