Abstract
Maturation-related changes in body dimensions and performance can lead to physical mismatches and drop out from youth sport. Here, we propose a new method termed ‘discreet performance banding’ (DPB). We aimed to determine if dividing youths by actual physical performance of a discreet skill or ability (‘change or direction’ [COD] ability) could discriminate between the most and least skilled players better than a marker of implied performance, such as an assessment of biological maturation. 182 male academy Spanish soccer players (age: 13-18 years height: 143 to 188 cm; mass: 32.3 to 81.4 kg) were divided into maturation groups (Tanner stages 2 through 5) and COD groups (‘fast’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘slow’). Players’ skills (passing, shooting, ball control) were evaluated on a six-point scale with a value of ‘1’ considered ‘very bad’ and a value of ‘6’ as ‘very good’. When divided by maturity status, analyses revealed no significant differences between groups in soccer skill. However, when divided into COD groups, the analyses revealed significant differences between the fast and intermediate players ([p < 0.001] favouring the fast group) and between the intermediate and slow players ([p < 0.026] favouring the slow group). There was no significant difference in skill between the fast and slow groups, though the fast group demonstrated a higher skill level as indicated by a small effect size. Fast players were more skilful than both the intermediate and slower players, indicating that COD status can be a differentiating factor between players of different skill levels. DPB could be used to equalise competition in youth sport and to enhance the overall level of enjoyment that youths derive from engagement in sport.
Highlights
In youth sport, the transition from adolescence to adulthood can be difficult with substantial bodily change, such as growth in stature [1] and increases in lean mass [2], resulting in potential increases and decreases in physical performance at specific junctures throughout the developmental years [1,3,4,5]
When the sample was divided into maturity groups, there was no significant differences between these groups in soccer skill
There was no significant difference in skill between the fast and slow groups, though the fast group demonstrated a higher skill level as indicated by a small effect size
Summary
The transition from adolescence to adulthood can be difficult with substantial bodily change, such as growth in stature [1] and increases in lean mass [2], resulting in potential increases and decreases in physical performance at specific junctures throughout the developmental years [1,3,4,5]. Through positive experiences in sport [7,8] Concepts such as ‘competitive engineering’ involve the manipulation of game rules to underpin motivation and engagement whilst helping to ensure that sporting activity is developmentally appropriate [7]. Another emerging method of fostering competitive equity in youth sport is the practice of bio-banding which involves the allocation of youth athletes to groups based on their level of biological maturation and physical development [8] or, their relative age within a given year group in sport [9]. Such a practice is considered appropriate given the well-documented mismatches in body size that can occur in youth sport [10] and their resultant implications which can include physical injury [11], drop out [12] from sport, greater difficulty in achieving selection to talent pathways [13] and the negative misjudgement of one’s own personal skill level [14]
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