High performance sports in young people

When should a young athlete begin high performance in a specific sport?

There is no doubt that it is essential to maximize healthy physical activities in adolescents and pre-adolescents, however there is much controversy as to when, how and why a young athlete should become a high-performance athlete.

Some studies have suggested that late inclusion in a particular sport is defined as older than 12 years and results in better athletic performance.

There is some scientific evidence that starting a specific sport at an early age is a risk factor for suffering injuries.

It seems that starting high performance in a specific sport at an early age has advantages, however some data suggests that it does not lead to having any advantage in competition over athletes who participate in multiple sports. There is even limited data that this high performance in a specific sport could lead to a risk of overload and injury.

Nowadays, extreme physical inactivity is winning the battle over physical activity in terms of sports. We have that the first ones lead to early onset of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia that in the future will lead to heart disease and other diseases. There is no doubt that it is essential to maximize healthy physical activities in adolescents and pre-adolescents, however there is much controversy as to when, how and why a young athlete should become a specialized athlete.

What some of the studies say:

• Swimmers who began high performance before the age of 11 spent less time on a national team and retired early compared to those who began high performance in later years.

• High-performance players started training intensely and focusing on a single sport later compared to non-high-performance players.

• High performance athletes generally began training after the age of 12 and in more than one sport.

• High-performance athletes had fewer hours of training in their youth than non-high-performance athletes, because they started at an early age (9-15 years).

• Elite athletes started their sport later than those who did not become elite.

In the last 20 years there has been a shift in emphasis from sport as recreation to acquiring a high level of high performance in a single particular sport. The cause is multifactorial. Multiple studies suggest that the coach has the greatest influence on whether a young person focuses on a single sport. Some studies have suggested that late inclusion in a particular sport is defined as older than age 12 and results in better athletic outcomes. In 1,500 German Olympic athletes, it was observed that they started late and after the age of 11 continued practicing more than 1 sport. The authors report that at early ages 9, 12 and 15 years old, high performance athletes have spent less time than non-high performance athletes training at this level; however, at the age of 21 they have accumulated more time than non-high performance athletes. performance.

Sports injuries due to over-physical activity in young athletes are related to musculoskeletal and physiological immaturity. Since the ligaments and bones are not fully developed, they become injured by repetitive trauma. There is some scientific evidence that starting a specific sport at an early age is a risk factor for suffering injuries. Given the little scientific evidence, each federation must be responsible for setting the rules for its players and their leagues in order to avoid injuries. High levels of training for a specific sport do not increase performance and can put the young athlete at risk of injury. The majority of injuries that occur in athletes who started in a specific sport at an early age that are due to physical activity, conservative management is the best treatment. Firstly, it includes periods of complete rest of the injured area, physical therapy, evaluation of his biomechanics, and reduction in his participation, with particular attention to following a guideline for when he reaches a competition again.