“When Sir Alex was there, United set up a maturity screening programme to figure out why certain kids were getting injured through their growth spurt. “United knew they had these biases,” says Cumming. United were considered best practice, with players including Jesse Lingard and Danny Welbeck, both late maturers, benefitting from more informed biological decision-making. This is when athletes are grouped on their timeline of maturation as opposed to their chronological age. To combat bias towards early maturers, United, led by Sir Alex Ferguson, started to implement a practice that grouped children by their biological status - a process now known as bio-banding. In extreme examples, the difference can be as much as six years.Ĭumming was approached in 2015 by the Premier League (Laurie Lapworth/University of Bath) However, during the maturation phase - the progress towards adulthood - a child’s biological maturity can vary dramatically. Traditionally in team sports, young athletes are organised by year group. There are countless instances of footballers, cricketers, gymnasts and even horses being hamstrung by physical biases. Across different sports, inherent biases are being removed, improving the richness of development and ensuring precocious talents are not overlooked. ![]() ![]() He survived a coaches’ vote by three to two because medical staff flagged he was in the middle of his growth spurt.”Īs sport evolves and, in some cases, reforms, the concept of bio-banding grows in significance. Gareth Bale was close to it at Southampton. “But if you’re in the middle of your growth spurt at the point of being assessed, there’s a good chance you’ll get released. ![]() “If you are an early developer and have already gone through your growth spurt, you’re probably performing quite well,” says Dr Sean Cumming, a senior lecturer at Bath University and internationally recognised as a leading expert on growth and maturation in sports.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |