 | In case you're fretting...If a young athlete improves a little every day, eventually they will reach their full potential...and this will be between the ages of 25 and 35. They will do this by encouragement and enjoyment. Support, praise and focusing each athlete on their Personal Best (PB) is the way to assist your Athletes. In simple terms, each person's body shape set physiological limits on their capabilities. However, Parents' support is the greatest factor affecting their performance, followed by Coaching, followed by Physiology. Every Athlete will find their own level:This potential of an Athlete may be to compete at a variety of levels. all of which will greatly add to the life of the person concerned. Athletics is not football in Summer, it is there to enjoy and no Parent is pushy of yells from the side.
Try not to use the data on the Common Standards page to measure, "bash", push or drive your Athletes. It is designed to inform you about the relative standard compared to a set of Common standards. Last year, for example, the top 20/30 athletes at most events by age group exceeded the Grade 1 standard, and may have done so several times. Paradoxically, statistics followers in the sport might point out to fretful Parents and Coaches that rarely does the top twenty performer at U13 continue to be top twenty material at the adult age bands. It does happen and often, but less than it does not happen and this is because the best of U13s often include the "early physical developers". Thus, if the Athlete, Coach and Parents focus on "continuous improvement" and ensure that there is a "wrong type of pressure"-free environment in Training and Competition, then young person will achieve their Potential. The jump from top age U13s to U15s is a potentially traumatic one. Boys especially develop in this period and thus the "early developers" put in performances far above the "late developers". Whilst it all balances out by 1-18 years of age, the Pushy Parent can be the worst enemy of any young athlete. Focus on PBs and do not worry if PBs stay static for one or even 2 years. They will eventually pick back up and the young athlete will find their natural level: Club Athlete; County level; Regional level; National level or International level.
|
