Designing Junior Sport to Maximize Potential: The Knowns, Unknowns, and Paradoxes of Scaling Sport

Developing the Physical Performance in Youth Soccer: Short-Term Effect of Dynamic-Ecological versus Traditional Training Approach for Sub-Elite U13 Players-An Ecological Exploratory Cluster Randomised Trial

Currently, research in youth soccer consists of methodological choices that can raise activity volumes and exercise intensity to promote proper training for youth soccer demands. Therefore, the present cluster randomised trial aims to evaluate the effects of the dynamic-ecological approach on the physical performance parameters compared with a traditional one in a group of sub-elite U13 players. Thirty-five male children (age 12.16 ± 0.55 years; weight 45.59 ± 7.15 kg; height 145.5 ± 4.2 cm; BMI 15.8 ± 2.1 kg·m-2) were recruited for this trial from two teams belonging to sub-elite soccer schools and randomly assigned to a dynamic-ecological approach (DEA) or a traditional training (TTG) group. The training program lasted six weeks and consisted of 18 training sessions of 90 min each (3 sessions per week). The sample was evaluated by the standing long jump (SLJ), hop test (HT), 10 m sprint (10 m), 10 × 5 m shuttle run test (SRT), and leg raise test (LR). The DEA group showed significantly higher results in the SLJ (p < 0.001), HT left leg (p < 0.001), 10 m sprint (p < 0.001), and SRT (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the dynamic-ecological approach provides higher performance adaptations. Therefore, this approach can be considered a suitable method to optimise pre-pubertal player training, mainly when no fitness or strength coach is available.

Influence of Visual and Haptic Cues on Motor Learning: Insights from Tennis Skill Acquisition in Children

Underdevelopment of cognitive abilities in children, such as memory and attention, may make the use of verbal instructions difficult for learning new motor skills. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether visual and haptic cues which emphasize certain instructions facilitate skill acquisition in young tennis players. Twenty children were distributed in 2 groups: experimental (EXP) and control (CON). EXP received a racket with visual and haptic cues while CON trained with a classic racket. The task consisted of playing 30 consecutive forehands during a pretest and 16 weeks post-intervention. EXP displayed a larger improvement both in their technique (better ready position, more balls hit in front and to the side of the body) and in their performance (more points scored), highlighting the positive impact of visual and haptic cues during the early stage of motor learning.

Influence of Rule Manipulation on Technical-Tactical Actions in Young Basketball Players: A Scoping Review

The purpose of this scoping review was to analyse the effect of rules modification on technical and tactical action in young basketball. The publications search period ranged from January 2007 to December 2021. The search covered the following electronic databases: SCOPUS, SportDiscus, and the Web of Science core collection. Following this search process, 18 articles were included in the review. The following variables were analysed: characteristics of the sample, the constraints manipulated, the duration of the intervention, and the effect on technical-tactical actions. The studies reviewed modified the following constraints: (a) number of players (66.7%), (b) court dimensions (27.8%), (c) ball/player interactions (11.1%), and (d) ball/player interactions, basket height, game time and number of baskets (5.6%, respectively). The findings show that rule manipulation can increase players' participation and promote the variability of players' actions. The current evidence about rule modification in youth basketball presents areas in which more studies are needed to have a complete perspective of their impact in practice and competition through the different stages of players' development. Taking into account individual needs and developmental stages, further studies should consider different age groups (e.g., from U-10 to zU-14) and female players. Expanding scientific knowledge in this area would help coaches make short- and long-term plans in accordance with players' developmental stages.

On Learning to Anticipate in Youth Sport

Elite sport offers a suitable setting to understand the ability to anticipate future events-a phenomenon that is central to animal life. Critically, however, whilst anticipation in sport has been studied for several decades, there have been few attempts to understand its development throughout childhood and adolescence. Additionally, whilst it is widely acknowledged that the need to anticipate emerges from temporal pressure, there has been no effort to understand the nonlinear effect that temporal demands have on the development of anticipatory skill. This is important as its consequences have different implications for sports authorities compared to an individual player. To bridge the gap in our understanding, this article draws attention to the mathematical concepts of concavity and convexity to explain the nonlinear relationship between temporal demands and the development of anticipatory skill. This viewpoint has implications for the design of junior sport, including the modification of rules, which has gained worldwide interest in recent years.

The Role of Nonlinear Pedagogy in Supporting the Design of Modified Games in Junior Sports

Nonlinear Pedagogy has been advocated as an approach that views acquisition of movement skills with a strong emphasis on exploratory behaviors and the development of individualized movement skills. Underpinned by Ecological Dynamics, Nonlinear Pedagogy provides key ideas on design principles to support a teaching and learning approach that accounts for dynamic interactions among constraints in the evolution of movement behaviors. In the context of junior sports, the manipulation of task constraints is central to how games can be re-designed for children to play that are age and body appropriate so that the games can still capture the key elements of representativeness as compared to the adult form of the game. Importantly, these games offer suitable affordances that promote sensible play that could be transferable to other contexts. In this paper, we provide an in-depth discussion on how Nonlinear Pedagogy is relevant in supporting the design and development of modified games in the context of junior sports. Practical implications are also provided to share how games can be modified for meaningful play to emerge.

Fostering Holistic Development with a Designed Multisport Intervention in Physical Education: A Class-Randomized Cross-Over Trial

Physical education (PE) is acknowledged as a relevant context for holistic child and youth development promotion. However, interventional research mostly builds on individual theories focused on specific outcome domains. This study presents a multisport enriched PE intervention that capitalizes on the intersection of different theory-based approaches to motor, cognitive and socio-emotional skills development promotion. With a cross-over design, 181 fifth graders, coming from a past class-randomized trial of enriched or traditional PE in their 1st–3rd grade, were stratified (based on their previous PE experience) and class-randomized to multisport enriched PE or control group. They completed pre-post assessments in motor and sport skills, cool (inhibition, working memory) and hot (decision making) executive functions, prosocial (empathy, cooperation) and antisocial (quick-temperedness, disruptiveness) behaviors. Children in the enriched PE group showed advantages in motor and prosocial skills after the intervention, which were linked by a mediation path, and an interactive effect of past and actual PE experience on decision making but no differential effects on other variables. The results suggest that a PE intervention designed with an integrative theory base, although not allowing disentangling the contribution of individual components to its efficacy, may help pursue benefits in motor and non-motor domains relevant to whole-child development.

Scaling junior sport competition: A body-scaling approach?

The design of the junior sport competition environment plays a critical role in attracting and retaining children as life-long participants. Critically, however, the guidelines governing the design of junior sport are rarely scrutinized. With this in mind, our aim is to offer sports authorities a method to systematically assess the suitability of guidelines. The most popular junior ball sport competitions in Australia were assessed in relation to the scaling of task constraints and compared to children's corresponding physical maturation and/or performance measures. This assessment enabled the calculation of pi ratios, which were then used to categorise constraints as either (1) undersized, (2) appropriately sized or (3) oversized. Results revealed that most sports' ask children to play in oversized conditions, particularly in the under 9 to under 12 age groups and in boys' competitions. The task constraints that had the highest percentage of pi ratios appropriately sized were match duration and goal size. Comparatively, ball size and field length had the highest percentage of pi ratios classified as oversized. We contend that the systematic approach applied in this article should be used by sports authorities to understand the extent of scaling constraints in junior sport.

Effect of scaling basket height for young basketball players during the competition: seeking out positive sport experiences

Proper scaling of sports equipment is necessary to ensure an optimal teaching-learning process . This study aimed to analyse the effect of reducing basket height on the technical-tactical actions, physical participation, self-efficacy, cooperation and enjoyment of young basketball players in the competition. 51 under-14 male basketball players from four teams were chosen as the sample. The data collection included 2,286 attack phases during 12 matches. All players competed in two tournaments using official basketball rules but different basket heights (official basket height, 3.05 metres, and modified basket height, 2.80 metres). The dependent variables were: a) types of shooting actions, shot efficacy, and shooting conditions; b) the duration, type, number of passes done, and efficacy of the attack phases; c) heart rate values; and d) perception of specific and physical self-efficacy, collective efficacy, cooperation, and enjoyment. The results show that the scaled basket promoted game styles that increased the occurrence of fast-breaks and long positional attack phase. Shot efficacy for all shot types improved (not-significantly) and brought change in players' specific self-efficacy and enjoyment. These findings show that scaling equipment can help the transition from mini-basket to regular basket (under-14 age group) by generating better conditions for players' development.

Effect of Scaling Task Constraints on the Learning Processes of Under-11 Badminton Players during Match-Play

Scaling equipment and the playing space according to junior badminton players’ characteristics and needs is a key aspect to design optimal learning environments. The purpose of the study is to analyze the incidence of reducing the court size (from 13.40 m × 5.18 m to 11.88 m × 5.18 m) and net height (from 1.55 m to 1.30 m) for under-11 badminton players on the following technical and tactical variables: (a) service area; (b) stroke effectiveness; (c) kinds of technical strokes; (d) players’ hitting area; (e) shuttle landing area; (f) shuttle flight; and (g) rally length. Twenty-eight badminton players (mean age of players: 9.81 ± 0.93) were selected and played a badminton competition (B) with the current federative rules and a mini-badminton competition (MB) with the altered net height and court dimensions. The results showed that a lower net height and a shorter court would increase the frequency and variability of strokes and play patterns, introducing quantifiable changes considered beneficial for children in their first stages, both in training and competition.

Scaling the cricket pitch to fit junior players

Studies in several sports have shown the benefits of adapting the playing environment to fit junior players. Frequently the changes are pragmatic choices based on space constraints or existing line markings, or the result of simple scaling based on stature. In this study, a method of scaling the cricket pitch length is presented which is based on the age-specific size and performance of the bowlers and batters. The objective was a pitch length which enabled young bowlers to bowl good length deliveries while releasing the ball at a more downward angle, similar to elite bowlers. The steeper release angle has the benefit of reducing the sensitivity of the ball flight distance to the variability of ball release. Based on data from county standard under-10 and under-11 players a pitch length of 16.22 yards (14.83 m) was calculated, 19% shorter than previously recommended for under-11s in England. A shorter pitch also increases the temporal challenge for batters, encouraging a wider variety of shots and improved anticipation skills. Pitch lengths scaled in this way to fit the players' abilities as they develop will enable a more consistent ball release by bowlers and more consistent temporal demand for batters.