Age appropriate development is quite often reduced to just the birth year of a player. When we only assign players by their birth year we are only considering the chronological age of the player. Different ages include – chronological, biological, relative age, and training age, four variations on an individuals area of growth and maturation.
First we need to understand what is the difference between growth and maturation.
Growth is the physical and quantifiable process in development. An example being the change in height., you get physically taller and is measurable.
Maturation is the development of individual and behavioral characteristics through growth. Generally, less quantifiable and is more emotional, and intellectual, where organisms grow within structure. An example, brain development resulting with an ability to handle more complex tasks.
Playing up is often a very broad phrase we use, and the reason for doing so is quite often for the wrong reasons. Playing up an age group is not as simple as the ‘best’ player or the ‘biggest’ player moving up in to an older age group, there are considerations to be made for all pillars of the players long term development.
Technical/Tactical – a player may be technically good and capable of individually playing with older players, but are they tactically as aware as older players who have more playing experience?
Physical – a bigger player may need to be more challenged technically so needs to play with players of similar physical makeup, this will show their reliance on their size. Is this player though at a same rate of maturation as the others of similar size and body shape?
Psychological – a player who is going through their stage of Peak Height Velocity can find themselves now playing with bigger players if moved up an age group, but during this rate of growth can be going through a difficult period with their technical ability. As the body changes they need to be able to adapt to their bodies movements. The psychological damage of a lack in confidence and now not being able to compete can be very detrimental.
Social – players playing up with older players can miss out on important social interactions and can be exposed to inappropriate social environments. It is a very delicate situation when players can also miss out on necessary social experiences with other players of same chronological age, and this social development can be key to long term future of the individual in to adulthood.
The youth soccer environment is an incredibly difficult environment to be able to properly implement playing up and down for the benefit of the player, as a result of the win at all cost mentality, and tournament/league emphasis on chronological age ‘champions’. This is another example of how development and winning philosophies cannot coexist.
At Fremont YSC we will do out best to address all of these considerations through our structure and long term development model, through practice set up with club training, and the progressions through the age appropriate curriculum’s. For further information click on your age specific presentation on understanding age and player expectations –
An interesting article from Changing the Game Project – https://changingthegameproject.com/child-play-dos-donts-moving-kids-older-age-groups/?fbclid=IwAR1H0RqeGOK5BC1fP80WWim3Xwig1pwdxWy_a9qXrlcCk-dxIJ1oorIWc7c
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