Peak high velocity (PHV) is the maximum rate of growth in stature during the adolescence. This typically occurs at 13.7 years in boys and 12.1 years in girls, which varies from every individual by 2 years before or after. In young athlete substantial increase in training load will occur during pubertal years. During PHV there will be changes in joint stiffness and temporary variation in bone density. It is also linked to temporal skeletal fragility and acute fracture incidence. There will also be imbalance between strength and flexibility, different growth rates of trunk and limbs compared to muscle size which may lead to improper movement mechanics and decreased motor control 1. During this growth period it is very important to monitor athletes for injury incidence concurrently maximizing athlete potential so that peak performance can be achieved, which is also referred as window of opportunity.
It is a common practice to prefer players who are big in stature during talent identification. Research states that adolescent soccer players are more maturated physically compared to general population of that age. Even though soccer players mature faster due to varied time of PHV, players in the same age group will have different growth rate and tolerance to training loads. Although this may be considered as an added advantage for participation at competitive level, studies on youth soccer players often found them to be more prone to overuse injuries due to increased stress on muscle-tendon junctions, ligaments and growth cartilage during maturing age 1. When crucial training factors are not considered during this phase there are more chances of overuse injuries which may hinder the overall development of the athlete. Coaching and training staff of youth teams needs to understand and observe every athlete intricately to overcome this challenge.
At the age of 11-17, the training that an athlete undergoes is very crucial. There are lot of physiological as well as psychological stress of making it to the professional level. We know that different athletes go through maturation at different ages. Common indicators of maturation are skeletal structure, secondary sex characteristics and height attained. These are easy to monitor and takes minimum time and effort. Players maturing late are often at higher risks of injury due to factors such as varied perceived training load and physiological characteristics. The coach and the athlete need to be aware of changes in body characteristics and performance levels which should be recorded in regular intervals either weekly or monthly. Sudden changes in training could lead to overuse injuries whereas lack of timed progressions may lead to under-development and eventually inability to compete at higher levels. In speed and power sports, early maturing players can be at an advantage and for endurance related sports late maturing players can be at favor 3. Adjusting the training according to the individual by finding out the strong and weak areas, managing training loads, proper nutrition and education for overall development will help an athlete to reach maximum potential. Using windows of opportunity as defined in Long Term Athletic Development, individualization of the program based on maturity status, sex, training status and holistic development should be the pillars of coaching during and around PHV 4.
References
1. van der Sluis, A. et al. Sport injuries aligned to Peak Height Velocity in talented pubertal soccer players. Int J Sports Med 35, 351–355 (2014).
2. van der Sluis, A., Elferink-Gemser, M. T., Brink, M. S. & Visscher, C. Importance of peak height velocity timing in terms of injuries in talented soccer players. Int J Sports Med 36, 327–332 (2015).
3. YOUTH ATHLETICS.
4. The_Youth_Physical_Development_Model__A_New.8.
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