Re:Why are great athletes more likely to be younger siblings?
by doublejay1999 on Saturday December 05, 2020 @03:54AM
(#25312930)
This matches my experience in junior cricket.
At early ages, up to 12 ish, those with older siblings in the sport are a year or two ahead of those that don’t.
At 13 and up it starts to even out, as individual commitment and physical gifts play more of a role.
In the past, this has meant the wrong people are placed on the development programs and a lot of talent being lost, but it’s changing now.
It’s all about retention until well into teenage years
Re:Why are great athletes more likely to be younger siblings?
by willdearden on Friday December 04, 2020 @06:05PM
(#25309522)
Were you a swimmer?
Re:Why are great athletes more likely to be younger siblings?
by RyanOD on Friday December 04, 2020 @10:34PM
(#25311477)
Correct! We played other sports, but were lucky enough to grow up in a small town with a strong swimming tradition.
However, I matured faster than my brothers and, having been able to observe them, picked up proper techniques and approaches to training earlier than they did. As a result, I broke many of their age-group records. Once I stopped growing, however, it came down to who had the most physical / mental talent (not me).
The other thing to mention is access to training. When I was in middle school, I was able to train with the high school team because my middle brother included me. I even got to go on the winter training trip to Florida with the high school team. That access to training with older kids who were bigger, faster and more mature accelerated my development both physically and mentally.