Relative Age Effect in 14- to 18-Year-Old Athletes and Their Initial Approach to This Effect-Has Anything Changed Over the Past 10 Years

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4698588
AutoresRonnie Lidor (Academic College at Wingate), Zohar Maayan (0000-0002-9943-7768, Academic College at Wingate), Michal Arnon (Academic College at Wingate)
Año2021
Volumen3
Páginas622120-622120
Fecha de publicación2021-03-23
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaFrontiers in Sports and Active Living (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2624-9367 • E-ISSN: 2624-9367
EditorialFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fspor.2021.622120
PMID33834164
OpenAlexW3138978101
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas7
Referencias citadas25

One of the environmental variables associated with early talent development and the achievement of a high level of proficiency in sport is the relative age effect (RAE). The purpose of our study was threefold: (a) to calculate the RAE in young Israeli athletes (ages 14-18 years); (b) to examine how the athletes perceived this effect, if the effect indeed exists; and (c) to compare the RAE findings of this study with those of two previous studies on elite male (Lidor et al., 2010) and female (Lidor et al., 2014) Israeli ballplayers. Participants in the current study were 1,397 athletes (390 females and 1,007 males) who competed in five individual (gymnastics, judo, swimming, tennis, and track and field) and five team (basketball, soccer, team handball, volleyball, and water polo) sports. Data on the RAE, as well as on a number of aspects associated with this effect as perceived by the athletes, were collected via two closed questions. Data analyses showed that the RAE was found to be significant among the male athletes in four sports-swimming, basketball, soccer, and team handball; those who were born early in the year had a higher representation in these sport programs. However, this effect was not found to be significant in the female athletes. Most of the female and male athletes did not think that their birth date influenced their athletic success. However, a large portion of those who were born in the first quarter of the year (Q1) and the second quarter of the year (Q2) among the male athletes felt that they exhibited stronger abilities in the sports program compared to their peers who were born in the third and fourth quarters of the year (Q3 and Q4, respectively). The data of the current study provide additional support for the use of an "open door" approach to accepting children to sport programs by policymakers and coaches in Israel

Athletes · Basketball · Elite · Elite Athletes · Geography · Physical therapy · Political science · Quarter (Canadian coin · Team sport · Track and field athletics · Demography · Medicine · Psychology · Sport Psychology and Performance · Sports injuries and prevention · Sports Performance and Training