Newswise — "The difficulties faced by children who develop slower than their peers may provide them with advantages as they age. They may grow up to be better soccer players," posits Dr. Yuval Chiger in his doctoral thesis in the field of education. Dr. Chiger has worked with talented, young soccer, basketball and tennis players for a number of years. His research followed the development of 301 young soccer players and found that the difficulties of the children who develop at a slower pace provide them with an advantage later on.
"Parents and coaches can help improve the self-image of adolescents who physically develop later than their peers. They should not be sent home; they need to be nurtured and offered a blanket of support. It is these youngsters that may turn out to be the best soccer players," Dr. Chiger stated. "During adolescence, there are biological developmental gaps. There are youngsters that develop early and those whose physical development begins relatively late. I originally speculated that those children who developed more slowly would have disadvantages and difficulties with sports. I never imagined how these difficulties would actually benefit them in the long run."
Dr. Chiger found that children who developed more slowly had a tendency to drop out of sports at the beginning of adolescent development, regardless of their talent. The research found that coaches were often responsible for children leaving organized sports; they preferred to nurture children who were perceived as stronger, meaning those who developed earlier and faster.
Dr. Chiger's research stressed that children who develop earlier may have a physical advantage, but the gap closes as the peer group develops. Early developers do not acquire the same coping mechanisms as their smaller peers. "The children who developed later and continued with physical activities were actually the ones who stayed with sports longer, having enhanced the cognitive abilities unique to sports. They developed psychological capabilities that gave them tremendous advantage in competing for excellence," continued Dr. Chiger. "At age 18 they can integrate their talent, their physical abilities, and their mental strength. At a relatively young age, they have experience coping with difficulties that gives them an advantage over children who developed more quickly," he noted. Dr. Chiger stressed that experiencing a period of difficulty in life was to his subjects' advantage and further proposed that this formula be used to bring about excellence.
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