Participant development in sport and physical activity: The impact of biological maturation

Recent literature sees participation in sport and physical activity as a lifelong continuum. As a consequence, youth sport must be seen as more than just about young athletes achieving elite performance. Accordingly, there is a need to improve our understanding of development in order to help grow and maintain involvement in sport and physical activity since the spectrum of participation is linked on a bio-psycho-social perspective throughout life. Reflecting this need, the paper reviews the evidence underpinning various ‘accepted constructs’ of development such as non-linear biological growth, specialised physical development periods, and the associated acute and chronic training prescription implications. Based on such, the paper identifies a need for academics and practitioners to work more closely to establish an evidence-base related to accelerated and decelerated periods of athletic development during maturation using controlled longitudinal investigations in order to help nurture athletic development and participation pathways from a lifelong perspective to a greater extent.