Why You Should Evaluate Movement in Junior Athletes

Tue May 17, 2016 by Dr. Greg Rose

 

During the developmental years, kids go through so many changes it's hard to make sense of what movements or changes are normal and which ones are not.  In this 2014 FMS Summit keynote, Dr. Rose shares the importance of evaluating fundamental movement skills such as locomotion, stability, manipulation and awareness for long-term athletic development.

Here's an outline of the presentation:

• Why it’s important to screen juniors (1:00)
• Movement, brain development and learning disabilities (2:29)
• Myelination and brain development (4:22)
• A warning to coaches, parents and kids (7:45)
• Important movement skills for kids to develop (9:34)
• Early bloomers vs. late bloomers (20:55)
• Specialization in youth sports (33:52)
• Adam Scott quote about playing multiple sports (39:18)
• Chronological age vs. Developmental age (44:12)
• Relative Age effect and the case for developmental age based programs (44:54)
• How to measure developmental age (51:45)

Here are some highlight quotes from Dr. Rose:

• Regarding the important of screening kids early: “You know the best way to not be screwed up as an adult?  Don't get screwed up in the first place.” (1:00)
• How movement exploration precedes learning development: “Movement controls brain development.” (2:55)
• UCLA researchers in reference to myelination: “Those that are used and reinforced--the pathways involved in language, for example—will be strengthened, while the ones that aren’t used will die out.” (7:09)
• “Fundamental movement skills are kind of like the building blocks of movement and athleticism.” (10:32)
• “Lack of fundamental skills will prevent you from accelerating in your sport, your life or your movement.” (13:13)
• Mobility training for kids: “When you’re growing fast, that’s when you should work on mobility. If you don’t work on mobility during the growth spurts, they will never be as flexible as they should be…ever.” (33:42)
• Athlete first approach: “In late specialization sports like golf, baseball and everything else, you should turn them into an athlete first, and then the specific sport later. Those are the ones that win the gold medal.” (36:12)

(RELATED ARTICLE: An Overview of TPI's Junior Golf Screen from February 2013)

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