The young athlete

Youth sports have been evolving in the last 10 years mostly thanks to the investment in talent development in many sporting organizations. It is in fact very common practice in many countries to initiate talent identification and development academies with the final goal to produce athletes capable of performing at the international level. This is happening in many sports and not only in professional team sports. Sports medicine services for such athletes are now extensively offered in some contexts; however, they may still be lacking in others. The investment in infrastructure is not often matched by investment in advancing knowledge in sports science and medicine and, therefore, it is important for practitioners to stay up to date with the key aspects of youth sports to make sure young athletes receive the appropriate level of care, are protected from unnecessary and inappropriate training practices, and are provided opportunities for healthy development and retention in sport. In this chapter, we present the recent evidence on the importance of assessing growth and maturation in young athletes and the potential to use simple modalities for assessment. By monitoring growth and maturation, coaches and practitioners can design training and competition programs that align with each athlete’s developmental stage, fostering long-term athletic development, reducing injury risk, and accurately interpreting performances within the context of maturity status. We present data on injury rates from different academies and the importance of recording injuries in youth academies to implement injury prevention strategies and adopt training modification. We also discuss the importance of tracking performance progressions to make sure there are realistic expectations for young athletes’ development and we present evidence on how specialization and maturity timing may bias selection processes. Finally, we provide some simple references to analyze fitness assessments data within the context of growth and maturation. With the evolution of sports academies, modern practitioners working with such groups need to be aware of the latest developments and work together with the coaching staff not only to safeguard health and promote performance development but also to guarantee that talented athletes can reach their full potential. Importantly, athletes who do not reach stardom should be well-equipped to continue their journey in sport and physical activity at any level.