Andronikos Georgios, Elumaro Adeboye Israel, Westbury Tony, Martindale Russell J J
a School of Life, Sport and Social Sciences , Edinburgh Napier University , Edinburgh , UK.
J Sports Sci. 2016;34(12):1124-31. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2015.1093647. Epub 2015 Sep 29.
Physical and psychological differences related to birthdate amongst athletes of the same selection year have been characterised as the "relative age effects" (RAEs). RAEs have been identified in a variety of sports, both at youth and adult level, and are linked with dropout of athletes and a reduction of the talent pool. This study examined the existence, mechanisms and possible solutions to RAEs using qualitative methodology. Seven experts in the field of talent identification and development were interviewed. Inductive analysis of the data showed that, while there was mixed evidence for the existence of RAEs across sports, the eradication of RAEs was attributed to controllable features of the development environment. The factors reported included the structure of "categories" used to group athletes within the sport (e.g. age, weight, size, skills), recognition and prioritisation of long-term development over "short term win focus." Education of relevant parties (e.g. coaches, scouts, clubs) about RAEs and the nature of "talent" within a long-term context was suggested, along with careful consideration of the structure of the development environment (e.g. delayed selection, provision for late developers, focus on skills not results, use of challenge). Implications for research and practice are discussed.
同一年入选的运动员中，与出生日期相关的身体和心理差异被描述为“相对年龄效应”（RAEs）。RAEs在各种运动项目中均有发现，涵盖青少年和成人水平，且与运动员退出以及人才库缩小有关。本研究采用定性方法，探讨了RAEs的存在情况、机制及可能的解决办法。对七位人才识别与发展领域的专家进行了访谈。对数据的归纳分析表明，虽然不同运动项目中RAEs存在的证据不一，但RAEs的消除归因于发展环境的可控特征。报告的因素包括运动项目中用于对运动员进行分组的“类别”结构（如年龄、体重、体型、技能）、对长期发展而非“短期成绩至上”的认可和重视。建议对相关各方（如教练、球探、俱乐部）进行有关RAEs及长期背景下“天赋”本质的教育，同时仔细考虑发展环境的结构（如延迟选拔、为发育较晚者提供条件、注重技能而非结果、采用挑战性方式）。还讨论了对研究和实践的启示。
