Champions as early as musicians or mathematicians: The adaptation of the nervous system to the technique is key in childhood

The precocity appears in Tokyo, adolescents and golden children. He does it abruptly in the Skate, with a 13-year-old champion in a sport that reaches the Oly

Champions as early as musicians or mathematicians: The adaptation of the nervous system to the technique is key in childhood

The precocity appears in Tokyo, adolescents and golden children. He does it abruptly in the Skate, with a 13-year-old champion in a sport that reaches the Olympic program from a mostly childhood practice. The podium, two of 13 and one of 16, was like recreation. But she also returns with great protagonism in swimming, where she has not done more than start, football or combat sports, who have one of his examples in the first Spanish medalist, Adriana Cherry, Bronze in Taekwondo at 17 . It is timely, then, to ask the reasons.

There is a parallel between Momiji Nishiya, champion of Skate in Tokyo, and the one that advances him in precocity in the Olympic History only by 66 days, Marjorie Gestring, Gold in Jump of Trampoline in Berlin 1936. According to Rafael Martín Steel, former trainer of athletics And president of the Spanish Sports Science Association, "its evidence has a large component of technical skill and, in addition, it is very unprofessional specialties." "As money arrives, sponsors, something that will happen in the skateboard, the age of the participants and champions will ascend," he adds.

Sports more related to skill are, in the opinion of the technician, those who can favor precocity. The reason is that for its development, the technique must be acquired early and this favors the appearance of talents before the provisions of: "are the cases of some footballer, of swimmers, for having to adapt very soon their skills to a medium Not own human life, fast hit fighters and in combats of not a lot of duration or gymnasts ". Spain has two good examples in Tokyo: Pedri, 18,, a player of the selection named and better young man from the past Eurocopa, and the aforementioned Adriana Cerezo, in Taekwondo.

"In this type of sports - Martín Steel - the early specialization benefits the adaptation of the nervous system to the necessary technique, as is the case with the precocity of musical, polyglot or mathematic instruments".

While gymnastics limited precocity to avoid child abuse in training methods, with a 16-year-old age imposed by the International Federation, swimming is, among the Star Sports of the Games, which traditionally brings greater Medalists before the age of majority. The United States, who has taken Tokyo a team of 52 swimmers, has between them with 11 adolescents, that is, below 18 years.

One of them is Katie Grimes. At 15, she is one of the rivals of the Great Katie Ledecky in 800. Interestingly, Ledecky was 15 years old when she won in London. In the first final she played and lost, this Monday, the North American swimmer, the free 400, the Canadian Summer McIntosh, 14, arrived in fourth position. A feat in the final, until now, of higher level. In the Aquatic Center we have also seen the surprising gold of Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui, 18, in the same test but male.

For Martín Steel, however, the appearances of Grimes or McIntosh and Hafnaoui do not obey the same reasons, since in the United States and Canada there is "a critical mass of practitioners, as well as technical experience in swimming, not comparable to that of Tunisia, where we find a very unique case ". "With Grimes or other Americans," he adds the same as with sprinkles in Jamaica or boxers in Cuba. "

For the Spanish Sports Science Technician and Specialist it is not easy for us to observe a transfection of the Pool's precocity to the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, when athletic competitions begin, at the end of this week: "In the specialties that require carrying At the end, physical capabilities, such as strength or resistance, is very difficult and occasional that early success occurs without risking the improvement ceiling at risk. " "The same will happen - he continued- in specialties where the aerobic and anaerobic resistance is a limiting factor. In these sports we could say that an undesirable premature specialization is produced."

The data from athletics guarantee the explanations of Martín Steel: only 17% of men and 21% of women classified among the top 50 in speed tests with less than 18 years ago reproduced it as Seniors, according to the latter studies. Between the jumpers, 8% and 16%; Among the pitchers, 6% and 16%. The technique, related to skill, is, then, more precocious than strength and resistance.

Date Of Update: 26 July 2021, 20:35