Talent Selection Based on Sport-Specific Tasks Is Affected by the Relative Age Effects among Adolescent Handball Players

Talent selection is often affected by the relative age effects (RAEs), resulting in the overrepresentation of relatively older (vs. relatively younger) players among those selected. The use of sport-specific tasks is suggested to reduce RAEs during talent selection. Purpose: To test the hypothesis t...

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Autores principales:	Zsófia Tróznai, Katinka Utczás, Júlia Pápai, Zalán Négele, István Juhász, Tamás Szabó, Leonidas Petridis
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	youth sport birth asymmetry maturity adolescence Medicine R
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/3014c30f78574b65b0a1885fc10e9dfb
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:3014c30f78574b65b0a1885fc10e9dfb2021-11-11T16:31:49ZTalent Selection Based on Sport-Specific Tasks Is Affected by the Relative Age Effects among Adolescent Handball Players10.3390/ijerph1821114181660-46011661-7827https://doaj.org/article/3014c30f78574b65b0a1885fc10e9dfb2021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11418https://doaj.org/toc/1661-7827https://doaj.org/toc/1660-4601Talent selection is often affected by the relative age effects (RAEs), resulting in the overrepresentation of relatively older (vs. relatively younger) players among those selected. The use of sport-specific tasks is suggested to reduce RAEs during talent selection. Purpose: To test the hypothesis that talent selection including only sport-specific tasks is not affected by the RAEs and to analyse the body size and biological maturity of the top selection level according to relative age. Methods: Participants were U14 female (<i>n</i> = 5428) and U15 (<i>n</i> = 4408) male handball players participating in four programs consisting of four selection levels (local, county, regional, and national) grouped in bi-annual age. Handball-specific generic skills, position-specific technical drills and in-game performance were the selection criteria evaluated by experts and coaches. Body dimensions were measured and bone age, as an indicator of maturity, was estimated. The relative age quartile distributions within the bi-annual cohorts were examined using Chi-square and Odds Ratios. Results: In terms of all the registered players no RAEs were evident. However, the RAEs of moderate effect size were evident at the county level; <i>χ</i><sup>2</sup> = 53.2 (girls) and 66.4 (boys), OR = 2.5 and 3.3, respectively. The RAEs of a large effect size were found at the regional level; <i>χ</i><sup>2</sup> = 139.5 (girls) and 144.9 (boys), OR = 8.2 and 5.2, respectively. At national level, RAEs were still present, but with no further increase in the effect size. At the highest selection level, there were no differences in the anthropometric measures between the relatively older and younger players. Conclusion: The findings provide support to the hypothesis that the selection process exacerbates RAEs even when using only sport-specific selection criteria. The performance metrics in technical skills, but also coaching assessments are likely involved. In addition, an advanced maturity and/or an above-average body size increases the selection odds for relatively younger players.Zsófia TróznaiKatinka UtczásJúlia PápaiZalán NégeleIstván JuhászTamás SzabóLeonidas PetridisMDPI AGarticleyouth sportbirth asymmetrymaturityadolescenceMedicineRENInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 18, Iss 11418, p 11418 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	youth sport birth asymmetry maturity adolescence Medicine R
spellingShingle	youth sport birth asymmetry maturity adolescence Medicine R Zsófia Tróznai Katinka Utczás Júlia Pápai Zalán Négele István Juhász Tamás Szabó Leonidas Petridis Talent Selection Based on Sport-Specific Tasks Is Affected by the Relative Age Effects among Adolescent Handball Players
description	Talent selection is often affected by the relative age effects (RAEs), resulting in the overrepresentation of relatively older (vs. relatively younger) players among those selected. The use of sport-specific tasks is suggested to reduce RAEs during talent selection. Purpose: To test the hypothesis that talent selection including only sport-specific tasks is not affected by the RAEs and to analyse the body size and biological maturity of the top selection level according to relative age. Methods: Participants were U14 female (<i>n</i> = 5428) and U15 (<i>n</i> = 4408) male handball players participating in four programs consisting of four selection levels (local, county, regional, and national) grouped in bi-annual age. Handball-specific generic skills, position-specific technical drills and in-game performance were the selection criteria evaluated by experts and coaches. Body dimensions were measured and bone age, as an indicator of maturity, was estimated. The relative age quartile distributions within the bi-annual cohorts were examined using Chi-square and Odds Ratios. Results: In terms of all the registered players no RAEs were evident. However, the RAEs of moderate effect size were evident at the county level; <i>χ</i><sup>2</sup> = 53.2 (girls) and 66.4 (boys), OR = 2.5 and 3.3, respectively. The RAEs of a large effect size were found at the regional level; <i>χ</i><sup>2</sup> = 139.5 (girls) and 144.9 (boys), OR = 8.2 and 5.2, respectively. At national level, RAEs were still present, but with no further increase in the effect size. At the highest selection level, there were no differences in the anthropometric measures between the relatively older and younger players. Conclusion: The findings provide support to the hypothesis that the selection process exacerbates RAEs even when using only sport-specific selection criteria. The performance metrics in technical skills, but also coaching assessments are likely involved. In addition, an advanced maturity and/or an above-average body size increases the selection odds for relatively younger players.
format	article
author	Zsófia Tróznai Katinka Utczás Júlia Pápai Zalán Négele István Juhász Tamás Szabó Leonidas Petridis
author_facet	Zsófia Tróznai Katinka Utczás Júlia Pápai Zalán Négele István Juhász Tamás Szabó Leonidas Petridis
author_sort	Zsófia Tróznai
title	Talent Selection Based on Sport-Specific Tasks Is Affected by the Relative Age Effects among Adolescent Handball Players
title_short	Talent Selection Based on Sport-Specific Tasks Is Affected by the Relative Age Effects among Adolescent Handball Players
title_full	Talent Selection Based on Sport-Specific Tasks Is Affected by the Relative Age Effects among Adolescent Handball Players
title_fullStr	Talent Selection Based on Sport-Specific Tasks Is Affected by the Relative Age Effects among Adolescent Handball Players
title_full_unstemmed	Talent Selection Based on Sport-Specific Tasks Is Affected by the Relative Age Effects among Adolescent Handball Players
title_sort	talent selection based on sport-specific tasks is affected by the relative age effects among adolescent handball players
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/3014c30f78574b65b0a1885fc10e9dfb
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Talent Selection Based on Sport-Specific Tasks Is Affected by the Relative Age Effects among Adolescent Handball Players

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