Golf and the Adolescent Growth Spurt

Golf and the Adolescent Growth Spurt
EGU Athletic Development Dept
Coach and Practitioner Resource
Golf and the Adolescent Growth Spurt: Milestone or Millstone
Scenario: two coaches oversee a regional squad of teenage golfers. One phones the other.
Coach 1: “I just got off the phone to Jack’s parents. He has definitely hit his growth spurt.
Apparently he’s growing quicker than his mum can let his trousers down.”
Coach 2: “I thought so. Come to think of it he was a bit out of form last meet up.”
Coach 1: “Yeah I know and we have regional qualifiers in less than a month.”
Coach 2: “OK, we better get on it. I’ll ring our physio and get him looked at quick. Can you
swing by him and take a look at his club fitting. I’ll contact his P.E. Teacher see if he can be
excused any rough stuff. How about taking him round one of those big blow up ball things
as well… could be useful. And one of us has to ring the team manager… tell him the bad
news.”
The above scenario should not be taken too seriously… it is certainly a bit of an
exaggeration, but I am afraid similar conversations and scenarios do happen in golf and
throughout sports development. During coach education workshops and meetings I am
constantly being asked about the growth spurt topic, and much of this discussion, from both
coaches and parents, tends to be from a fearful perspective. It seems to have become a
universal worry. I hear players described as “all over the place”, “uncoordinated” and “out of
form”. In fact I mainly hear negative language about something that is utterly normal and is
part of the natural process of physical development. With this in mind I thought it relevant
that some advice and guidelines be discussed on working with the growth spurt. The
information is out there, but often the advice is somewhat vague… so in an attempt to be
more definitive we are going to deal in only Facts, Rules and What to do’s.
Fact 1:
Adolescents have been going through growth spurts since the evolutionary ascent of man.
All great sportsmen and women went through growth spurts, it didn’t stop them being great.
The growth spurt is not a medical condition or affliction.
Rule 1:
The growth spurt is inevitable, learn to work with it and not against it. It is always temporary
for both player and coach.
What to do:
Try not to use negative or pessimistic language about the growth spurt to both players or
parents. Be open about it, don’t avoid talking about it. Young athletes have no reason to be
fearful of their growth spurt, unless that opinion is re-enforced by their coaches. More good
things than bad things will come from going through the growth spurt, this is the kind of
positive language that players should be hearing.
Fact 2:
The adolescent growth spurt is a period of accelerated total body growth seen in both
sexes usually just before or during the onset of puberty. It is a process that is driven and
governed by hormones… as most parents of teenagers will appreciate. The body comes
under the influence of gonadal steroid hormones such as testosterone, androgen and
oestrogen. Also levels of the aptly named Growth Hormone will rise. The hormonal barrage
causes bone density and length changes, increases in muscle mass and density and
tendon and ligament integrity. Other noticeable structural changes are a re-apportioning of
fat distribution to those more appropriate to late adolescent and adult common body
shaping. There are also changes to bony structural shapes, ranging from a flaring/widening
of the pelvis in girls to the squaring of the jaw and forehead in boys. Of course there are
breast and gonadal organ changes. The sum of all these parts are:
A relatively rapid gain in height.
A relatively rapid gain in weight.
A re-apportioning of that weight to different body areas.
An increase in lever arms (legs and arm length).
Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 1: Infant hand showing incomplete bone structure and excessive joint spacing.
Fig 2: Adolescent hand showing complete bone structure but still note how the growth
plates at the end of the long bones are not at all fused yet.
Rule 2:
The structural changes are clear, evident and even measurable, but some of the influences
of the hormonal changes are not. In sport it is common to describe a young athletes
development as having four “pillars” that it is built upon:- the physical, the mental, the
emotional and the social. The hormones that promote growth are also associated with
secondary behavioural adaptations regarding aggression, sexuality, sleep patterning and
all the common teenage behavioural traits and mood swings associated with this time of life
Rule 2 is simple: do not add to teenage angst.
What to do:
Comment and criticize wisely as a degree of emotional sensitivity in adolescents is
expected. If a performance drop off occurs then the young players will already be aware of
this… it may not need to be highlighted. Stretching of the coach-player relationship may
occur, but that does not mean that bad or disruptive behaviour should be tolerated. If things
do get difficult for a young golfer during their growth spurt the over-riding theme in both
performance and progress will be “frustration”, but this must only ever be expected from a
player and never a coach.
Fact 3:
At what age?
The growth spurt, as its name suggests, coincides with something called peak height
velocity. If you are periodically tracking a child’s height from about 2 years onwards it is
usually a linear progression until the growth driving hormones are “unleashed”, and then a
recognisable increase in this speed of growth will be recorded. This is the period of peak
height velocity… the one time in your life when you are getting taller the fastest. Weight
increase will also follow this upward trend.
Peak Height Velocity
In general girls enter their growth spurt early in the onset of puberty at approximately 10-11
years old. They average a peak height velocity of 9cm per year and average a total gain in
height of 25cm during this pubertal growth period. Boys tend to hit their growth spurt some
2 years later, around 13 years old. They will gain height slightly faster at an average of
10.6cm per year and will average a total gain of 28 cm during their pubertal growth period.
None of the above is written in stone. Growth transitions vary in both onset and speed
across both sexes. Recent tracking of trends suggests that “western” society girls are
entering their growth spurts earlier, where as boys are not. Both early onset and late onset
should not be considered at all unusual.
14 year old gymnasts
What to do:
It can be useful to track a young players growth trends with simple height and weight
measurement performed at regular intervals. It is information that not only helps you assess
the “state of play” as regards their growth spurt onset, but it also provides information on
general physical development, dietary and weight management progress. More regular
height measurement from year 9 onwards (every 2 weeks) plotted against height/age axes
may help you recognise the PHV acceleration. Coach, parent and more importantly player
now know that the growth spurt is occurring... it can be a case of confirmation or in some
cases relief! Primarily it simply raises awareness and should not be a trigger for
interventions and assumptions. It can also help to position the young player within potential
windows of trainability (Bayli and Way 2005) which will be discussed later.
PDF’s of the most commonly used height-weight charts (US CDC format) are included with
this manual, although you may choose to plot a more regular bi-weekly version. Height
tracking downloads and apps are now freely available.
Fact 4:
What can cause problems?
Just prior to the growth spurt a young athlete is usually going through a stage of preadolescent athletic confidence. They have become thoroughly comfortable and
experienced with their pre-pubertal body and its performance capabilities. Both boys and
girls are quick, supple and agile and they have started to feed these qualities into a period
of skills development. Movement “quality” has become quite reliable and injury incidences
are low. It is a good time for both player and coach to press on... and then rapid physical
changes occur. Even though we have established that this does not have to be considered
anything other than normal, we do have to consider that not all of these changes will seem
positive at the time.
Growth of the long bones can seem rapid and appears to outstrip the necessary growth of
muscle groups and tendons. This can lead to decreased levels of flexibility often seen
around the hips and shoulder girdles, and the hamstrings/quads. Traditionally this has been
seen as a bad thing but it is more likely that this imbalance is part of the process. The
rapidly growing limbs and spine create longer lever arms that will require more muscle
effort (strength) to keep them functionally stable. Strength takes time to develop therefore a
period of temporary mechanical inflexibility can “tighten” up the body’s joint integrity and
stability until strength gains can catch up. This has a bearing on how we approach growth
spurt management… see later.
Technical movement efficiency can be impaired. Getting the right body parts in the right
place at the right time can be difficult if their size shape and muscular driving forces are out
of balance. This manifests itself in a deterioration, or more likely an “unreliability”, with coordination and timing. The young player may also find it more difficult to apportion the right
amount of force to the tasks involved… essentially they may feel or appear clumsy.
A basic fundamental such as dynamic balance may also be unreliable as the young player
comes to terms with a re-modelling of their centre of gravity, and alterations in their joint
stability.
Straight-line top speed running may not be significantly affected, but acceleration and
agility can be held back.
Struggling with a less efficient and less reliable body may lead to earlier onset of fatigue
during competition and practice.
Bone growth plates are very active, and are sometimes attributed to be the cause of
growing pains, however there is little evidence to suggest this is the case. What we do
know is that they are busy and therefore it is probably best not to distract them from their
job with excessive compression and traction forces.
Fact 5:
What can happen to the golf swing?
Primarily the young golfer is still as “technically” capable as they were pre-growth spurt but
their body mechanics are changing.
It is difficult to maintain a reliable plane, particularly if inflexibilities are restricting range.
Quality of striking may be unreliable or reduced, with both distance and distance control
being somewhat diminished.
Posture and set-up angles may be significantly compromised.
There may be lack of stance stability and swing balance.
More specific common observations are:
 Flexibility losses pushing the downswing path to the outside.
 A slowing of the hip action, with late clearance of the left side.
 A steepening of the swing plane with a tendency to narrow the action.
 Club head speed may not necessarily reduce but the altered attack angles may
significantly change a player’s characteristic ball flight.
Rule 3:
Whatever it is you are working on… keep it simple.
Now is not a time for driving forward significant technical change or development. The
player has enough to deal with in adapting to the changes listed above. Coaching is still
possible and important, but adding new technical challenges on top of dealing with physical
changes is a recipe for failure.
What to do:
For a start change absolutely nothing. Stick to your planned coaching programme for the
player. Continue session programming and group work as planned. Be fully aware of your
player’s growth spurt onset, and share this with the player as it will re-assure them. Often
this is the most important strategy in dealing with the growth spurt and in many cases it
may be the only strategy needed. There is no need to accommodate or overreact, the
player is already use to their current practice intensity and your pace of delivery and
instruction. Continuity is better than change unless the player is clearly struggling
significantly… be that technically, mentally or physically. If this becomes the case then
intervention is advised.
 Work and review areas that are already established rather than introducing new
concepts.
 For now allow them to practice their strengths rather than put any emphasis on
weaknesses.
 Decrease intensity.
 Expect any technical changes that you feel are acceptable to work on to take more
time to become established than usual with this player. If you are patient then they
are more likely to be so as well.
 Be inventive and creative with drills and games, particularly taking this emphasis into
what may become more extended periods of short game practice until things “settle”.
The growth spurt can be a tipping point in an adolescent’s interest in the game…
keep it playful, interesting and competitive.
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For now be less results and end product orientated. Competition performance may
drop off and for those who are significantly struggling, lightening the competition
time-table may be necessary.
Be open and approachable to player and parents, it may help to talk about your own
“growth spurt” experiences, and from the onset always re-assure the player that the
growth spurt is only ever temporary.
Whilst doing all of the above apply rule 4.
Rule 4:
Embrace and celebrate the growth spurt.
Players need to know that far more good things will come from going through the growth
spurt than bad things.
12 years old; 5ft 1inch tall
16 years old; 6ft 2 inches tall
What to do:
Maintain a positive attitude. Back it up with positive conversation:
“You’ve got a good little player there…”
“ Yup, just wait until they go through their growth spurt. We all better look out…”
The growth spurt and its accompanying hormonal and structural changes open up new
physical opportunities that can subsequently be taken advantage of and enhanced by
training. For a short period of time in a few cases things get out of synch, but coming out of
the other side the young player is now “good to go” with a potential set of performance
enhancements. They have stronger muscles that adapt well to training, greater structural
and skeletal integrity, body mass has leaned off, their aerobic capacity increases, they
enter a second speed and agility window, they are simply bigger and potentially more
powerful, even visual acuity and depth perception stabilises. Mental and emotional changes
see increases in rationalisation, competitiveness, aggression and realistic determination.
The machine has been optimised… and it is all free.
Whether arriving on schedule, early or late, the growth spurt can be talked of in positive
terms. This can often change a young player’s attitude towards it when it does arrive.
If it arrives early it can be seen as providing an advantage. It may fuel early game
development and provide early competition success. The player gets noticed and
establishes confidence. It cannot be reversed so player and coach have to take advantage
of it.
“If it arrives late it will be worth waiting for.” This is the best line of attack for late
developers. If they are still with you and holding their own then everyone had better watch
out because the catch up effect can be remarkably rapid.
Note: The adolescent growth spurt is not ultimately measured in the amount of height
gained! It is all relative. I am 5 feet 8 inches tall but I did go through the full growth spurt
process… it just wasn’t a big one!
Fact 6:
Peak Height Velocity offers an insight into the real time chronology of a young player’s
developmental maturity but it provides no insight at all towards their movement
competence. Sport is all about movement and we have seen how a sudden acceleration of
structural and hormonal change can sometimes adversely influence movement
competence.
Rule 5:
Always monitor movement.
If basic movement skills are being somewhat hindered then you can expect that technical
skills can also suffer. Recognising when this is the case can uncover and “explain” this
situation to player, parents and coach. It could initiate alterations in physical training
programming. Note that these should be considered as “alterations” rather than one-off
corrective interventions, as all players should already be participating in a physical training
programme that runs parallel with and compliments their technical development.
What to do:
A simple regular screening programme that looks at fundamental movement competence
and basic physical “output” tests should be standard practice.
Deep Squat at 11yrs and 16yrs
Postural Hold at 11yrs and 16yrs
Selection of pertinent and easy to interpret movements allows dysfunction to be easily
recognised:
An unstable collapsed deep squat
Destabilised shoulder blades
Lack of range and postural compensation
Depending on experience, the screening process can be coach driven or physio/trainer
supervised. Players at these ages do not generally enjoy or subscribe to medical based
“scrutinising”, however if they are actively involved, get a chance to observe each other,
and feel a part of the process they are much more likely to buy into the results and exercise
programming. This should be both a generalised and, where appropriate, an individual
specific training programme that supports where the players physical “state of play” is from
a chronological, developmental and technical perspective.
Simple output tests can also give reliable indications as towards a player’s physical
development and progress.
The 3kg medicine ball throw test at 12yrs and 16yrs
The body speed touch test at 12yrs and 16yrs
During the growth spurt it is quite common to see an agility test such as the “body speed
touch test” slow down. This should not be considered a problem at this stage, however
after exiting the growth spurt (when peak height velocity slows down) if this body speed test
remains slow then a move towards speed training techniques is indicated.
Note: this young player is being tested 4 years apart and he has clearly passed through his
growth spurt, but notice how his general movement characteristics have stayed remarkably
similar. His left arm bend technique, his right knee action, and his head/neck posture, are
distinctly similar. The test is purposefully un-coached but in this case his physical structure
has radically altered but his own authentic movement “style” has not changed.
Rule 6:
Keep training but train wisely.
Players should already have a schedule in place, and if it is a balanced and functionally
orientated programme it should already have elements that will support the young player as
they pass through the growth spurt. If this is the case then there is only a need for change if
an obvious need is identified. However there are guidelines that can be useful at this stage.
What to do
As with the technical coaching it is best to keep things simple where possible and not to
dive in with complex “corrective” exercise selections unless they are obviously indicated via
assessment or discussion with coach/parents. The player may already be struggling with a
lack of body confidence and movement competence as it is, and throwing challenging new
corrective exercise combinations at them may be counter-productive.
A common scenario heard is that as soon as the player hits their growth spurt they are
immediately prescribed “core and flexibility” exercises. However the plain fact is that they
should already be doing these anyway with purpose and progression. If a long term, but
playful and practical approach to physical preparation has been embedded from the early
years, then by this age exercise techniques, activities and games that support and facilitate
flexibility, stability, balance and body strength should be well honed. If these exercises and
activities are chosen along appropriate functional and movement competence criteria then
they should support a player’s physical development whether they are in a growth spurt or
not. To put it bluntly, a physically well-trained young player is equipped to deal with the
growth spurt much more easily than a de-conditioned and under physically “skilled” player.
Fact 6:
Exercise and sports diversity is emphasised within the accepted LTAD model.
What to do:
It may be that by the time the growth spurt arrives a young athlete is already considered as
a high performer within one sport, but it is both probable and good practice that they are
actively involved within a selection of other sports and physical activities. It must be stated
that the growth spurt can have an influence in different ways within these activities… i.e. in
terms of movement when considering inflexibility amongst dancers, divers, gymnasts etc,
or sports logistics in terms of weight categories in combat sports or rowing etc. However an
over-riding theme in terms of “dealing” with the growth spurt should be to continue to
encourage and facilitate sports diversity. It is unlikely that no single coach or even sports
medical practitioner has sole claim to be “policing” a young golfer’s growth spurt, but it is
advised that they do remain fully aware of what their young player’s non-golf sports
schedules are. This does not have to be “heavy-handed” intervention, but simply looking for
signs of over-playing/competing, over-training, un-necessary training intensity and doing
the wrong things at the wrong time… be that in their player’s golf development or within
activities outside of golf.
Specific Physical Exercise Considerations
The final section within this manual will consider some examples and guidelines of specific
exercise considerations that are pertinent to the young golfer passing through their
adolescent growth spurt.
Flexibility
 Avoid long hold, isolated static stretching techniques, particularly at onset of PHV.
 Emphasise rhythmical compound and “total-body” patterns performed in a
continuous and dynamic manner. At onset of PHV do not worry about reaching
extreme end ranges, but emphasise control through what range is comfortably
available.
 Stretch little and often rather than long sessions.
 Look for games that encourage overhead movements.
 Potentially target the hip flexors, hip external rotators and lats but still within
compound patterns where possible.
 The mantra of stretching “movements and not muscles” may be at its most pertinent
at this stage.
Integrated hip flexor and spine
Hip ext. rotators and outer chain
The lats and the whole outer chain
Maintaining basic but high quality movement patterns and shapes is essential
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As the young player matures into their growth spurt then their flexibility training can
become more focused into golf specifics, particularly looking at maintaining
compound rotation throughout the body as well as more specific rotary ability at the
thoracic spine.
On exiting the growth spurt, as PHV significantly slows, it can be a time to introduce
a more aggressive flexibility recovery strategy. Static and longer hold techniques
may now make a return and be part of the plan.
As emphasised before, the player should already be engaged in regular flexibility
training… this should just be “massaged” to fit the player’s particular growth spurt
characteristics… if any arise.
Stability
 The young players should already be engaged in regular stability training, and by
pre-adolescent years this should be dynamic in nature… if the player is showing no
signs of problems as they pass through their growth spurt then once again this is an
example of continue as scheduled.
 If you start to observe sagging and collapse in floor based exercise, or pelvic and
postural instability in dynamic stance exercises then care needs to be taken.
 The young player needs to learn how to control instability…which means that in
some ways they have to experience it. 100% positive posture may not be possible
whilst they are going through this period of adaptation.
 If the balance tips from predominantly control to predominantly “out of control” then it
is time to bring the young player “back to basics” with exercises in “safe” postures
which may be potentially floor based or supported.
Controlling a partner resistance within good posture
Controlling pelvis tilt during overhead movement
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Stability endurance is eroded during this period of physical adaptation. Classic plank
and press postures simply will not be as resilient. That does not mean that they have
to be abandoned but rather they should be adapted. Look for easier versions or
simply look for more realistic holds and reps. Do them, but only do the amount
that can be done well.
Club Strips
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Bear Crawl Ball Passes
Side Bounces
The rapidly growing athlete can sometimes feel more comfortable with stability
techniques that are more integrated, and with the feet on the ground, rather than
battling with long levers and floor based postures.
Postural control during sideways transfer options
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As the young player exits PHV then there is a temptation to quickly move into higher
intensity core strength exercises. For some this will be appropriate but it should
always be under the premise that they can show control first and then be challenged
by intensity second.
Balance
 When you are being pulled at both ends by a growth spurt and your centre of gravity
is re-locating almost daily it is not a good time to be asked to stand one legged on a
wobble cushion and juggle with one eye shut!
 Keep balance training realistic… but keep it going.
 Concentrate on controlling balance in motion and not statically.
 Repetitions and timings are not nearly as important as maintaining quality, control
and full ranges and rhythm.
 Ensure that the growing player can get to their full end range balance position, but
also recover back and under control. Modify exercises with extra support or contact.
The extra contact point at the wrists in this “follow” exercise gives the balancer confidence
Rhythmical “swinging” total body movements about a single foot stance are invaluable… they are the “fuel” for
effective balance and their ranges can be trimmed to suit the growing athletes comfort zone.
This section has presented some basic ideas on how to approach the important physical
components of flexibility, stability and balance that underpin golf development. There are
considerations in terms of strength, endurance and power that often need to be
implemented during a player’s accelerated growth period, but the fundamentals described
above play the most vital role.
More complete exercise pathways can be found within the EGU Smartpro Physical
Development: Exercises and Activities resource.
Summary
The growth spurt is not “unknown territory” but in fact it is something we have all shared,
however it can cast a shadow over a players development, and a coaches choices. Both
player and coach become unsure. Hopefully this manual has outlined that this doesn’t have
to be the case and that understanding and awareness are key.
Probably the best way to summarise this is to review the rules…
Rule 1:
The growth spurt is inevitable; learn to work with it and not against it. It is always temporary
for both player and coach.
Rule 2:
Do not add to teenage angst.
Rule 3:
Whatever it is you are working on… keep it simple.
Rule 4:
Embrace and celebrate the growth spurt.
Rule 5:
Always monitor movement.
Rule 6:
Keep training but train wisely.
Bob Wood MCSP. HPC
English Golf Union Athletic Development Dept
Further Reading
For accessible and practical information on training and coaching young athletes, and for
considering other perspectives on dealing with the issues discussed, please consider these
books.
Vern Gambetta, ISBN 0-7360-5100-7, Human Kinetics
Tudor Bompa, ISBN 0-7360-0212-X, Human Kinetics
Ian Stafford, ISBN 978-0-415-49391-8, Routledge