Determine the goals for your athlete
Goals will differ depending on the sport and skill level of the athlete. As
a general rule, first concentrate on developing functional versatility and
increasing general motor abilities. Then you can progress to more sport-specific
skills and work on increasing strength and endurance. For example, junior high
and high school athletes should be encouraged to participate in more than one
sport. As an athlete progresses to more elite levels of skill and competition,
specifications for her particular sport should be emphasized.
Maturation rate
The conditioning program for a female athlete will depend greatly upon her
maturation rate. Therefore, this is crucial to consider when planning training.
Maturation is not delayed or speeded up by training. Instead, maturation seems
to be genetic in nature.
Biological age
It is important to recognize that all athletes will develop at different rates.
Therefore, be more aware of biological age rather than chronological age.
Biological age is characterized by factors such as skeletal, dental, and sexual
age. It is best to let a medical professional determine biological age through
an exam. However, the development of secondary sex characteristics may be an
adequate gauge of physical maturity. A less appropriate determination of
maturation is chronological age (age in years/months); however, chronological
age is more readily available and can be used as a generalization.
As maturation relates to chronological age, some generalizations can be made for females:
- Balance development happens between 9 and 10 years
- Coordinated movement choices improve between 8 to 13 years
- Reaction time has the majority of improvement between 8-10 years
- Spatial orientation improves between 12-14 years
- Aerobic fitness increases between 11-13 years
- Anaerobic (strength) increases beginning around 14-16 years (biological
indicator for anaerobic training: maximum strength development usually
occurs after peak velocity of growth in height)
Female athlete triad
This phrase refers a condition in which a female athlete is amenorrheic (does not
have regular periods), has low bone mineral density (placing her at risk for
osteoporosis), and shows evidence of disordered eating. The latter can range
from an incomplete diet to severe eating disorders.
The female athlete triad is a relatively new health condition
that has been labeled only since the early 1990s. It is a condition that is very
serious and that can lead to complications of fertility later in life. It can
also place an athlete at a greater risk for stress fractures during her
competitive years and more debilitating fractures such as hip or rib fractures later in life.