GP Junior (Jul-Aug 19) Junior (July-Aug 19) | Page 19

Instruction
This would help junior golfers then they
will play golf for a long time.
The second topic I want to talk about
is that children and adolescents of the
same age may experience a difference
in physical development of up to fi ve
years.
Biological / Developmental
Age Basics
As all parents with multiple children
will confi rm, kids never develop at the
same rate. We try to break the nature
of simply teaching all kids of the same
chronological age the same way.
Chronological Age: The number of
years and days since the child was born.
This can be calculated with the help of
a calendar.
Developmental Age: The degree
of physical, mental, cognitive and
emotional maturity of the child cannot
be measured with a calendar. To truly
measure a child’s developmental
age, you have to look at skeletal
development, sexual development,
growth velocity, functional movement
patterns, fundamental movement skills
and sport skills assessments.
Growth: Increases in a child’s height,
body weight, body fat, limb length
Maturation: Process in which
the child’s body changes to become
progressively more like an adult. The
body doesn’t need to have signs of
growth to mature. It is important for the
parents and also the coaches to know the
child’s developmental age and level of
maturity. That knowledge allows us to
prescribe developmentally appropriate
skills and exercises to let the child enjoy
the game more and excel faster. We try
to divide players into three buckets:
> Early Maturers: These are 8-year-
olds who act and perform like a 10 year
old
> Normal Maturers: These are 8 years-
olds who act and perform like a 8 year
old
> Late Maturers: These are 8-year-olds
who act and perform like a 5 year old
Children can be as much as fi ve years
apart developmentally but placed into the
same golf program or golf tournament
because of chronological age.
Martin Rentenberger, a PGA Professional for 19 years from Austria.
In 2010, I started to specialise on Kids/Junior Golf and also on Elite Junior Golf.
GolfPlus Junior July-August 2019
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