ATHLETES who are encouraged to specialise in events at a young age ultimately have no advantage over those who focus on building particular sports skills later in life, reports a study published in Perspectives on Psychological Science.
Brooke Macnamara, assistant professor of psychological sciences at Case Western Reserve University and lead author of the study, showed that repeated practice accounts for just 1% of the difference in performances – and starting at an early age does not necessarily provide athletes with an upper hand.