Why Growth Spurts Confuse Coaches – And What to Do About It

If you’re a coach or PE teacher, this situation is all too familiar. But how we respond to it can make or break an athlete’s confidence, development, and future potential.

In this episode, I’m joined by Jamie Salter, a researcher and educator in youth athletic development, to explore how growth and maturation affect performance, movement, and talent identification—and what you as a coach can do about it.

Whether you’re in the grassroots, academy, or school setting, this episode will help you support athletes physically, emotionally, and developmentally—especially during their most vulnerable phase.

🧠 What You’ll Learn

✅ How growth spurts impact coordination, performance & injury risk

✅ The signs of adolescent awkwardness (and how to coach through it)

✅ Why late developers get missed—and early developers often get overrated

✅ What coaches can do when performance dips during physical changes

✅ How tools like Maturity Monitor can help you coach smarter

✅ Tips for coaches to navigate maturation when identifying talent.

✅ Practical strategies for coaches working with mixed-maturity groups

0:00 – Intro & Jamie’s background

2:00 – What maturation really means for athletes

6:00 – Signs of growth spurts that coaches often miss

9:30 – Communication gaps between coaches, athletes, and parents

12:45 – Growth vs performance: selection bias explained

17:00 – “Adolescent awkwardness”: how it shows up in sport

21:00 – Coaching adjustments during physical development

24:00 – Late bloomers: how to spot and support them

28:00 – Using bio-banding and maturity scores practically

33:00 – Avoiding burnout and early specialization

36:00 – Simple solutions for grassroots coaches with limited resources

40:00 – Why female athletes need tailored support

41:30 – Final takeaways & where to connect with Jamie

Follow Jamie on Twitter or on LinkedIn

👍 Like this episode? Hit the thumbs up and subscribe for more content on athlete development.

💬 Comment below: Have you supported an athlete through a growth spurt? What did you learn?

📲 Check out the Maturity Monitor app on your App Store for simple growth tracking.

#YouthAthletes #TalentID #GrowthSpurts #AthleteDevelopment #PETeachers #YouthSports #StrengthAndConditioning #CoachEducation #EarlySpecialisation #FemaleAthletes #SportsScience

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices