ABSTRACT
The Athletic Skills Model (ASM) originated from a belief in a philosophy, encompassing the idea that children can become multilateral movers by offering them varied and development-appropriate challenges on physical and psychosocial levels. Due to reduced physical education at school, children have limited motor development. The emphasis on early specialization has become the norm, with children being encouraged to participate in only one sport in order to reach a high performance level in that particular sport later in life. Until a few years ago, children were exposed to varied movement patterns through gymnastics classes at school. In a study of Olympic athletes, researchers looked for trends in the development from child to Olympic athlete. Many young athletes quit before they have reached physiological and psychological adulthood, with the result that they will never show their full potential. However, Tudor O. Bompa argues that multilateral development is/was considered normal in countries from the former Eastern Bloc.
