ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the growth and maturation characteristics of youth athletes in team games and individual sports. It uses gymnastics as a case study to explore the influence of strenuous training and competition in a highly focused sport environment on growth and maturation. Selective recruitment, early specialisation, low energy availability, dietary restriction, weight sensitivity, relative energy deficiency in sports, injury incidence and management, overtraining, non-accidental violence and safeguarding are addressed in a manner which can be rolled-out to other youth sports.
