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Since we introduced our British Association of Sport & Exercise Science (BASES) accredited course; Certificate in Growth & Maturation For Youth Athletes we have had a phenomenal response and people signing up from all over the World. We have also had a high volume of messages enquiring about bio-banding; what it is? why it would be used? How and when to implement it? Therefore, we have decided to offer Module 4 – Bio-Banding – Training, Testing and Competition, as a stand alone CPD for anyone who doesn’t need the full course but is keen to learn more about bio-banding. For the full BASES accredited course please click here for more info.

When working in or aspiring to work within a youth athletic environment; it is essential to have an in depth knowledge and understanding of Growth & Maturation and the impacts it may have on each individual athlete. Research and practice have shown the many different ways children are effected by the changes the body goes through during early life, including biological and physiological adaptation which impacts the way each individual develops over time. These changes have far reaching implications and it is the role of top class practitioners across disciplines to provide youth athletes with the best service possible with these aspects at the forefront of their mind and built into their philosophy. The Continued Professional Development (CPD) has been put together by some of the best academic researchers and applied practitioners working in this area and identifies a key aspect that anyone working with youth athletes should be skilled in – bio-banding. From Sport Science and S&C; medical, coaching, analysis and talent ID perspectives everyone has a role to play in the implementation of a development strategy including bio-banding to enhance the experience and development of our next generation of athletes. This online CPD will ensure you have extensive knowledge of these concepts while giving you the tools to apply the knowledge in your current or future working environment.

Explore inside · The ADP learning preview

Same age. Different developmental challenges.

Explore a short example of the decisions behind bio-banding. Start with the learning aim, review the maturity information and consider the people involved.

Sample case · fictional players

Two players in the same U14 team

Alex · 13 years 7 months

The club’s provisional estimate suggests Alex is further through maturation. Alex often wins physical duels and has fewer opportunities to solve problems under physical pressure.

Sam · 13 years 7 months

The club’s provisional estimate suggests Sam is less advanced in maturation. Sam sees passing options early but receives fewer meaningful touches when physical contests dominate.

The club is considering a supervised maturity-matched session alongside age-group football. Neither player has yet been asked how they feel about it, and the maturity estimates need a quality check.

Your decision: What would you check before grouping the players, and what would make the session worthwhile for each?

Try a knowledge check

Which approach is most appropriate?

  1. Use the maturity estimate alone to make a permanent grouping decision.
  2. Check measurement quality and uncertainty, explain the purpose, consider age, size, skill and welfare, then evaluate a short trial against individual learning aims.
  3. Treat the new groups as a ranking of talent and future potential.
Reveal the answer and reasoning

B. Maturity information helps inform the environment; it does not replace judgement about the individual. Review the data and uncertainty, speak with players and parents/carers, and consider the actual demands and social context of the proposed group.

Alex might gain more practice solving pressure, while Sam might gain more opportunities to receive and make decisions. These are hypotheses to evaluate through observation and player feedback. Bio-banding is not a talent verdict, and one session cannot establish long-term benefit.

Explore the topic in greater depth

Understand the rationale

Learn why maturity grouping is considered in training, testing and competition.

Connect research and practice

Explore research reports and insights from applied practitioners.

Consider your environment

Reflect on how implementation choices would translate to the athletes and staff you support.

This is a shortened fictional teaching example for prospective learners. The standalone CPD focuses on the bio-banding topic from the Growth & Maturation certificate.

Who is the course for?

Anyone working or aspiring to work in a performance support role with Youth Athletes in any Sport. See recommendations below:

•Sport Scientists and S&C coaches

•Medical practitioners – Doctors; Physiotherapists, Sports Therapists

•Sports Coaches who hold high level technical coaching courses e.g. in Football The FA Youth Advanced award or UEFA B with aspiration of gaining FA Youth Advanced Award.

•Students enrolled on Degree level programmes in any of the above disciplines.

•Academics and Researchers wanting to expand their knowledge of bio-banding, its implications for development and implementation strategies.

About Ben Bradley MSc, ASCC – Coordinator of Performance & Medicine at a Professional Football Club

Ben Bradley is the founder and owner of The Athlete Development Project, and the architect of The Certificate in Growth & Maturation for Youth Athletes. He has an undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Science, an MSc in Applied Sport Science and is an accredited Strength & Conditioning coach. Ben has worked as a Sport Scientist, S&C coach and Performance & Medicine leader in professional sport since 2012. Ben is currently the Coordinator of Performance & Medicine at AFC Bournemouth having previously been Head of Academy Performance & Medicine at the same club for over a decade.

About Dr Will Abbott – Director of Performance Services at a Professional Football club.

Dr. Will Abbott has spent more than a decade working in elite sport and is currently the Director of Performance Services at Charlton Athletic FC, having previously been Academy Performance Manager at Brighton and Hove Albion FC. Whilst holding BASES Sport and Exercise Scientist, and UKSCA Strength and Conditioning Coach accreditations, Will has recently completed his PhD thesis. The work is titled ‘monitoring and prescription of GPS training load in elite academy soccer athletes. Additional to his work in training load, Will has authored and co-authored research investigating training and match demands, athlete well-being, recovery modalities, mental fatigue, strength asymmetries, and bio-banding.

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