Michael Romann

Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM · Elite Sport

Relative age effects (RAE) generate consistent participation inequalities and selection biases in sports. The study aimed to investigate RAE across all sports of the national Swiss talent development programme (STDP). In this study, 18 859 youth athletes (female N = 5353; mean age: 14.8 ± 2.5 y and male N = 13 506; mean age: 14.4 ± 2.4 y) in 70 spo...

Introduction: Relative age effects (RAEs) refer to the overrepresentation of players born earlier in the selection year compared to late-born players within the same age category. To date, the origins and mechanisms of RAEs are still unclear. To evaluate the development of RAEs in terms of age group and selection level, we analyzed data of all regi...

Objective Bio-banding (BB) has been introduced to account for varying maturity and to improve the talent development of junior soccer players. To date, research that investigated the physiological and technical effects of BB is sparse. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess BB based on practical considerations in a cohort of 62 under (U)13 a...

Background: In football, annual age-group categorization leads to relative age effects (RAEs) in talent development. Given such trends, relative age may also associate with market values. This study analyzed the relationship between RAEs and market values of youth players. Methods: Age category, birthdate, and market values of 11,738 youth male...

The fact that potentially skilled, but biologically later-maturing athletes are less likely to be selected into talent development programmes (TDP) can represent a failure of Talent Identification (TID) in sports. To overcome maturation selection biases, maturation independent TID should be established to include less mature, but talented athletes...

Objectives To compare performance progression and variety in race distances of comparable lengths (timewise) between pool swimming and track running. Quality of within-sport variety was determined as the performance differences between individual athletes' main and secondary race distances across (top-) elite and (highly-) trained swimmers and runn...

During puberty, the biological maturity of children of the same chronological age differs. To generate equal opportunities for talent selection in youth sports, the athlete’s biological maturity should be considered. This is often assessed with a left hand and wrist radiography. Alternatively, ultrasound (US) could be advantageous, especially by av...

Objective This study aimed to identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for men’s swimming strokes using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multiple Regression Analysis to enhance training strategies and performance optimization. The analyses included all men’s individual 100 m races of the 2019 European Short-Course Swimming Championships. R...

Objective It is heavily discussed whether larger variety or specialization benefit elite performance at peak age. Therefore, this study aimed to determine technical (number of different swimming strokes) and physiological (number of different race distances) variety required to become an international-class swimmer (> 750 swimming points) based on...

Purpose : To investigate performance progression from early-junior to peak performance age and compare variety in race distances and swimming strokes between swimmers of various performance levels. Methods : Using a longitudinal data analysis and between-groups comparisons 306,165 annual best times of male swimmers (N = 3897) were used to establish...

Siegerinnen, Medaillen, Verlierer und Tränen!-Im gnadenlosen Wettkampf des Sports werden wahre Helden geboren. Von der ersten Sekunde an treten junge Athletinnen und Athleten in eine Arena ein, in der nur die Stärksten überleben. So wird es oft von den Medien dargestellt. Doch wollen wir das wirklich? Es gibt auch andere Wege, wie ein Projekt von S...

Background: Skeletal bone age assessment for medical reasons is usually performed by conventional x-ray with use of ionizing radiation. Few pilot studies have shown the possible use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Purpose: To comprehensively evaluate feasibility and value of MRI for skeletal bone age (SBA) assessment in healthy male childre...

Reliable talent identification and selection (TID) processes are prerequisites to accurately select young athletes with the most potential for talent development programmes. Knowledge about the agreement between scouts who play a key role in the initial TID in football is lacking. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the agreemen...

Long-term sports participation and performance development are major issues in popular sports and talent development programs. This study aimed to provide longitudinal trends in youth female long jump performance development, participation, and relative age effects (RAEs), as longitudinal data for female athletes are missing. 51′894 season’s best r...

The importance of considering information related to athletes’ biological maturation within talent identification and development processes is frequently emphasized by both sport scientists and practitioners. Although there is evidence for the use of objective diagnostics for assessing biological maturation, little is known about its subjective det...

Bone maturity is an indicator for estimating the biological maturity of an individual. During adolescence, individuals show heterogeneous growth rates, and thus, differences in biological maturity should be considered in talent identification and development. Radiography of the left hand and wrist is considered the gold standard of biological matur...

Objective To establish reference data on required competition age regarding performance levels for both sexes, all swimming strokes, and race distances and to determine the effect of competition age on swimming performance in the context of other common age metrics. In total, 36,687,573 race times of 588,938 swimmers (age 14.2 ± 6.3 years) were ana...

Die Auswirkungen von relativen und biologischen Altersunterschieden auf die Leistung und mögliche Lösungen zur fairen Förderung.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate differences between world-class individual medley (IM) swimmers and stroke-specialists using race analyses. A total of eighty 200 m races (8 finalists × 2 sexes × 5 events) at the 2021 European long-course swimming championships were analysed. Eight digital video cameras recorded the races, and th...

Inter-individual differences in maturation-associated development can lead to variations in physical performance, resulting in performance (dis)advantages and maturation selection bias within youth sport systems. To address such bias and account for maturational differences, Maturation-based Corrective Adjustment Procedures (Mat-CAPs) could be bene...

Talentförderungsprogramme müssen versuchen, potenzielle Talente ins System zu integrieren und gleichzeitig eine zu frühzeitige Selektion bzw. DeSelektion zu vermeiden. Grundsätzlich sind Chancengleichheit, freier Zugang zum Sport und fairer Wettkampf zentrale Werte im Kinder- und Juniorenfussball. Um diesen Werten zu entsprechen, werden Kinder und...

To provide percentile curves for short-course swimming events, including 5 swimming strokes, 6 race distances, and both sexes, as well as to compare differences in race times between cross-sectional analysis and longitudinal tracking, a total of 31,645,621 race times of male and female swimmers were analyzed. Two percentile datasets were establishe...

The aims of the study were to (1) quantify the performance development of race times and key performance indicators of European swimmers across the last Olympic cycle (from 2016 to 2021) and (2) provide reference values for long-course swimming pool events for both sexes from 50 m to 1,500 m including butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle,...

The aims of the study were to provide benchmarks and normative data for 100 m, 200 m, and 400 m short-course individual medley (IM) races, investigate differences between the various swimming strokes and turns involved in IM, and quantify the effect and contribution of various race sections on swimming performance. All IM races (n = 320) at the 201...

Purpose: To explore reasonable application purposes and potential confounders of the Swiss-Ski Power Test (SSPT) that is, since 2004, annually performed by all youth competitive alpine skiers of the under-16-years age category in Switzerland. Methods: Preseason SSPT results (8 individual tests on anaerobic and aerobic capacity, muscle strength,...

Objective To provide normative data and establish percentile curves for long-course (50 m pool length) swimming events and to compare progression of race times longitudinally for the various swimming strokes and race distances. Design Descriptive approach with longitudinal tracking of performance data. Methods A total of 2′884’783 race results we...

Bio-banding has been introduced to reduce the impact of inter-individual differences due to biological maturation among youth athletes. Existing studies in youth soccer have generally examined the pilot-testing application of bio-banding. This is the first study that investigated whether bio-banded (BB) versus chronological age (CA) competition aff...

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of start and turn performances on race times in top-elite female swimmers and provide benchmarks for all performance levels, all swimming strokes, and all race distances of the European Short-Course Championships (EC). The individual races (n = 798) of all female competitors (age: 20.6 ± 3.9 years,...

As young football players develop important technical and tactical skills during competitive matches, this study investigated quantity and quality of technical and tactical actions in real game conditions in a 4v4 compared to the traditional 7v7 match format. In total, three matches of each format were played by 103 young football players (10.3±0.6...

The aim was to provide benchmarks and investigate contribution of start and turn performances in the European Short-Course Swimming Championship. Over all race distances, 932 individual races of male competitors were video captured and the start and turn performances were analysed. Start and turn performances contributed up to 26% and 56% of the to...

The influence of biological maturity status (BMS) on talent identification and development within elite youth soccer is critically debated. During adolescence, maturity-related performance differences within the same age group may cause greater chances of being selected for early maturing players. Therefore, coaches need to consider players’ BMS. W...

Modern talent identification (TID) and talent development (TD) models should include biological development. This requires practicable methods for the consideration of biological age (BA) and relative age (RA). Until 2008, most Swiss sports federations selected young athletes on the basis of current competition results rather than development poten...

Eine Studie im Schweizer Kinderfussball zeigt, dass ein neues Wettspielformat die Anzahl technischer und taktischer Aktionen im Vergleich zum traditionellen Format um 62 % erhöht. Beim neuen Spielformat «play more football» wird das traditionelle Grossfeld-mit einem zusätzlichen Kleinfeldspiel kombiniert.

The influence of biological maturity status (BMS) on talent identification and development within elite youth soccer is critically debated. During adolescence, maturity-related performance differences within the same age group may cause greater chances of being selected for early maturing players. Therefore, coaches need to consider players' BMS. W...

Marginal differences in race results between top swimmers have evoked the interest in competition-based success factors of long-term athlete development. To identify novel factors for the multi-dimensional model of talent development, the aim of the study was to investigate annual variation in competition performance (ACV), number of races per year...

While talent development and the contributing factors to success are hardly discussed among the experts in the field, the aim of the study was to investigate annual variation in competition performance (AVCP), number of races per year, and age, as potential success factors for international swimming competitions. Data from 40’277 long-course races,...

Eine Untersuchung der Eidg. Hochschule für Sport Magglingen EHSM und des Schweizerischen Fussballverbands SFV zeigt: Schweizer Fussballclubs platzen aus allen Nähten. Zu viele Kinder landen auf Wartelisten. Dies kann zu einem Verlust von Talenten sowie einem Ausschluss aus dem Sportsystem führen. Sowohl bei Knaben als auch bei Mädchen. Die Untersuc...

Une étude de la Haute école fédérale de sport de Macolin HEFSM, en collaboration avec l'Association suisse de football (ASF), le démontre: les clubs de football sont victimes de leur succès et ne peuvent parfois plus répondre aux nombreuses demandes d'inscription. Trop d'enfants sont placés sur des listes d'attente. Pour les filles comme pour les g...

The aim of the present study was to investigate prospectively the role of biological maturity status, anthropometric percentiles, and core flexion to extension strength ratios in the context of traumatic and overuse injury risk identification in youth ski racing. In this study, 72 elite youth ski racers (45 males, 27 females) were prospectively obs...

Objectives To (1) examine the association between maturity timing and performance-based selection levels in (N = 708) Australian male 100-m Freestyle swimmers (12–17 years); (2) identify the relationship between maturation status and 100-m Freestyle performance; and (3) determine whether Maturation-based Corrective Adjustment Procedures (Mat-CAPs)...

Introduction: Giant slalom is the core discipline of alpine skiing, and each race has its own specific course and terrain characteristics. These variations may explain differences in the speed and time per turn profiles, which are essential for performance development and injury prevention. This study aims to address the differences in course setti...

In making the case to re-balance relative age participation and attainment inequalities in sport (i.e., Relative Age Effects [RAEs]), the chapter firstly overviews findings from meta-analytical studies conducted on male and female contexts. The chapter secondly identifies normative growth, and maturational-associated growth, between youth sport par...

Objective: Bio-banding (BB) has been introduced to account for varying maturity and to improve the talent development of junior soccer players. To date, research that investigated the physiological and technical effects of BB is sparse. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare effects of BB with CA on selected technical and tactical parameter...

Objective Bio-banding (BB) has been introduced to account for varying maturity and to improve the talent development of junior soccer players. To date, research that investigated the physiological and technical effects of BB is sparse. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare effects of BB with CA on selected technical and tactical parameters...

La catégorisation par âge chronologique se révèle un marqueur discriminatoire dans le sport. Cette méthode crée des inégalités, souvent à la faveur des jeunes nés en début d’année ou de ceux à développement précoce, ce qui se traduit par une perte de talents. Pourtant d’autres voies existent. Elles sont testées notamment à l'Association suisse de f...

The purpose of this study was (1) accurately estimate longitudinal relationships between decimal age (i.e., chronological and relative) and performance in Australian female 100 m (N = 765) and 200 m (N = 428) Breaststroke swimmers (10–18 years); and (2) determine whether corrective adjustment procedures could remove Relative Age Effects (RAEs) in a...

Explanatory video about biological development in youth sport. This video has been created to explain and develop this topic to coaches, parents, athletes and others stakeholders involved in youth sport. The video is available in english, german and in french. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcxBIjKV8RQ https://www.facebook.com/ehsmhefsm/videos/...

Born, DP, Stöggl, T, Petrov, A, Burkhardt, D, Luethy, F, and Romann, M. Analysis of freestyle swimming sprint start performance after maximal strength or vertical jump training in competitive female and male junior swimmers. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-To investigate the freestyle swimming sprint start performance before and after 6 we...

Objectives: (1) Generate accurate estimates of the relationship between decimal age (i.e., chronological and relative) with swimming performance based on longitudinal data. (2) Determine whether corrective adjustment procedures can remove Relative Age Effects (RAEs) from junior/youth swimming. Design: Longitudinal and repeated years of cross-sectio...

An the recent article by Baker and Wattie (2018), they provided an update on the widely cited review of “Innate Talent” by Howe, Davidson and Sloboda (1998). The article summarizes that the defined criteria for “Innate Talent” are still valid, standing the test of time. However, new findings in epigenetics should be considered. The epigenome intera...

A recent article by Baker and Wattie (2018) provided an update on the widely citeded review of “Innate Talent” by Howe, Davidson and Sloboda (1998). The article summarizes that the defined criteria for “Innate Talent” are still valid, standing the test of time. However, new findings in epigenetics should be considered. The epigenome interacts with...

Comparing Alpine Skiing Starts on a mattplant vs on snow

Competitive alpine skiers are subject to substantial risks of injury, especially concerning the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). During “landing back weighted” episodes, hamstrings may partially counteract the anterior shear force acting on the tibia by eccentrically resisting the boot-induced drawer of the tibia relative to the femur. The aim of...

Abstract in English for ‘Bio-banding – Bessere Talententwicklung im Nachwuchsfussball’ WHAT IS BIO-BANDING? During adolescents the biological age (BA) can vary up to five years among athletes with the same chronological age (CA). Bio-banding matches the training and competition groups according to BA rather than the CA. AIM OF THE REVIEW ARTICLE...

An Online First version of this article was made available at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-018-0890-8 on 13 March 2018. Some errors were subsequently identified by the authors, particularly in regard to Table 4. Although the details pertained to in the table were correct in the original manuscript, it appears that errors were in...

Introduction In youth soccer, the chronological age is used to group and select the athletes for training and competition. Within these age groups, individuals can differ by as much as 1 year in relative age, which might affect the talent selection process and benefit the athletes born early in the year. Moreover, the biological age varying by 4 ye...

Background To improve soccer specific skill acquisition the match play in children’s soccer should be designed to maximize the individual playing time and game involvement. Small-sided games showed an increased individual playing time, individual game involvement, number of ball contacts, variability and frequency of game situations, and positional...

Background: Subtle differences in chronological age within sport (bi-) annual-age groupings can contribute to immediate participation and long-term attainment discrepancies; known as the relative age effect. Voluminous studies have examined relative age effects in male sport; however, their prevalence and context-specific magnitude in female sport...

Anleitung zur Bestimmung des biologischen Entwicklungsstandes bei Mädchen und Knaben nach Mirwald (2002).

In einigen Sportarten ist die Erwachsenengrösse ein leistungslimitierendes Kriterium. Die Khamis-Roche-Methode (1) ist eine praktikable Methode, um die geschätzte Erwachsenengrösse zu bestimmen.

Fairer Wettkampf und Chancengleichheit sind zentrale Werte im Nachwuchsleistungssport. Um diesen Werten zu entsprechen, werden Jugendliche in Altersklassen eingeteilt, die sich meist auf Jahrgänge beziehen. Diese auf den ersten Blick sinnvolle und gerechte Einteilung ist jedoch äusserst problematisch. Tatsächlich kann es trotz der Altersklassen zu...

In Skicross (SX) it is crucial to choose the right strategy at the start. More than 80% of all men and women who are in first position at the first gate have been qualified for the next heat (Argüelles, De la Fuente, Tarnas, Dominguez-Castells, 2011). In collaboration with the Sportbiomechanic Group of the ETHZ, the Swiss Skicross Team developed a...

Objectives: To determine the prevalence, magnitude and transient patterning of Relative Age Effects (RAEs) according to sex and stroke event across all age-groups at the Australian National age swimming Championships. Design: Repeated years of cross-sectional participation data were examined. Methods: Participants were 6014 unique male (3185)...

Introduction Relative age effects (RAEs) result in performance discrepancies between children and youth within one selection year (Cobley, Baker, Wattie, & McKenna, 2009). This generates consistent participation inequalities, selection biases and may lead to a drop out of potential talents. The aim of this study was to investigate RAEs across all s...

Consideration of maturity is recommended in the talent identification and development process. Skeletal age (SA), prediction of age of peak height velocity (APHV) and an estimation of biological maturation by coaches' eye of 121 soccer players were compared. The SA of soccer players was 13.9 ± 1.1 years, and did not differ significantly from chrono...

Differences in age within annual cohorts (relative age) result in performance discrepancies between children and youths and also bias the talent selection process in many sports. The consequences stemming from the relative age approach are referred to as relative age effects (RAEs). In this study, we analysed the prevalence of RAEs according to the...

Introduction There are endogenous and exogenous factors, such as slope characteristics, course setting and snow conditions, on those an athlete’s performance depends in competitive alping skiing (Turnbull, Kilding, & Keogh, 2009). Competitions in Paralympic alpine skiing are complex, because athletes with different disabilities compete against each...