Skip to main content

Study Finds To Become World-Class, Don't Work Too Hard in Junior High

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20110204-OYT1T00513.htm

translated by Brett Larner

"If you want to become a world-class women's marathoner, don't work too hard in junior high school." That is the finding of a study of domestic elite women runners by former Team Toyota Shatai head coach Masahiko Takahashi, 46.

Takahashi sent his survey to 383 athletes and alumni of professional corporate and club teams, including 20 women who made the top 8 in the marathon at the Olympics or World Championships. 90.3% responded. Takahashi compared the responses of those who had made a Japanese national team for the Olympics or World Championships with those who had not. With regard to their training in junior high school he found:
  1. National team members' off-seasons averaged 2.24 months, while those who did not make national teams averaged 0.87 months.
  2. 60% of national team members did morning practice in addition to their main workouts, while 82.3 % of those who did not make national teams doubled.
  3. Those who made national teams' average mileage was 6.68 km per day, while those who did not averaged 8.29 km.
Based on these and other findings, Takahashi concluded that those who became successful international-level athletes tended to have done less training at the junior high school level. Takahashi is studying at Waseda University Graduate School's Institute of Sports and plans to publish the study through the school. His findings will no doubt be of great help to coaches of Japan's junior teams.
Labels:

Comments

raincityrunner said…
Does this mean that hard training at a young age is detrimental in the long term, or merely that the mediocre (in terms of genetic endowment) tend to overcompensate without success?
February 5, 2011 at 1:08 PM
Brett Larner said…
Agreed; although the headline and opening quote seem to suggest causation, the study as described only seems to indicate correlation.
February 5, 2011 at 3:43 PM
Chris said…
It could simply be that people who worked too hard at an early age get mentally burnt out, and lack motivation later.
February 7, 2011 at 11:01 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Japan Announces Complete London Olympics Athletics Team

by Brett Larner Click here for JRN's complete video coverage of the 2012 Japanese Olympic Trials, 27 videos making up nearly three hours of footage. The Japanese Federation and Olympic Committee announced the complete lineup of Japan's team of 48 athletes for this summer's London Olympics track and field events at a press conference on June 11.  The team features 11 national record holders and 18 current national champions and is young overall, with a heavy preponderance of first-time Olympians including a World Junior gold medalist, 13 collegiates and one high schooler.  The Fujitsu corporate team is overwhelmingly the best-represented, boasting 8 Olympic team members, while Chukyo University tops the collegiate list with 3 athletes on the team.  Suzuki, whose Suzuki Hamamatsu AC club team exists outside the corporate league, also has 3 Olympians. No Olympic team selection process is free of controversial decisions, and the omission of women's 10000 m Jr. NR hold
3 comments
Read more

Yamagata-Based Alexander Mutiso Aims to Be #1 in Paris Olympics Marathon

Having been named to the Kenyan men's team for this summer's Paris Olympics, Alexander Mutiso , 27, of the Nanyo, Yamagata-based ND Software corporate team, told the Yamagata Newspaper on May 13 that his goal for the Olympic marathon is "to be #1." Having lived in Yamagata for 10 years, Mutiso has strong attachment to the area and credits its environment for helping him develop, saying, "Ever since I came to Yamagata I've been running well." He left for Kenya on May 14 to join the Kenyan national team training camp, aiming to be in perfect condition when he arrives in Paris for the main event. Mutiso came to Japan in 2015, joining the ND Software team and taking up residence in Nanyo. "I don't like the cold winters in Yamagata so much, but the other seasons are nice." From that base he has grown into the athlete he is now, competing in races across Japan and around the world. Compared to the track, his strengths lie more in long road races
Post a Comment
Read more

'Reinstate Olympic Marathon Prospects Unfairly Disqualified by World Athletics'

A petition for World Athletics to allow the ten men who made the Paris Olympics marathon quota via world rankings but were replaced by unqualified universality place athletes to run. Sent to JRN by the race director of a major marathon.
Post a Comment
Read more