Abstract

Both initially and subsequently, organised motor activity in adolescents, whether sport and competition oriented or by way of training, is governed by chronological age. This criterion determines competitive classes, such as cubs, boys, colts, hopefuls, juniors, etc. Neanialogy has shown that more than50 of Italian adolescents are not typosomic. As a result, the classes mentioned are composed of individuals with a wide range of psychophysical attributes, so that it is difficult for trainers to prepare programmes, and instances of failure to adapt occur in the case of hyposomic or dysauxic children. It is therefore proposed that a uniform system of categories, called ab-c-d-e, for example, should be used. Assigment of an adolescent to a given category would be based on the judgment of a sports physician during an annualexamination covering auxological parameters and an assessment of ability and aptitude. Attention would be given to: a) height and weight; b) sexual age (external genitalia in males, breasts in females, body hair according to Tanner in both sexes); skeletal age according to Tanner-Whitehouse; c) functional evaluation, using indirect methods for maximum oxygen consumption and afield test for alactacid anaerobic power. Verf.-Referat (gekuerzt)