playing basketball makes you TALL

That’s just common sense. You only have to look at basketball players!

That kind of illogic we hear all the time: “Gymnastics stunts your growth.”

Yeesh!

Here are the facts:

There is no evidence that intensive training can hold back the physical development of young female athletes, say UK experts.

Demanding training programmes for athletics, gymnastics and other sports may be delaying the onset of puberty, it has been suggested.

It is important that they have a proper rest and recovery period – and that they are well nourished while they train

However, Professor Nicola Maffulli, writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggests there is no evidence of a link.

The professor writes: “In general, the differences observed in stature between athletes and non-athletes are mainly the result of nature rather than nurture.

“With regard to pubertal development, the evidence suggests that the tempo is slowed down in some sports, but it has not yet been possible to identify whether this is an effect of nature or nurture.”

…

The professor said that the fact that so many elite gymnasts were smaller than average was probably at least partly due to the fact that smaller girls were most likely to progress to the heights of the sport – and taller girls more likely to drop out or take up other sports.

And while many female athletes experienced a later than average onset of puberty, the authors said there were other potential reasons for this which at least cast doubt on excessive training as a cause. …

BBC News | HEALTH | Training ‘no harm to young athletes’

The FIG Olympic Academy curriculum addresses the myth that “gymnastics stunts your growth” and others like it in their Growth and Development section.