The Office of Sport in collaboration with Dr Shaun Abbott & Professor Stephen Cobley (The University of Sydney) has developed an online calculator to estimate the biological maturity status of developing athletes.
The Maturity Status Calculator and the estimations it provides, serves as a guide to assist stakeholders in their awareness of an athlete’s maturational status and subsequent fit of opportunity and support.
Developed for coaches, parents, teachers and sporting organisations the calculator is useful to inform:
- their understanding of the current physical maturational status of an athlete and their related capacity, capability, performance (physical, technical etc.) and vulnerability
- inclusive talent selection and confirmation opportunities and processes factoring in an athlete’s maturational status and future potential
- the right match of training focus, prescription and load and competition for an athlete’s maturational status.
Before using the Maturity Status Calculator
Before using this calculator, it is highly recommended that you read the Office of Sport's Biological Maturation Resource for Sporting Stakeholders and watch the Future Champions Masterclass on Athlete Maturation featuring Dr Shaun Abbott and Prof. Stephen Cobley (The University of Sydney).
Based on world class evidence and expertise, the Maturity Status Calculator provides an estimate of an athlete’s Years from Peak Height Velocity and Percentage of Predicted Adult Height.
Years from Peak Height Velocity
Please note - As the estimate is most accurate around the actual (observed) PHV event, it is recommended that the PHV equations are utilised between the ages of 12-16 years for boys and 10-14 years for girls (Abbott & Cobley, 2023).
Years from Peak Height Velocity (YPHV) (Mirwald et al., 2002) – provides an estimation of the amount of time (in years) to/from where an athlete is at regarding their maximal growth rate (i.e., tempo = cm/year) in height (Abbott & Cobley, 2023). For example, an athlete who has a negative estimation (e.g., -2.0) has 2 years before reaching PHV whilst an athlete who has a positive estimation (e.g., +2.0) is 2 years after PHV.
For males only and informed directly by Fransen et al., (2018), another estimation is provided specific to YPHV.
For more information regarding the implications of maturation and advice for effective management of the developing athlete, please refer to Chapter 3 (from page 23 onwards) of the NSW Office of Sport’s Biological Maturation Resource for Sporting Stakeholders.
Percentage of Predicted Adult Height
Please note, that this estimate is merely a prediction and as Abbott & Cobley (p. 44-45, 2023) state, there are variations in final adult height predicted values during peak growth periods (i.e., 14-15.5 years in boys and 11.5-12.5 years in girls are typically ± 3.1 cm and 2.3 cm respectively - Khamis & Roche, 1994).
Percentage of Predicted Adult Height (%PAH) (Khamis & Roche, 1994) – provides an estimation of the amount of growth completed at the time of observation in relation to the total predicted mature adult stature (i.e., 100%) (Abbott & Cobley, 2023). For example, a higher percentage (e.g., 98%) suggests that an athlete is close to the predicted final adult height, whilst a lower percentage (e.g., 83%) suggests they are still a way off reaching their predicted final adult height.
Accuracy of the measurements
Measurements inputted into the calculator is of critical importance, especially with regard to sitting height. Large errors in measurement will lead to error in estimation.
Like any estimation method, it is important to acknowledge that these estimates do have some margins of error associated with them and the estimates should not be used in isolation to identify or select or deselect athletes.
Use the Maturity Status Calculator
Abbott, S., & Cobley, S. (2023). Considering growth & maturation when developing our future champions: An educational guide for sporting organisations & practitioners. Sydney, Australia: NSW Office of Sport.
Fransen, J., Bush, S., Woodcock, S., Novak, A., Deprez, D., Baxter-Jones, A. D. G., Vaeyens, R., & Lenoir, M. (2018). Improving the Prediction of Maturity From Anthropometric Variables Using a Maturity Ratio. Pediatric Exercise Science, 30(2), 296-307. doi:10.1123/pes.2017-0009
Khamis, H. J., & Roche, A. F. (1994). Predicting adult stature without using skeletal age: the Khamis-Roche method. Pediatrics, 94(4 Pt 1), 504-507.
Mirwald, R. L., Baxter-Jones, A. D., Bailey, D. A., & Beunen, G. P. (2002). An assessment of maturity from anthropometric measurements. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 34(4), 689-694. doi:10.1097/00005768-200204000-00020
Video Resources: The authors would also like to acknowledge the assistance provided by Ariel Li and Alexandra Harrison during instruction video filming.
Masterclass webinar
Watch the Future Champions Masterclass on Athlete Maturation featuring presented by Dr Shaun Abbott and Prof. Stephen Cobley (The University of Sydney)
Watch the webinar
Growth and Maturation webinar
This webinar explains how to estimate an athlete's maturational status using the new Maturity Status Calculator.
Resources
The Office of Sport has developed a Biological Maturation Resource for Sporting Stakeholders
View Biological Maturation Resource
Video resources
The Office of Sport and Sydney University have developed a series of videos that demonstrate the measuring technique for the Maturity Status Calculator.
Video 1 - Intro & Standing Height
Infographic resource
The Office of Sport has developed simple infographics to assist in the development of athletes maturation.
6 recommendations for sporting organisations
7 do's and don'ts for parents of Future Champions