The Relative Age Advantage (Feedback)

Thanks for all your comments. I had forgotten that I originally read about this topic in “Outliers,” so thanks for reminding me. I think I need to read that book again.

As I understand it, there is really no debate about whether this advantage exists because the evidence is so strong. Even though the advantage gets smaller as children get older, the bigger / smarter / better developed children inevitably get noticed and treated differently by their coaches and teachers when they are very young. In many cases, they get to be in the best teams, take special classes, and so on. This sets up a virtuous cycle (for them) that enables them to develop even more quickly.

I don’t know whether you are familiar with the sport of snowboarding, but the number one in the world for many years has been an American called Shaun White. He is also a top professional skateboarder. Apparently, he was “discovered” by the snowboard maker Burton when he was only six years old. He was trained by the very best coaches in the world using the best facilities while most of his peers were just out playing with their friends! No wonder no one else can catch him now.

As you know, I am a big fan of motorcycle racing. Most of the top men in that sport have been racing since they were about three years old. I am not joking. If you are not ready to turn professional by the time you are around 15 or 16, it will be too late. The “advantage” that these riders had was that in most cases, their fathers were racers, so they were exposed to it from a very young age. By the time a regular person became interested in racing of their own accord, it would be far too late for them to reach the top classes. Formula 1, show jumping, and any other sports that cost a lot of money are exactly the same.

I guess there are many different kinds of “advantages,” and not all of them are connected to the relative age effect.

Anyway, here is some feedback on your comments.

It’s so interesting topic!
This is such an interesting topic! (A-Z: so / such a)

I think when I was a child,I felt a long time for 1day and 1week and 1month, but I feeling how time fly for 1day and 1 week and 1month.
When I was a child, one day, one week, and one month all felt like a long time, but they seem to go by much faster now.

Of course there are pupils who were born in January and February but a few ones.
…, but not very many.

It was not uncommon to change a baby’s birthday those days.
… in those days.

>many of my friends used to say to me—”many of my friends often said to me
I’m not sure why you corrected this. Both sentences are fine. I actually think the first is more natural.

Quite complicating, isn’t it!
Quite complicated, isn’t it! (A-Z: ing/ed adjectives)

I ‘guess’ what s/he wanted to say was that ラケットでボールを打つのは気持ちいい/壮快だ or something like that….
It’s still a really weird sentence, even in Japanese!

He was one of the fast runners at his nursery school.
He was one of the fastest runners at his nursery school. (A-Z: one of the)

I’m 42 now and I know exactly what you mean!!
Have you ever heard that ‘the illusion’ has a lot to do with the decline of your metabolism?
Personally, I think it is to do with relative time. If you are ten years old, a year is 10% of your total experience of life. If you are fifty, it is only 2%. The longer you live, the more quickly time seems to pass, relatively speaking.

it doesn’t seem that players born in the early months of the calendar year are particularly more than others in the list.
There doesn’t seem to be a higher proportion of players born in the early months of the calendar.

I especially agree with the part that explains the “cumulative effect” which means “you are likely to persist at something new when you receive some form of early success”.
This is true. That’s what I mean by a “virtuous cycle.”

I wonder if other teachers learn about this before they become teachers.
Unfortunately, teachers in Japan don’t really learn much about anything before they become teachers. Teacher training in this country is a disgrace. I had more input and teaching practice in the first one-month course I did in TEFL back in 1992 than Japanese students get in four years of university. And I should know – I teach in a faculty of education!

I worried about whether he was able to (could?)keep other friends.
I worried about whether he would be able to keep up with his friends.

(LOL!) I can imagine how they looked like!
“I can imagine how they looked” or “I can imagine what they looked like.”

This trend seems to apply to the academic achievement, too.
Nice sentence, but you don’t need “the” before “academic achievement.”

I wish I could have my birthday party at least 20 more times (?).
I hope I will be able to celebrate my birthday at least 20 more times. (A-Z: hope / wish)

I am a bit busy this week due to a lack of manpower.
I think you are always busy, not just this week!

I still remember wishing I had been born in March back then(lol)
Nice sentence.

That’s it for today. Have a great weekend. If North Korea doesn’t try to blow us all up before then, I’ll be back on Monday!