Growth Spurts and the Coordination Dip

"My kid was one of the most coordinated players on the team, and suddenly they're tripping over their own feet." It's one of the most common — and most misunderstood — moments in youth sports. It usually isn't a loss of skill. It's a growth spurt.

What's actually happening

During a growth spurt, bones can lengthen faster than the nervous system, muscles, and tendons adapt to the new proportions. The brain's internal map of exactly where the limbs are and how much force a movement needs — built through years of practice at the old body size — is temporarily out of date. This is sometimes called adolescent awkwardness, and it's a normal, well-documented part of development, not a sign a player is losing ability.

How long it lasts

It's temporary. As the nervous system recalibrates to the new limb lengths — typically over weeks to a few months following the fastest phase of growth — coordination returns, usually to a higher level than before, since the player is now working with a bigger, stronger frame.

What it looks like on the field

• Mistiming tackles or challenges that used to be routine
• Misjudging headers or first touches
• Tripping or stumbling during ordinary running
• Previously reliable skills — a certain pass, a certain move — becoming inconsistent

What not to do

• Don't cut playing time as a reaction to a rough patch of games — the dip is temporary and benching a player through it doesn't speed up the adaptation.
• Don't pile on technical criticism. The player isn't forgetting how to play; their body is temporarily different from the one the skill was learned in.
• Don't panic about "losing" a talented player. This phase is common even among players who go on to have long, successful careers.

What helps

Patience is the biggest factor, but a few things genuinely support a player through this phase:

• General movement and coordination work rather than grinding the exact skill that's currently inconsistent — the nervous system needs to recalibrate broadly, not just for one move.
• Age-appropriate strength training, which helps the body catch up to its new proportions faster. See Strength Training by Age.
• Reassurance that this is normal and temporary — confidence often takes a bigger hit than actual ability during this stretch.

Other signs of a growth spurt

Coordination changes often arrive alongside other clues: rapid shoe or clothing size changes, a noticeable increase in appetite, and growing pains at night, particularly in the legs. Growth spurts are also when conditions like Osgood-Schlatter and Sever's disease become more common, since tendons are under extra tension relative to still-maturing growth plates.

Frequently asked questions

Will they get their coordination back?

Yes, almost always — this is a temporary adaptation period, not a permanent decline.

Should training be reduced during a growth spurt?

Not necessarily reduced, but it's a reasonable time to watch load a bit more closely and expect performance to be less consistent — see How Much Soccer Training Is Too Much? for general guidelines on training volume.

Is this the same for boys and girls?

The underlying mechanism — limbs outpacing neuromuscular adaptation — affects both, though the timing differs, with growth spurts generally arriving earlier in girls than in boys.

This stage fits into the broader picture covered in What Is Long-Term Athlete Development?