Understanding Peak Height Velocity: Key to Protecting and Developing Young Athletes

April 26, 2025

04/26/2025 by Dr. Callan Martin DC, CCSP®, ICSC

(This post was adapted from information shared at the 2025 NSCA Midwest Region Conference by Ryan Podell, Sports Performance Coach for the St. Louis Blues)

In youth sports, timing is everything — and one of the most important (but often overlooked) factors in a young athlete’s development is Peak Height Velocity (PHV).

PHV refers to the period of fastest upward growth in stature during adolescence.
Understanding PHV helps parents, coaches, and healthcare providers optimize skill development, prevent injuries, and build strong foundations for athletic success.

What is Peak Height Velocity (PHV)?

  • PHV is the time when a child grows the fastest in height.
  • Typical ages:
    • Girls: 11–13 years*
    • Boys: 12–15 years*
    • Note: Ages may vary and emphasis should be focused on monitoring growth rate versus chronological age.
  • Growth can spike by 8–12 cm (3–5 inches) per year.

Trivia: Growth spurts often begin first in the hands and feet, followed by lower legs and forearms, then shoulders and thighs, and finally the torso.

How PHV Affects Young Athletes

During PHV, the body changes rapidly:

  • Decreased Coordination: Bones grow faster than muscles can adapt.
  • Higher Risk of Injury: Growth plates are vulnerable; risk for stress fractures, Sever’s disease (heel pain), and Osgood-Schlatter disease (knee pain).
  • Temporary Decline in Skill: “Adolescent awkwardness” often makes athletes seem less agile or coordinated for a time.
  • Energy Fluctuations: The body prioritizes growth, so strength, endurance, and recovery can suffer temporarily.

How to Track and Predict PHV at Home

You can estimate when a young athlete is reaching their Peak Height Velocity by simply tracking height over time:

Step-by-Step:

  1. Measure your child’s height every 3 months.
  2. Record each measurement carefully (preferably in centimeters for precision).
  3. Calculate the growth rate:
    • Subtract the previous height from the current height.
    • Divide by the number of months between measurements.
    • Multiply by 12 to estimate an annual growth rate (cm/year).

Example:

  • February: 140 cm
  • May: 143 cm
  • Growth over 3 months = 143 – 140 = 3 cm
  • 3 cm ÷ 3 months = 1 cm/month
  • 1 cm × 12 months = 12 cm/year → this suggests rapid growth, close to PHV!

Key Benchmarks:

  • Growth rate over 8–10+ cm/year typically signals that an athlete is at or near PHV.

Tracking growth helps parents, coaches, and healthcare providers adjust training intensity and prevent overuse injuries during critical periods.

What Athletic Skills to Focus On At Each Age Level

Before PHV (Pre-Adolescence):
(Girls 6–11, Boys 6–12)

  • Focus on general athletic skills:
    Throwing, catching, running, jumping, rolling, swimming, tumbling.
  • Encourage multi-sport participation (NOT specialization).
  • Best activities:
    Gymnastics, martial arts, obstacle courses, soccer, swimming.

During PHV (Mid-Adolescence Growth Spurt):
(Girls 11–13, Boys 13–15)

  • Training should slow down in intensity and emphasize quality of movement:
    • Bodyweight exercises (planks, squats, pushups)
    • Core stability work
    • Flexibility and mobility exercises
    • Light aerobic conditioning
  • Avoid:
    • Heavy weightlifting
    • High-impact repetitive drills (jumping, sprinting, cutting)

This is the most vulnerable time for injury.

After PHV (Post-Adolescence):
(Girls 14+, Boys 16+)

  • Now the athlete can safely ramp up:
    • Structured strength training
    • Plyometric (jump) drills
    • High-speed sprinting and agility work
    • Sport-specific specialization if desired

Hormonal changes after PHV support strength, speed, and power development.

Podell, Ryan. “Training Considerations For The Youth Athlete”. Midwest Regional Conference, NSCA, 22 Mar 2025. St. Louis University High School, St. Louis, Missouri.

Critical Periods for Injury Risk

Highest injury risk:

  • Circa-PHV (right during the peak growth spurt)
  • ~6 months after PHV (when body mass, bone density, and tendon flexibility are adjusting)

Special watch areas:

  • Knees
  • Heels
  • Hips
  • Lower back

Growth should ideally be measured every 3–6 months during adolescence to adjust training appropriately.

Key Takeaways for Long-Term Athlete Development

  • Play the long game:
    Early junior success (winning medals at 10 years old) doesn’t predict long-term elite athletic success.
    Multi-sport exposure and skill variety lay the foundation for healthier, higher-performing athletes later in life.
  • Athlete First, Sport Second:
    Focus on developing the athlete (movement, strength, endurance, coordination) rather than over-specializing too early.
  • Monitor Growth:
    Tools like the Khamis-Roche Method, skeletal age x-rays, and growth velocity curves can track biological maturity better than just relying on chronological age.

In Summary

Respecting the timing of Peak Height Velocity isn’t about slowing an athlete down — it’s about setting them up for long-term success.
At Back on Track Chiropractic + Acupuncture, we help youth athletes thrive through every stage of growth.

We specialize in:

  • Age appropriate exams
  • Injury prevention programs
  • Sports chiropractic and rehabilitation
  • Injury care and advanced recovery treatments

If your young athlete is experiencing growing pains, injuries, or challenges with coordination, we’re here to help.

📞 Call us today at (913) 276-0508 or
💻 Schedule online at www.backontrackkc.com