Article adapted from the thesis "Motor and sport initiation in rowing" by Marco Crupi (BSc L-22, Exercise and Sport Sciences and Health - University of Messina). A sensitive period can be described as a relatively broad time span—or window of opportunity—during which the learning of a specific skill or the development of a specific physical capacity may occur with heightened effectiveness. More generally, the whole of childhood may be viewed as a sensitive period for the mastery of fundamental motor skills (Gallahue & Donnelly, 2007). Several long-term athlete development frameworks have proposed the existence of sensitive periods (or "windows of opportunity") across childhood and adolescence that would be optimal for training motor qualities such as strength or speed. However, whether such periods truly exist remains unclear. The purpose of the review by Van H. and colleagues (2020) was to critically evaluate the rationale underpinning the concept of sensitive periods.
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