Why has my child suddenly got slower or clumsier?

The quick answer

During a rapid growth spurt, limbs lengthen faster than coordination and strength can keep up. Times can stall or slip and movement can look clumsy for a while. This is expected and it passes.

What's happening

Around peak height velocity, the body is spending its energy on growing. Bones lead, muscles and tendons follow, and the brain re-learns a body that changed shape. Load tolerance drops temporarily.

How we coach through it

• Protect against overload — this is a higher-injury-risk window.
• Emphasise skill and movement quality over chasing times.
• Keep it positive: the dip is temporary and the athlete hasn't "lost" anything.

The next step

If you're seeing a sudden dip, mention it at the weekly review so we can adjust load rather than push through.