The Effects of Physical Fitness and Competition Experience on the Performance and Health of Athletes

This study aimed to examine the physical fitness of athletes and identify their talents by measuring and evaluating their physical fitness and to review the studies regarding competitive history and health of athletes. Generally, the physical fitness levels of athletes are higher than those of nonathletes. Besides the studies assessing the association between physical fitness and injury, studies aimed to predict performance from physical fitness data exist. Several studies attempting to identify talents using physical fitness tests based on such findings exist. Improving performance by identifying and training talents at early ages is common. However, the optimum age of sports specialization has been reconsidered. Some athletes choose their specialization after trying several sports and training styles. For example, in Japan, junior high school students who play sports regularly tend to quit sports after graduation. This tendency may be partly due to the competitive education in Japan. Delayed sports specialization may improve the mental and physical health of athletes. It has recently been reported that there are some issues in promoting the health of former athletes. In youth sports, intense training may significantly increase the risk of injury. As described above, my review of the findings of the physical fitness of athletes identified several issues related to the accurate evaluation of physical fitness and the performance and health of athletes. Future studies should further determine possible methods to improve the performance and health of athletes and former athletes by analyzing the increasing data volume on the physical fitness of athletes.