Yes, you read that right. There are over 40 factors that contribute to sport performance. Some of them include endurance, coachability, competitiveness, concentration, rest, practice, mental toughness, and heart. One other factor is weight.
It makes sense that weight plays a role in performance, but it is not the only factor and it is certainly not the most important one. Yet we see coaches, athletes, and parents over-emphasize weight when it comes to performance. Statistically, it does not make sense to put that much thought and emotional energy into a single factor. It especially does not make sense when this is the one factor that puts an athlete at increased risk for an eating disorder.
Eating disorders cause physical, emotional, and performance problems. While some people notice small short-term benefits from weight manipulation in sport, the long-term consequences are negative and dangerous. There are many successful athletes who have recovered from an eating disorder and debunked the myth that being thinner will make them stronger, faster, or more agile.
So this is a reminder. When it comes to sport performance and honing in on the details, focus on one of the other 39 factors, not weight.