Reprinted from the October issue of RESEARCH QUARTERLY
Q-205

The Most Proficient Years at
Sports and Games

By Harvey C. LEHMAN
Ohio University

HAT are the chronological ages at which men exhibit their
W greatest physical skill? What are the ages at which individuals

are most likely to win (or retain) various kinds of champion-
ships? Study of the chronological ages at which men have achieved
their most outstanding performance is, of necessity, limited to be-
haviors which can be evaluated or appraised, and which can therefore
be dated with a reasonable degree of precision. In previous articles the
present writer and his associates have presented factual data regarding
the most creative years in the fields of science, invention, literature, and
music.’* The present paper sets forth the chronological ages at which
extraordinary proficiency has been exhibited most frequently by the
following kinds of performers:

1. Professional baseball players 7. Corn huskers

2. Professional pugilists 8. Bowlers

3. Amateur tennis players g. Rifle and pistol shooters

4. Professional ice hockey players 10. Duck pin bowlers

5. Professional football players 11. Professional billiardists

6. Automobile racers 12. Professional and amateur golfers.
METHOD

In the most recent edition of his All Sports Record Book, F. G.
Menke lists for numerous sports and games the following information:
(1) The names of the annual champions, (2) the national and the
world record-holders, and (3) the years during which both the annual
champions and the record-holders won or retained their honors. In
order to determine the chronological ages of the performers at the time
they exhibited their superior abilities it was necessary to obtain their
birth dates. The latter information was obtained by writing to the
secretaries, or other executives, of organizations which control or which
sponsor the various sports. The procedure that was employed for the
study of professional baseball players will first be described.

PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL

Study of age differences in baseball proficiency would be a relatively
simple task if all the major league players started to play in the major
leagues at very youthful ages and if all continued to play in the major

*Indices refer to Bibliography at end of article.