The mystery behind Dinh Bac's 'European standard' speed.

Data from training sessions shows that Dinh Bac's maximum acceleration can reach 33-35 km/h, only slightly short of the standards of the fastest players in the Premier League.

Dinh Bac possesses acceleration capabilities comparable to European standards - Photo: AFC

Is late puberty also an advantage for Dinh Bac?

Specifically, according to Tuoi Tre newspaper , during a speed test with the Vietnam U20 team in mid-2022, Dinh Bac (who was not yet 18 years old at the time) sprinted 10 meters in just 1.51 seconds.

It's important to clarify that this refers to the first 10 meters of running, meaning the player hasn't yet reached their maximum speed.

That was the first 10m sprint, while Dinh Bac's speed in the first 30m sprint (considered the standard distance for a sprint on the football field) was only 3.78 seconds - meaning he was running at a speed of 28.6 km/h when he started the sprint. And his top speed was 33-35 km/h.

The fastest players in the Premier League have top speeds of around 36-37 km/h, and can sprint the first 10 meters in under 1.5 seconds.

"We were completely astonished by Dinh Bac's acceleration. I've analyzed football data from other countries, and I'm certain that Dinh Bac's speed is close to the highest level in Europe; this is an unprecedented case in Vietnamese football," said sports science expert Le Cao Cuong.

What helped Dinh Bac, a boy facing delayed puberty (only 1.50m tall at age 14), to become a player whose speed rivals that of European football?

This is an interesting and challenging topic for sports science experts in Vietnam.

Dr. Tran Huy Tho, the doctor of the Vietnamese national football team, said: "Delayed puberty in sports is not uncommon, especially in men's football."

In cases like Dinh Bac's, it's crucial to accurately assess his biological developmental stage, avoiding rushing to impose intensity or compare his physical abilities to those of his peers.

Many players who experience delayed puberty actually have a long-term advantage because, according to scientific studies, children who experience delayed puberty within the appropriate age range have a greater advantage in physical development, leading to the development of muscle mass, boosting strength and speed, provided they receive proper support.

Dinh Bac's speed far exceeds Southeast Asian standards - Photo: NAM TRAN

Former long jumper and now a master's degree holder in nutrition and physical education, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tam, explains:

"In Dinh Bac's case, it's too early to say for sure. To confirm anything, we need the results of examinations and tests of all his bodily indicators during puberty."

But in this case, I suspect Dinh Bac's puberty lasted longer than that of normal children. In such cases, many people mistakenly believe that children don't grow taller during puberty.

"But actually, during this stage, instead of lengthening, children's bones develop bone density. This helps them to have stronger bones when they reach the stage of bone growth in length, creating a great advantage for sports training."

Natural advantages combined with self-effort

According to NCBI, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Bioscience , numerous scientific studies indicate that the timing of puberty significantly impacts a combination of physical growth indicators in adolescents, including height, muscle mass, and strength.

An analysis in athletics shows that post-pubescent athletes typically achieve greater muscle mass and better sprint speeds compared to mid-pubescent athletes, because muscle development, sex hormones, and motor control are more optimized in the post-puberty stage.

This partly explains why someone who experiences delayed puberty – who hasn't gone through the physical growth spurt of early adolescence – can have a "boom" in physical performance, including speed, after entering the post-pubertal stage.

When sex hormones and growth hormones reach their peak levels, they promote increased muscle mass, longer bone size, and improved nerve conduction speed in conjunction with fast-twitch muscle fibers—core biological factors of acceleration and running ability.

Dinh Bac possesses impressive speed, faster than even West Asian players - Photo: AFC

Athletes who experience early puberty often have an advantage in size and strength over their peers, but this means that the ends of the bones close earlier due to the rapid effects of sex hormones, leading to a shorter and more limited potential for further bone and muscle growth.

Meanwhile, those who experience delayed puberty, by prolonging the time before sex hormones surge, may have more time to continue developing in height, physique, and muscle-gland system until the hormones truly burst forth, thereby creating conditions for greater speed and strength development later on.

Although not an absolute rule, this is one of the biological mechanisms described by sports and medical experts in monitoring the development of young athletes.

All the advantages mentioned above are only theoretical, giving Dinh Bac an "opportunity" to capitalize on his unique physical attributes. More importantly, he consistently trained diligently throughout his teenage years, resulting in a suitable physical surge during his puberty.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bi-an-dang-sau-toc-do-tieu-chuan-chau-au-cua-dinh-bac-20260209135416977.htm