Aligning Systems (Sporting Talent 5)

Norman Brook recently presented a paper on the practice of identifying, confirming and developing sporting talent at a seminar in Fortaleza, Brazil, organised through the International Inspiration programme and hosted by the state government of Ceara.  Brazil will host the Summer Olympic Games in 2016 and identifying and developing talent in Olympic sports will be high on the nations agenda.  The fifth extract from the paper is featured below and final extract will be published here shortly.

ALIGNING SYSTEMS

National talent programmes need to be aligned to a long term athlete development model or framework which provides for the development of physical literacy in young people and offers them the opportunity of pursuing performance sport and excellence.  All stakeholders including schools, sport and development NGOs and National Sports Federations should consider how their programmes match to the long term athlete development.

Developing talented athletes is the function and key responsibility of the National Sport Federations.  Federations should have in place bespoke (sports specific) ‘real world’ solutions that ensure the systematic identification, confirmation and development of precocious sporting talent.

Talent identification is but one small part of the journey an athlete makes from demonstrating an aptitude for sport to achieving excellence or demonstrating real genius.

Figure 3: A talent development pathway adopted by the British Triathlon Federation requiring athletes to demonstrate progress to move up to the next level.

Foundations for Talent (Sporting Talent 4)

Norman Brook recently presented a paper on the practice of identifying, confirming and developing sporting talent at a seminar in Fortaleza, Brazil, organised through the International Inspiration programme and hosted by the state government of Ceara.  Brazil will host the Summer Olympic Games in 2016 and identifying and developing talent in Olympic sports will be high on the nations agenda.  The fourth extract from the paper is featured below and two more will be published here over the next  week.

FOUNDATIONS FOR TALENT

“There is little evidence that talent identification is the “key” to talent development. Play and sampling during childhood, and deliberate practice, commitment, desire, willingness to work hard, and good coaching during adolescence are more pervasive predictors of expertise. These traits are built throughout a young athletes’ career, not identified in childhood.”

Fraser-Thomas and Cote (2007) here suggest that the two important factors in developing talent are the individuals experience in childhood and adolescence. In childhood the foundations of long term participation an excellence are established through play and the sampling of sport.  In adolescence, individual motivation and a quality sports experience allowing talent to develop.

The foundations for participation and excellence in sport are established in young people during their early years in play, sport and physical education.  Balyi (2005) has described three development stages in childhood:

• Active Start (0-6 years);
• FUNdamentals (6-8/9 years);
• Learn to Play and Practice (8/9-11/13 years).

It is during childhood that young person develops physical literacy, a prerequisite for both life-long participation and excellence in sport.

Physical Literacy is defined by Delaney et al (2008) as “the ability to use body management, locomotor and object control skills in a competent manner, with the capacity to apply them with confidence in settings which may lead to sustained involvement in sport and physical recreation.”

Balyi (2005) suggests that there are two phases where those with an aptitude for a sport build the physical and mental capabilities required to achieve excellence in sport:

• Training to Train (11/13-15/16 years);
• Training to Compete (15/16–21/23 years);

The “training to train” and “training to compete” phases are built on the foundations of physical literacy and are where talent is identified, confirmed and developed.

Talent Confirmation (Sporting Talent 3)

Norman Brook recently presented a paper on the practice of identifying, confirming and developing sporting talent at a seminar in Fortaleza, Brazil, organised through the International Inspiration programme and hosted by the state government of Ceara.  Brazil will host the Summer Olympic Games in 2016 and identifying and developing talent in Olympic sports will be high on the nations agenda.  The third extract from the paper is featured below and others will be publshed here over the next few weeks.

Talent identification systems will identify individuals with attributes that suggest an aptitude for a sport.  Although potential may exist, real talent can only be confirmed by engaging with the individual in a specific sports training environment.  In this setting talent can be confirmed by assessing additional qualities including:

• the individual’s level of maturation;
• their desire, belief and persistence to be the best;
• whether they are receptive to coaching and support;
• their commitment to programme goals;
• their ability to learn;
• their physiological response to training;
• their games/tactical intelligence;
• their results in a competitive environment.

The assessment of these and other key qualities is summative and should take place through a coach lead talent confirmation programme.

Norman Brook contributes to the Expert Panel on Sporting Talent

Those athletes deemed through talent confirmation programmes to have exceptional talent can then be supported to develop through to becoming an elite performer.  Such programmes will provide confirmed talent with:

 

• Superior Coaching;
• Training Camps, Training & Competition Guidance;
• Technical analysis and discipline/role specific input;
• Sports science and medicine support;
• Access to appropriate training facilities and equipment;
• Lifestyle Support – Financial/Education

The fourth of our blogs on talent identification and development will be published shortly and will examine the foundations of talent.

Finding Talent (Sporting Talent 2)

Norman Brook recently presented a paper on the practice of identifying, confirming and developing sporting talent at a seminar in Fortaleza, Brazil, organised through the International Inspiration programme and hosted by the state government of Ceara.  Brazil will host the Summer Olympic Games in 2016 and identifying and developing talent in Olympic sports will be high on the nations agenda.  The second extract from the paper is featured below and others will be publshed here over the next few weeks.

There are a number of different approaches taken to finding talent in sport including:

• Talent Selection;
• Generic Talent ID;
• Bespoke (Sports Specific) Talent ID;
• Talent Transfer;
• Online Talent ID.

Talent Selection

Selecting individuals on the basis of their performance in a particular sport is a common method of talent identification but the pool of available talent is limited to those already participating in the sport.  This method is effective in sports that attract high levels of participation.

Where the sport involves objective measures of performance, selection is largely based on age related performance standards.  Coaches may also take other factors, such as the athlete’s physique or age, into consideration.

In team sport, or sports where performance is subjective rather than objective, selection is often based on the observations of a talent scout.  Professional sports teams often to send out scouts to search for the next generation talent amongst the better youth teams.

Talent selection may be less effective when used as a strategy in those sports that do not enjoy high levels of participation as it limits pool of potential talent in that sport.

Generic Talent Identification

Talent identification involves the identification of individuals not yet participating in a particular sport.  It is not that they are not participating in sport, but rather that they are not yet participating in that sport, or are specialising in another sport.

General talent identification strategies were a feature of sport in Eastern Europe during the “Cold War” period.  In East Germany, a furtherance-system existed for young people aged 6 to 10 years (or older). Sport-teachers at school were encouraged to look for certain talents (aptitudes) in all pupils. For older pupils it was then possible for those demonstrating an aptitude to attend a secondary-school with a focus on sports.

In recent years national generic talent identification systems have been developed in countries such as Australia, Brazil and Northern Ireland.  The challenge of such initiatives is that they need to be accompanied by talent confirmation and development systems to be successful.  The aptitudes these programmes measure are not sports specific and the individuals identified as having desirable characteristics for sport need to be further assessed in a specific sports environment before the existance of talent can be confirmed.  This requires a talent confirmation and development process to be in place for each sport that is accessible to the young people undertaking generic talent testing.

The resources required to deliver generic talent identification are far less than that required to deliver talent confirmation and development programmes. There is therefore a danger that generic testing will not be effective in identifying talent where insufficient resources are assigned to talent confirmation and development.

A question that needs to be asked of generic talent identification programmes is, are they more or less successful at identifying talent than the delivery of youth sport programmes aimed at learning to play and practice sport? Teaching young people fundamental movement and sports skills during the skill hungry years of 8 to 11/13, adopting a sports specific approach to talent selection  an approach thats combines the assessment of skill, physical performance and attitude, may be prove more effective.

There is also a question as to the age at which young people are assessed.  In Brazil testing takes place from 10-17 years and in Australia from 12-22 years.  Consideration needs to be given to whether assessment should be based on age or stage of development.  Does testing fit with long term participant/athlete development reflecting those periods of a young person’s life where skill and certain physical qualities can be optimally developed?

 

 

The “Descoberta do Talento Esportivo” programme in Brazil applies the following physical and physiological tests:

 

 

• Height
• Body Mass
• Measurement Scale
• Flexibility (sit and reach)
• Strength-endurance (abdominal)
• Explosive strength (horizontal jump)
• Medicine-ball throw
• Speed (square test)
• peed (race 20 meters)
• Endurance Test (nine minutes)

 In Australia, General Talent Identification testing comprises the following tests:

• Standing Height
• Body Mass
• Arm Span
• Push-Ups
• Vertical Jump
• 40m Sprint
• Option A: 20m Shuttle Run Test
• Option B: 1.6Km

 Bespoke (Sports Specific) Talent Identification

A number of different sports have bespoke talent identification programmes that measure those aptitudes felt to be most important if success is to be achieved in the sport.  Bespoke TID initiatives focus on selected physical, performance and skill characteristics specific to success in that sport.  In rowing for example, height, body mass and arm length are important factors. These are assessed along with endurance and power measred by means of rowing ergometer testing.

A sport like soccer will focus on assessment of a person’s skills on the soccer field as well as their speed, agility and quickness.

The following examples show the bespoke talent assessment measures adopted by two of the World’s leading triathlon nations.  Note that swimming and running performance are the key talent identification factors and that cycling is not assessed.   

Triathlon Australia	British Triathlon
Standing Height Body Mass 100m Swim Time Trial 1000m Swim Time Trial 400m Run Time Trial 5000m Run Time Trial	200m or 400m swim time 16 years and under 200m, 17 years and older 400m 1000m, 1500m or 3000m run time 12 years and under 1000m, 16 years and under 1500m, 17 years and older 3000m Times combined and points awarded.

Talent Transfer

Talent transfer follows a similar approach to bespoke (sports specific) talent identification with the exception that the individuals being targeted have already demonstrated talent in another sport.  They may have achieved all they can in that sport or failed to reach the “excellence” level and have decided to try out for an alternative sport.

Examples of talent transfer programmes reported in the United Kingdom include:

• Gymnasts transferring to Olympic Diving;
• All Sports (1.90+ Men/1.80m+ Women) to Rowing, Basketball, Handball (Sporting Giants)
• Swimmer/Runners transferring to Triathlon (TriGold)
• Soccer/Rugby Players transferring to Bob Skeleton, Hockey, Athletics (Pitch2Podium)
• All Sports (Women) to cycling, bob skeleton, canoeing, modern pentathlon, rowing, and sailing, (Girls4Gold).
• Swimmers, rowers and surf-lifesavers transferring to Sprint Kayaking.

Successful talent transfers contributed to Team GB’s Olympic medal tally in 2006 and 2008 in the sports of Cycling, Bob Skeleton, and Rowing.

Online Talent Identification

Young people are increasingly using the internet as a means of communicating.  Online talent identification programmes allow young people to “self assess” their aptitude for a sport and to register their performances and personal details with a sport.  Two good examples of these are the online systems operated by the Australian Sports Commission and the British Triathlon Federation.

The third of our blogs on talent identification and development will be published shortly and will examine the issue of talent confirmation.