Thursday 1 November 2012

Talent identification...


The process of detecting, identifying, and selecting talent is an enormous and difficult challenge that has long been discussed by National Sport Associations, coaches and sport science experts, among others.

Currently, the majority of organizations have talent identification or talent emergence programs in place, with all of them having similar fundamental characteristics varying by sport. The challenges are that skills and aptitudes shown at a young age do not automatically translate into performance, talent is not always apparent by observation alone and that 'chance' can be a big factor in identifying athletes with the best potential for success.

Here compiled articles/links that cover talent identification, Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD), the importance of giving late bloomers a chance, and information on young athletes...




Numerous methods of talent identification are in use today given that there are many sport professionals wish to have a better understanding of the process by which one achieves greatness in sports. Elite athletes in all sports have to repeatedly perform under high pressure and at a high level. It is therefore not surprising that many researchers are focusing on the concepts of self-regulation and resilience.

Talent Identification


Talent Identificantion and Development Programmes in Sport current models and future directions.



Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) focuses on the general framework of athlete development with special reference to growth, maturation and development, trainability, and sport system alignment and integration. It incorporates information from a number of sources. It draws on the experiences of various athlete development projects that have been implemented by a variety of National Sport Associations and around the world since the mid-1990s. 

Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD)




Late Bloomers - Bob Bigalow is a youth sports speaker in the United States who advocates fully meeting the needs of children as the top priority in youth sports programs, and provides new approaches for positive change in youth sports. Bob has big opinions and in this article he discusses the current youth development mentality in sports in North America, how it should be changed to prevent burnout and loss of interest in athletes and his aims to promote identification of talent in older children. The worry is that, with the youth sports system the way it is now, the 13 year old boy who looks 10 will have long since given up sports before he even realizes what his athletic potential might have been.

 Genetic tests for ability?




Young Athletes -In most countries throughout the world, the organization of youth sport has become increasingly professionalized. As a consequence, it is not uncommon for some young child athletes to have had five years of training and competition experience before the age of ten. Those countries intent upon maximizing their talent pool for future medal success, or when funding resources are scarce and need to be prioritized, often use the “catch them when they are young” philosophy as a fall back strategy. Currently there is no definition for a trained or elite child athlete although growth, maturation and development are often used interchangeably, they should not be confused, as each identifies a separate domain of child development. 

 Young Athletes Toolkit