Navigating the winds of change on the smooth sea - The interaction of feedback and emotional disruption on the talent pathway

Abstract

Research on the developmental trajectories of performers is increasingly focusing on the nature of challenge in talent development. This study sought to investigate the interaction of challenge, emotional disruption and impactful feedback in the talent pathway. Employing a pre-post design, a group of eight junior international rugby league players were interviewed prior to and following their senior transitional season. Data were collected through two semi structured interviews and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.Participants progressed through a pathway that was perceived to be devoid of challenge until the start of the senior transition. At this stage, however, frequent emotional disturbances were experienced, associated with a greater personal weighting of the feedback provided. Findings suggest that events and feedback that were emotionally laden were a critical element of their developmental experience.

Psychological Safety in High-Performance Sport: Contextually Applicable?

“…In contrast, within the HPS setting and its additional complexity of various hierarchies of performers, coaches, and staff, there is the potential for multiple sub-groups to exist (those who are selected, or in receipt of higher levels of funding, or salary). On this basis, along with highly variable individual responses to events, it is problematic to classify an environment based on the shared perceptions of all those who inhabit it (Taylor and Collins, 2021b ). Thus, any call to create psychologically safe environments appears overly simplistic (Deng et al, 2017 ).…”

“…This body of work offers further evidence that PS is fragile and, depending on the context, has the potential to hinder performance. Indeed, for optimal long-term development in HPS, there is a wide body of evidence that supports the potentially beneficial exposure to environments where it is not entirely safe to fail (Collins et al, 2016 ; John et al, 2019 ; Taylor and Collins, 2021b ).…”

Happy Birthday? Relative Age Benefits and Decrements on the Rocky Road

“…Accordingly, there appears to be increasing evidence pointing to the interaction of challenge and psycho-behavioural skills [37][38][39]. This need for athletes to be challenged in their development has been accepted from a variety of research perspectives [30,40,41].…”

‘Just Let Them Play’: Complex Dynamics in Youth Sport, Why It Isn’t So Simple

“…Illustrative of the complexity, it is clear that some players needed periods of carefully managed challenge-full and less enjoyable activity to support their long-term participation (cf. Taylor and Collins, 2019 , 2021 ). Highlighting the complexity at the heart of the domain, this may read as contradicting the need to develop perceived competence.…”

“…All of which have the potential to significantly mediate the coaching process ( Pankhurst et al, 2013 ). This is both a result of the number of different perspectives offered to young people, but also their individual biopsychosocially mediated response to their experiences and the input they receive ( Taylor and Collins, 2021 ). The need for coherent messaging is a well-established feature of effective TD practice ( Martindale et al, 2005 ; Henriksen and Stambulova, 2017 ), yet is problematic for the majority of coaching contexts ( Webb et al, 2016 ).…”