Talent in sports. Some reflections about the search for future champions

Abstract

Abstract. The goal of this paper is to look into the issue of talent identification in sports. Over the last decade researchers tried to get a better insight into how future elite athletes can be selected at young age. The findings reported in this review reveal that elite athletes originate from an optimal combination of intrinsic competences (e.g., physical, technical, psychological) and extrinsic, contextual factors (e.g., training, parents). The identification process that focuses on measuring intrinsic competences should be multidimensional in nature. Moreover, valid interpretations of the potential of the youngsters require longitudinal testing. Finally, the best talent detection program will be useless unless a high quality follow-up is guaranteed through well-designed training programmes in which coaches and PE-teachers play a crucial role. Therefore, the interaction and cooperation of coaches and scientists offer great opportunities to advance the knowledge in the area of talent identification. Key words: Talent detection, talent development, sportsRésumé. Talent dans le sport. Quelques réflexions sur la recherche de futurs champions.Le but de ce papier est de se pencher sur la question de l'identification de talent dans le domaine du sport. Au cours de la dernière décennie les chercheurs ont essayé d'obtenir un meilleur aperçu de la façon dont les futurs athlètes d'élite peuventêtre sélectionnés. Les résultats présentés dans cetté etude révèlent que les athlètes d'élite proviennent d'une combinaison optimale des compétences intrinsèques (par exemple, génétique, physique, technique, psychologique) et extrinsèque (les facteurs contextuels comme par exemple, l'entraînement, le coaching, le support des parents). Le processus d'identification qui se concentre sur la mesure des compétences intrinsèques doitêtre de nature multidimensionnelle. En outre, des interprétations valides du potentiel des jeunes exigent une approche longitudinale. Enfin, le meilleur programme de détection de talent sera inutile, sauf si une qualité de suivi est garantie grâceà des programmes de formation bien conçus dans lesquels les entraîneurs et les professeurs d'éducation physique jouent un rôle crucial. Par conséquent, l'interaction et la coopération des entraîneurs et des scientifiques sont essentielles pour faire progresser les connaissances dans le domaine de l'identification des talents.

The influence of speed abilities and technical skills in early adolescence on adult success in soccer: A long-term prospective analysis using ANOVA and SEM approaches

“…However, particularly in popular sports, the selection process is a huge challenge, because there are so many talented athletes who compete for only a few positions in adult elite sport. Moreover, talent prognosis seems to be exceedingly difficult in sports with a complex, multi-dimensional performance profile [ 3 ]. Soccer possesses both of these attributes.…”

Relationship between power condition, agility, and speed performance among young roller hockey elite players

“…Presumably, it seems evident that young people who have superior technical ability prevail and are assigned to become elite athletes [4], and, usually, when they are above average for their age regarding the positive determinants at the anthropometric level, they tend to be advanced at biological maturity, leading to an obvious interest into the pattern of sports performance. Still in the multifactorial model mentioned above, the relevant measures include stamina, speed, muscular strength, power, flexibility, agility, body composition, and somatotype [3].…”

The Impact of Siblings During Talent Development: A Longitudinal Examination in Sport

“…Recently, there have been numerous calls to understand TD pathways through modification of the methodology employed. Buekers, Borry, and Rowe (2015) stress the importance of longitudinal design to explore the dynamic and interactive nature of the broad TD environment. They further suggest that this contradicts the simple linearity of talent prediction methods such as a prediction curve; which can be unhelpful due to the multifaceted nature of performance development.…”