Free Talent Identification Case Study Example

Introduction

Identification of talent in athletes is challenging, but important, because it can lead to the potential for understanding the lifelong development of athletes who compete for prolonged periods of time. In analyzing these conditions it is evident that there is a benefit to understanding the underlying principles associated with lifelong development. This demonstrates the fact that “it takes eight to twelve years of training for a talented athlete to reach elite level” (Balyi 2001, p. 1). Understanding the physical and mental conditions under which athletic talent can thrive is essential in developing a commitment to these priorities and their related value. These values present the need to understand the basic priorities of these athletic talents. Therefore, identification of key concepts is an essential aspect in the development of athletic capabilities throughout an individual's life, making the early discovery of talent essential in maximizing the potential for performance in an athlete.

Identify the selected key concepts

It is essential to understand the fundamental difference between early and late specialization in sports. Early specialization sports require an early adoption of the specific talents desired for those sports, such as gymnastics or figure skating (Balyi 2001, p. 2). On the other hand, late specialization training is for sports that utilize teamwork such as, athletics or team based sports, and require a more basic, or well-rounded, training program early on. In this type of training, it is necessary to develop the fundamental movement skills that are the cornerstones of all athletic development” (Balyi 2001, p. 2). These concepts should also be considered in determining the underlying value of specific developmental factors within the lives of athletes. Furthermore, there is an inherent need to understand how these skills develop throughout the lives of those who take part in these activities. This demonstrates the need for analysis in regards to the capacity for these factors to have an effect on the capabilities of those in question.
Another concept that should be considered is the idea of potential, which suggests that the efforts of the individual throughout their athletic careers will not necessarily determine the success of their endeavors. This demonstrates the idea that “future talent can be predicted on the basis of outstanding performance in key transferable skills” (Abbott 2006, p. 62). These skills should be scrutinized in regards to the preconditioning that an individual receives prior to the acquisition of their capabilities by talent seekers. There must be a commitment to the pursuit of the athletic endeavor in order to establish a higher potential for success. Research suggests that it is necessary to allow “10 years of developmental opportunities” as way to ensure that the individual “is required to excel” (Abbott 2006, p. 62). This is a central idea in regards to these endeavors and the realities of their potential consequences. The conception of the underlying principles of this development should be understood in regards to the capacity of those in question to exceed early on.
The difficulty in determining the current maturity level of a specific value, constraints on performance due to non-genetic factors, and limited data regarding adaptability and potential demonstrate barriers to understanding the most effective methods for development (Abbott 2006, p. 63). These issues present another consideration of the concepts that are related to this idea. It is evident that “psycho-behaviors are seen as key tools in positively facilitating the interaction of an individual with their environment and enabling successful negotiation of a path to excellence” (Abbott 2006, p. 78). This suggests that for successful navigation of the sports arena, the early development of specific motor and mental skills is necessary to further the enhancement of the individual's potential.
One of the major aspects that must be taken into account in this respect is the basic biological reality of athletic practitioners. This reality is based in the complex and dynamic development of the human body over long periods of time. There is no static physiology that can help to present an ideal source of identification for these ideas. For this reason, it is important to account for “measurable changes in body shape and structure” (Bailey 2010, p. 1). This demonstrates the concept of dynamic evaluation, which must be considered in regards to these implications. In this sense, it seems that “effective talent development will recognize and cater for the varied pathways and different challenges individuals will face as they progress up the pathway” (Bailey 2010, p. 2). This progression is determined by the application of an inherent doubt within the data collection that can help to provide important insight into the developmental process. This insight is presented in light of an important reality. This demonstrates the need for “mental skills, such as imagery or goal setting, as well as the attitudes, emotions and desires young athletes need to successfully realize their potential” (Bailey 2010, p. 2). This potential presents an important example in regards to the implications of these developmental processes.
One source of evidence for this idea is in the way that talent is discovered and recruited in this respect. This is determined in relation to the idea that “successful players poses certain key anthropocentric and performance characteristics as important selection variables” (Cicirk 2007, p. 188). In this sense, the physiological features are a fundamental aspect in regards to understanding how motor skills develop and how these developments can be applied to the overall realities of these processes. This is due to the fact that “before puberty, children rely on aerobic energy production more than adult players” (Cicirk 2007, p. 190). This is a factor that must be taken into account in order to determine the most efficient application of recruitment opportunities.
The challenge is the application of specific directives that can help to determine the most successful means of motor development for those youths that are being recruited. This process can be determined in association with the underlying principles of physical well-being and mental fortitude that are viewed as essential by those that are looking for prospective recruits. This is further implied in the fact that “relatively younger athletes are selected for further talent developmental programmes as well as later levels of selection” (Schorer 2009, p. 53). The development of motor skills across the lifespans of those in question will be essentially determined by these factors as well as the implications involved in the corresponding relationship that these individuals have with their specific purposes in regards to the sports that they are being trained for.
This demonstrates the importance of viewing these realities in relation to the principles of development that best fit the corresponding talent that is needed for these individuals. Their motor skill development must be understood in relation to the specific purposes of their athletic pursuits. This demonstrates the need for an approach “that combines both scientific observations and intuitive judgments in the identification” (Veale 2011, p. 3). The mental aspects involved will also be understood in regards to the competitive advantage that this might give them in their athletic development. This is necessary due to the implications that it has on the procedural outcomes of their intended goals. “This highlights the significance of identifying and selecting the most talented junior athletes from amongst their peers” (Veale 2011, p. 30). In this respect, there is an essential purpose involved in the analysis of these talents. In understanding the basic development of motor skills a more coherent framework for talent acquisition can be determined. Those who are seeking talent can have a better idea of the potential for an athlete's talent to develop in a specific way. They can develop better strategies for recruitment by understanding who has more potential for development.
These concepts can be understood in relation to the corresponding realities that are inherent in the development of motor skills throughout the early careers of athletes. This has presented the need to understand the capabilities of those being scouted in a more thorough way. “Current scouting and talent identification procedures are becoming increasingly more multidimensional, comprised of a variety of anthropometric, psychological and interpersonal assesments” (Gee 2010, p. 2). These various traits are believed to be the essential charcteristics in determining the capacity of an individual in their potential to succeed at the sports that they are competing in. “Therefore, rather than being a strong predictor of within competition or short-term performance metrics (e.g., daily or weekly performance), personality’s predictive contributions are believed to be much more valid and reliable when assessed long-term” (Gee 2010, p. 4). In this way, the long-term study of these ideas can help to determine the corresponding talents that are inherent in the athletic capabilities of those involved.
One major outcome of studying these factors is the capacity that the younger individuals have to develop skills that are outside of their current mode of understanding. This is a necessary element in understanding the relationship that the development of motor skills has had to the outcomes that have been studies. These concepts are necessary in understanding the capacity of an individual within a specific athletic endeavor. In any case, “it is clear that a lot of time and energy is needed to perform at the highest level in sports” (Elferink-Gemser 2013, p. 6). For this reason, analysis of specific motor skills should be predicated on the long-term benefits of specific actions that are undertaken within these conceptions. It is beneficial to develop a more coherent framework for the corresponding challenges that will be faced in this relationship. These ideas are necessary to consider in relation to the values that are presented in the process of determining those specific characteristics that are desired for the continuation of training opportunities for those involved.

Consider how each of the selected concepts and principles can be applied with clear guidance to practitioners

The study has concluded that there are various potentials that can be realized, which correspond to the specific needs of each individual. These potentials, as they relate to the underlying values of these needs, should be considered in the long term analysis of these themes. This demonstrates that there are various challenges to the study of these physical characteristics that should be considered in analysis of these related concepts. “Developmental patterns vary from person to person and, even within one individual, different components develop at different rates” (Wolstencraft 2002, p. 5). These rates are essentially based in the conditions that are presented through the lens of the study.
The tendency to understand talent on a purely physical basis presents limitations that must be considered. These considerations should be understood in regards to the capacity of the inherent frameworks to challenge the limitations of their capabilities. This has resulted in “an oversimplified concept of sporting talent exists where the focus has typically been on discrete, one-dimensional measures at unstable periods in the athlete’s development” (Abbott 2006). This demonstrates that the conception of these ideas should be understood in regards to the capacity of the challenges that they face. The development of motor skills throughout their lives should be considered in relation to the aspects that have been developed in this way.
Understanding the development of those involved in these studies in relation to both the physical characteristics that they are born with as well as the potential realities that they are presented with throughout their lives, and their ability to meet the expectations that are presented to them. These ideas can be determined in relation to the aspects of the structures that have been instigated in relation to them. “A conceptual framework that acknowledges both genetic and environmental influences and considers the dynamic and multidimensional nature of sport talent” (Vaeyens 2008). This talent can be primarily understood in relation to the corresponding values that are associated with the physical development of the individual.
Focusing and creating new pathways is, therefore, an important aspect in the development of this criteria. This is evident in the suggestion that is given through the careful analysis of these concepts. “Structural and philosophical change in youth sport” can help to create various ways that enable young people in “developing their personal talents” (Vealy 2015, p. 202). This is an important idea in regards to the capacity of these ideas to present elements of relief to those who are participating in these programs. This can further help to develop a more appropriate resolve for the establishment of future endeavors. By developing psycho behavioral skills in young people, “a little less talent and the ability to work very hard” in place of those who have a lot of talent but “do not work hard” (Vealy 2015, p. 202). These challenges can, therefore, be overcome through careful observation and examination of the underlying features of these cohesive activities. This is further demonstrated in the fact that “evaluation maturation levels in relation to body size and characteristics, coordination in a wide range of fundamental motor skills” (Vealy 2015, p. 204). These factors essentially work to provide a more accurate narrative of the challenge that is faced in developing lifetime motor skills throughout the careers of athletes.

Conclusion:

Understanding the fundamental differences between early and late adoption of sports is necessary in developing successful strategies for recruiting talent. Analysis of the conception of potential and its impact on the lifelong development of athletes is also important. Maturity of the athlete, their genetic capacity, and the general lack of information regarding these ideas should also be considered. Biological characteristics and the athlete's specific disposition to various qualities or traits is a necessary element in determining the future success of an individual. For this reason, the limitations of an athlete's capabilities based on their motor skills or other biological conditions can help to establish a basis of their value as potential recruitment assets. However, it is also important to look at factors, such as the individual's personal motivation, in addition to their talent. Analysis of their history, where they are born, how they have struggled, and what their values and goals are should also be considered important to the recruiter. In developing criteria that focus on these specific conditions a more cohesive strategy for discovering talent in athletes can be achieved.

References

Abbott, A.J. 2006, Talent Identification and Development in Sports. Edinburgh Research Archive.
Bailey, R & Collins, D 2010, Participant Development in Sport: An Academic Review Participant Development in Sport: An Academic Review. Sports Coach. 138.
Balyi I. 2001, Sport System Building and Long-term Athlete Development in British Columbia. Canada: Sportsmed BC.
Cicirk, L & Scott, D 2007, General and special physical fitness levels in young football player, Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. 187-191.
Elferink-Gemser, M.T. 2013, Olympia exists Pushing boundaries for talented athletes Talent Identification and Development in Sports Research. HAN University of Applied Sciences Press.
Faber, I 2011, A first step to an evidence-based talent identification program in the Netherlands; a research proposal. The 12th ITTF Sports Science Congress.
Gee, C.J. 2010, Should coaches use personality assessments in the talent identification process? A 15 year predictive study on professional hockey players. International Journal of Coaching Science, Vol. 4 No. 1.
Pepping, GJ 2005, Unnatural Selection: Talent Identification and Development in Sports, Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences, Vol. 9, No. 1.
Radtke, S 2014, A cross-cultural comparison of talent identification and development in Paralympic sports. Freie University.
Schorer, J 2009, Relative age, talent identification and youth skill development: Do relatively younger athletes have superior technical skills? Talent Development & Excellence Vol. 1, No. 1, 2009, 45-56.
Toohey, K 2013, Talent Identification and Development: The Role of Sport Management. EASM.
Vaeyens, R 2008, Talent Identification and Development Programmes in Sport. Sports Medicine, Volume 38, Issue 9, pp 703-714.
Veale, J.P. 2011, Physilological Assessment in Talent Acquisition. Victoria University. 278.
Vealey, R & Chase, M 2015, Best Practice for Youth Sport: Science and Strategies for Positive Athlete Experiences. Human Kinetics. 432.
Wolstencroft, E 2002, Talent Identification and Development: An Academic Review. Caledonia House.