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Identifying and developing talented athletes to their fullest potential is a central concern of sport scientists, sports coaches, and sports policy makers. The second edition of this popular text offers a state of the science synthesis of current knowledge in talent identification and development in sport, from the biological basis of talent to the systems and processes within sport through which that talent is nurtured.
Written by a team of leading international experts, the book explores key factors and issues in contemporary sport, including:
- nature and nurture in the development of sporting talent
- designing optimal developmental environments
- long-term modelling of athlete development
- understanding the complexity of talent selection
- in-depth case studies of successful talent development systems.
With an emphasis on practical implications for all those working in sport, the book offers an authoritative evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary systems for identifying and developing talent in sport. This is important reading for any student, researcher, or practitioner with an interest in skill acquisition, youth sport, elite sport, sports coaching, or sports development.
List of contents
1. Talent Identification and Development in Sport: An Introduction to a Field of Expanding Research and Practice
2. Talent Development in Sport: Moving beyond Nature and Nurture
3. The Talent Development Process as Enhancing Athlete Functionality: Creating Forms of Life in an Ecological Niche
4.Talent Selection: Making Decisions and Prognoses about Athletes
5. One Day at a Time: Steps to Optimizing the Daily Training Environment for Talent Development
6. The Shifting Sands of Time: Maturation and Athlete Development
7. Athlete Development in Norwegian Handball
8. Finding Talent and Establishing the Road to Excellence in Table Tennis - The Dutch Case
9. The Role of Skill Acquisition Specialists in Talent Development
10. Rough Draft: The Accuracy of Athlete Selection in North American Professional Sports
11. High Speed on the Ice: Talent Development in Dutch Long Track Speed Skating
12. 'Wide and emergent - narrow and focussed': A Dual-pathway Approach to Talent Identification and Development in England Rugby Union
13. How Similarities and Differences between Sports Lead to Talent Transfer: A Process Approach
14. More Lessons Learned: Future Research in Talent Identification and Development
Summary
With an emphasis on practical implications for those working in sport, Talent Identification and Development in Sport: International Perspectives 2e offers an authoritative evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary systems for identifying and developing talent in sport.
Report
"This text provides a rich source of knowledge and understanding about talent development and blends academic theory with the real world of sport effectively". Dr Andrew Balsdon, PD for Sport Coaching Science, Canterbury Christ Church University.
