Talent Identification In Sport Research Articles

Linear jerk variability evaluation in measurements of motor control trainability: Could kinematic variables encompass information about strength and dynamic balance?

As the natural conclusion of talent identification in sports, talent development is the process that involves improving biomechanical capacities and bio-motor abilities. The development progress can be objectively assessed and monitored through measurements of trainability. This study introduces a practical methodology to assess motor control as a trainable factor using kinematic data. The study focused on establishing the relationship between kinematic data and changes in muscle strength and dynamic balance. It illustrates how wearable technology can assess trainability during a functional training programme. Twenty-six female university students were selected and divided into intervention and control groups to investigate motor control trainability. The intervention group performed step aerobics exercises for 24 sessions. A single inertial measurement unit (IMU) mounted on S1 captured the oscillatory motion profiles of the centre of mass during these rhythmic exercises. Analysis revealed that the amplitude of linear jerk variability in different anatomical planes could reflect core and lower limb muscle strengthening caused by training. Furthermore, the results indicated that the dynamic balance adaptation to the changing tempo throughout the training programme was dictated primarily by step width. The mediolateral linear jerk variability reflected this adaptation. The minimum instrumentation approach proposed by this study could prove very practical for the talent development monitoring. The methodology illustrates how the recorded kinematic data from an appropriately placed single IMU could become an information-rich source for the coach to monitor, assess and quantify the trainee's progress during long-term athletic development.

Sports talent identification and development in Tanzanian secondary schools: what are the constraints and negotiation strategies?

ABSTRACT Secondary schools are regarded as vehicles for spotting and developing students’ sports talent. Some constraints often prevent students from developing their sports talent. Since there is hardly any study conducted to establish negotiation strategies toward alleviating the constraints for developing students’ sports talent, this study therefore, based on qualitative research conducted in seven public secondary schools in Tanzania, determined the constraints and negotiation strategies toward identifying and developing sports talent. The study identified several constraints including inappropriate considerations of diversity for students in sports programmes, inappropriate sequence and supervision of sports programmes, limited sports facilities and equipment, competitive atmosphere as well as inadequate human resources and time allotted for sports talent programmes. Similarly, increasing the supply of human, physical and time resources, ensuring practices with consideration of training hours and strategic planning with adherence to sports policy were identified as the negotiation strategies toward alleviating the constraints toward sports talent identification and development.

Results of the Sports Talent Identification test for Management Information Systems: Borneo Sports Talent ID Software Implementation

This research resulted in a data processing system application program for sports talent identification test results aged 11-15 years, which can accelerate the provision of information about the classification of potentially gifted children and recommendations for sports branches based on anthropometric data parameters and biometric data. The sample in the study was 50 students in Samarinda Kota and Samarinda Ulu sub-districts using the cluster area sampling technique. The data collection technique uses a talent identification test battery instrument. In completing this research, the author uses a database-based programming language in the Borneo Sports Talent ID software. The results showed: (1) Borneo Sports Talent ID can be used as a system for processing data on talent identification results effectively and efficiently, (2) Talent classifications were found, namely: 10% of children have potential, 22% of children have sufficient potential, 32% of children have less potential, and 36% of children have no potential, (3) Recommendations for potential sports: volleyball, rowing, soccer, fencing, swimming, gymnastics, and rock climbing, and athletics in running, jumping, and throwing events.

Optimizing sports development: Identifying and prioritizing key indicators for professional and competitive sports

This study aimed to analyze the impact of professional and competitive sports on overall sports development, with a specific focus on identifying and prioritizing key indicators influencing sports development in these domains. To achieve this objective, a mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. During the qualitative phase, experts were interviewed to determine the critical indicators for each component, while the quantitative phase involved surveys of sports managers and professors to collect data on the identified indicators. The findings of the study revealed that talent identification emerged as the foremost priority for competitive sports, underscoring its crucial role in fostering success in this realm. On the other hand, organizational effectiveness was identified as a critical factor for professional sports development. The quantitative results obtained provided empirical evidence that supported and reinforced the qualitative insights derived from the study. In the context of competitive sports, the study identified the development of systematic talent identification and youth nurturing platforms as the most vital requirement. Conversely, in the professional sports sector, enhancing organizational capabilities, governance, and commercial strategies were recognized as the top priorities. These results serve to emphasize the necessity for tailored strategies, investments, and policies that are specifically designed to enhance organizational effectiveness in professional sports and maximize talent identification in competitive sports. The evidence-based understanding of sports development priorities gained from this study holds the potential to foster a vibrant sporting culture that encompasses both grassroots participation and elite achievements.

Development of the Talent Identification Questionnaire in Soccer for Outfield Players (TIDQ-OP): Coaches’ perceptions of the key attributes for player recruitment

ABSTRACT Talent identification in sports is a complex process, whereby the aim is to identify, select and promote players who are considered to have the necessary skills and competencies (e.g., technical, tactical, and physical attributes) to succeed in senior adult competition. To support this process, this study focused on the development of a questionnaire to assist in the identification of talent among South African youth soccer players. This will establish a measure of the attributes coaches consider important when making talent identification decisions for outfield soccer players. The questionnaire was constructed following established instrument development phases. In phase 1, 61 questionnaire items were generated based on a review of the relevant literature. In phase 2, a panel of experts examined the content validity of the preliminary items. In phase 3, the provisional 59-item questionnaire (Talent Identification Questionnaire in Soccer for Outfield Players; TIDQ-OP) was administered to 173 experienced South African soccer coaches (130 males and 43 females) who ranged in age from 18 to 64 years. In phase 3, the factorial structure of the questionnaire was established through principal component analysis. The final questionnaire consisted of 58 items. These preliminary analyses indicate the usefulness of the TIDQ-OP as a tool to assist South African coaches in the identification and selection of talented players.

Relative Age Effect in Individual Sports. A Systematic Review

Relative Age Effect (RAE) refers to the influence that month birth could have over the performance of people born in the same year. Most RAE studies indicate that individuals born in the first quartiles of a given year may present biological, physical, cognitive, psychological advantages over those who were born in the last months of the same year. Such variations could affect performance, leading to overestimation of observed results at the evaluation time. Although RAE had become a well-studied phenomenon, few is known about the prevailing studies methodological characteristics, as well as the breakthroughs over the theme, particularly, in individual sports. Thus, this systematic review investigated the state of art of RAE in individual sports. Results reveal RAE was found among athletes of individual sports; most studies described RAE in individual sports, nevertheless, few established relations between RAE and other variables (i.e. anthropometry, technical performance.) besides the quarter of birth. Findings indicate most RAE studies in individual sports focus their methodologies and results on describing athletes’ percentage born in each quartile of the year. Therefore, the theme requires a new approach, focused on the relation of RAE with sports talent identification and athlete development processes in individual sports.

Modes and challenges in sports talent identification at senior high schools in Upper East Region, Ghana

Although there are athletic programmes at the senior high schools in the Upper East Region, the question is whether there are certain institutionalised programmes that help identify athletic talent and facilitate the development of student-athletes to the top of their athletic careers. This study was aimed at examining modes and challenges in sports talent identification in Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Upper East Region (UER) of Ghana. In this cross-sectional study, 203 sports coaches (100 men and 80 women sports coaches) in SHSs in the UER participated in the investigation. These group of individuals were chosen for the investigation since the core responsibility of identifying and developing sports talents lies with them. Data was collected using a questionnaire from which generalisation could be made about modes and challenges in sports talent identification. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were calculated using SPSS version 25 (data analysis software). The results of the study revealed that the common mode of identifying talented student-athletes was through observation by coaches (90.6%). Also, limited financial resources (82.3%), judging coaches’ competence by their teams’ performance in competitions (73.9%), and early talent identification (69.0%) were identified as major challenges in sports talent identification. In conclusion, most coaches employ the natural selection method in identifying sports talents, therefore, many sports talents in Senior High Schools in Upper East Region are over looked because they are not currently participating in the sports. Adequate financial resources are not allocated for sports talent identification in SHSs in the UER and much focus is placed on winning SHS competitions to the detriment of recognizing the potential for future success in sports performance among student-athletes.

Management Information System Data Processing Results of Sports Talent Identification Test: Borneo Sport Talent Id Software Implementation

This research resulted in a data processing system application program for sports talent identification test results aged 11-15 years which can accelerate the provision of information about the classification of potential gifted children and recommendations for sports branches based on anthropometric data parameters and biometric data. The sample in the study was 50 students in Samarinda Kota and Samarinda Ulu sub-districts using the cluster area sampling technique. The data collection technique uses a talent identification test battery instrument. In completing this research, the author uses a database-based programming language in the Borneo Sport Talent software. The results showed: (1) Borneo Sports Talent Id can be used as a system for processing data on talent identification results effectively and efficiently, (2) Talent classifications were found, namely: 10% of children have potential, 22% of children have sufficient potential, 32% of children have less potential, and 36% of children have no potential, (3) Recommendations for potential sports: volleyball, rowing, soccer, fencing, swimming, gymnastics, and rock climbing, and athletics in running, jumping, and throwing events.

Proposal for a New Sports Talent Identification System Based on the Tracking Phenomenon of Height

In sports talent discovery in Japan, a system has been built to effectively support athletes with contact maintained between regional and central sports organizations. However, while a certain effect has been achieved with this system, much still depends on tacit knowledge. That is, a discovery system based on scientific evidence has not yet been established. The system is especially lagging in terms of approaches from the field of growth and development research. The only such approach, as found by Fujii, is that height and athletic ability are independent phenomena, and if one wants to discover exceptional sports talent it is necessary to think about height and athletic ability independently. In this study, we attempted to analyze the tracking of tall and short heights in the junior (school-age) period from the perspective of physical growth science, by applying the application of the wavelet interpolation model. The results showed that a tracking phenomenon is seen with a high probability (about 90%) for both tall and short heights. This makes it possible to identify who will be tall and short in the future. Assessing the athletic ability of tall and short people independently and proposing a system that screens for people with high athletic ability can contribute to building a new system for the discovery of sports talent.

Genetic testing: A good use of resource in talent identification and development? – Comment on McAuley et al.

In this short commentary, I provide considerations for whether genetic testing is a worthwhile investment within sporting talent identification and development systems based upon the recent paper by McAuley and colleagues. In summary, these reflections suggest that genetic testing may not be a good use of resource within talent identification and development. This is because of the cost of genetic testing, the limited evidence for it’s use but more importantly the complexities of talent identification and development in sport that in reality cannot be solved by genetic testing.

A Multidimensional Conceptual Framework for Sport Talent Identification and Development in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

A Multidimensional Conceptual Framework for Sport Talent Identification and Development in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

Information communication and technology in sports: a meticulous review.

Sports of all kinds even though have an alluring property of keeping their onlookers stuck to their place, the introduction of Technology, however, revolutionized it all together. Not only in legal sports but also the training and teaching methods have been reformed. The use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) based technologies [Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Hawkeye, Computer vision, Artificial intelligence, etc.] has moderately increased the interactive nature of sports. Employing ICT-driven technologies have continuously been increasing performance levels due to which high effective performance levels have been achieved. In addition to offering information to the users, it also acts as a means for connecting and interacting with the remaining world. In this article, we provide a review of the studies considering the developments and impact of employing ICT technology on sports, especially cricket. The study has focussed on domain-specific developments in cricket sports: developments in the batting domain, bowling domain, and wicketkeeping as well. For the study, the analysis has been done following the PRISMA guidelines. The study found that even though the researchers have done justifiable work in employing technology in sports as a whole but the domain-specific contribution in sports like cricket is not at the level as is need of the hour. In addition to the mentioned domains in the study, the research should gain speed in other domains like domain-specific Talent Identification for both genders, different age groups, diverse sports, etc. undoubtedly, the sports domain is employing technology at a vast level but a few domains like sports talent identification especially related to the most famous games like cricket require an immediate and intense focus of the researchers. Since this domain is still carrying out a traditional coach-oriented approach. There is an acute need to revolutionize the domain by incorporating modern technologies into it.

Tech-Driven Talent Identification in Sports: Advancements and Implications

This commentary delves into the transformative role of technology in talent identification within the sports arena, marking a significant shift from traditional scouting methods to sophisticated, data-driven approaches. It explores the latest advancements in technology, including artificial intelligence, biometric analysis, and advanced data analytics, and how they revolutionize the identification and nurturing of sporting talent. The commentary provides a critical comparison between conventional practices and modern technological methods, highlighting the increased accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity that technology offers. It also addresses the broader implications of these advancements, including ethical considerations like privacy and data security, and their impact on athletes, coaches, and sports organizations. Challenges and limitations of current technologies are discussed, alongside a perspective on future directions and potential improvements. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of tech-driven talent identification in sports, offering insights into its profound implications for the future of sports management and athlete development.

Role of exercise physiologists in talent identification, training and monitoring performance in sports

Exercise Physiology is the branch of 'Sports Science', which involves the study of adaptation to exercise. Exercise physiologists monitor thephysical and physiological variables of the sports persons, which are used for talent identification, training, and evaluation of performance.Sports talent may be identified from young children when they show interest in sports. Proper nutrition and training during the growthand development phase of life help improve the athletes' performance. Training has to be formulated according to the principles ofperiodization to achieve the best possible performance. Long-term training and participating in competitions brought changes withinthe sports persons. Regular monitoring of athletes' anthropometric, physical fitness and physiological variables provides valuableinformation about their fitness, health, metabolic and cardio-respiratory status. This would enable the coaches to assess the currentstatus of the athletes and the degree of training adaptability and provide an opportunity to modify the training schedule accordinglyto achieve the desired performance. Exercise physiologists suggest optimal training strategies to enhance athletic performance. Thedemand for an athlete's success and fitness awareness within society increases the responsibility of exercise physiologists to optimizeathletes' sports performance, health, and safety.

Tensiomyography: from muscle assessment to talent identification tool.

Introduction: Tensiomyography (TMG) is a non-invasive and cost-effective tool that is gaining popularity in fields such as sports science, physical therapy, and medicine. In this narrative review, we examine the different applications of TMG and its strengths and limitations, including its use as a tool for sport talent identification and development. Methods: In the course of crafting this narrative review, an exhaustive literature search was carried out. Our exploration spanned several renowned scientific databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ResearchGate. The materials we sourced for our review included a broad spectrum of both experimental and non-experimental articles, all focusing on TMG. The experimental articles featured varied research designs including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experiments, as well as pre-post studies. As for the non-experimental articles, they encompassed a mix of case-control, cross-sectional, and cohort studies. Importantly, all articles included in our review were written in English and had been published in peer-reviewed journals. The assortment of studies considered provided a holistic view of the existing body of knowledge on TMG, and formed the basis of our comprehensive narrative review. Results: A total of 34 studies were included in the review, organized into three sections: 1) assessing muscle contractile properties of young athletes, 2) using TMG in the talent identification and development process and 3) Future research and perspectives. According to data presented here, the most consistent TMG parameters for determining muscle contractile properties are radial muscle belly displacement, contraction time, and delay time. Biopsy findings from the vastus lateralis (VL) confirmed TMG as a valid tool for estimating the ratio of myosin heavy chain (%MHC-I). Conclusion: TMGs ability to estimate the ratio of %MHC-I has the potential to aid in the selection of athletes with the muscle characteristics best suited for a particular sport, eliminating the need for more invasive procedures. However, more research is warranted to fully understand TMG's potential and its reliability when used with young athletes. Importantly, the use of TMG technology in this process can positively impact health status, reducing the frequency and severity of injuries and the duration of recovery, and subsequently can reduce drop out rates among youth athletes. Future studies should look at twin youth athletes, as a model capable of discriminating between the influence of hereditary factors vs. environmental factors, in therms of muscle contractility and TMG's potential for instance.

The impact of sport commitment on Sports Talent identification and Development associated factors: In the case of Oromia regional state selected sports projects

Sport commitment such as sport involvement, sport enjoyment, personal investments-quantity, enthusiastic commitment, constrained commitment, valuable opportunities, personal investments-loss, social constraints, social support-emotional, social support-informational, desire to excel-mastery achievement and desire to excel-social achievement in sport affects sport talent identification and development. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of sport commitment on Sports Talent identification and Development associated factors: The Case in Oromia Regional state Zones Sport Commission. In this study, concurrent mixed research design was employed. The study area covers selected Oromia Regional State zone and Oromia Special Zone surrounding Finfinne including Laga Tafo Laga Dadhi town, Sebeta town, Burayu town and Gelan town (N = 614 and n = 284). The primary sources of data were sport office experts from Zonal and towns’ Sport Commission employees, coaches, players and athletes. Independent variable was measured using Sport commitment dimensions questionnaire and dependent variable was Talent Development Environment associated factors. Data were collected via standardized questionnaires. The quantitative data gathered using questionnaires were analysed using STATA version 14, and then data were summarized using frequency and percentage. Using linear regression was used analyse impact of sport commitment on athlete’s talent identification and development. Athlete’s commitment significantly affects talent identification and development associated factors (F (1,282) = 51.62, p < 0.01, R2 = 0.155). The study concluded that project athlete’s commitment significant affected talent identification and development associated factors in selected Oromia regional state selected cities’ and towns club’s and projects. The study recommends that Oromia regional state selected cities’ and towns club’s and projects management body and coaches should develop two way communications and to create strong social network with their athletes.

Exercise Testing and Motivation

Exercise testing has important applications for sport, exercise and clinical settings, providing valuable information for exercise prescription and diagnostics for health purposes. Often, exercise testing includes the participant’s maximal effort, and the testing score partially depends on whether the maximal effort has been exerted. In this context, motivation in exercise testing, including verbal encouragement and video presentation, plays a vital role in assessing participants. Professionals involved in exercise testing, such as exercise physiologists and sport scientists, should be aware of motivation’s role in performance during laboratory or field testing, especially using verbal encouragement. Motivation during exercise testing should be standardized and fully described in testing protocols. In this way, exercise testing would provide valid and reliable results for exercise prescription or other purposes (e.g., sport talent identification, athletes’ selection, education, research and rehabilitation).

Computational Efficiency in Sports Talent Identification - A Systematic Review

Computational Efficiency in Sports Talent Identification - A Systematic Review

Computational efficiency in sports talent identification - a systematic review

Computational efficiency in sports talent identification - a systematic review

Player-labelling as a solution to overcome maturation selection biases in youth football

ABSTRACT The fact that potentially skilled, but biologically later-maturing athletes are less likely to be selected into talent development programmes (TDP) can represent a failure of Talent Identification (TID) in sports. To overcome maturation selection biases, maturation independent TID should be established to include less mature, but talented athletes in TDP more frequently. Using a randomised parallel-group design, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of labelling under-11 (U11) Swiss male youth football players (n = 24, age = 11.0 ± 0.3 years) via maturation-ordered shirt numbers during rank assessment by talent scouts (n = 83, scout experience = 4.8 ± 2.4 years). Following observation of video recorded selection tournaments, player-labelling “informed” scouts were significantly more likely to rank less mature players higher on their player potential, t(81) = 2.57, p = .012, d = −0.6, 95% CI [−1.00, −0.13], than “uninformed” scouts. As altered rankings assisted less mature players, player-labelling may offer a practical and feasible strategy to improve TID by removing possible maturation selection biases. To address maturation selection biases and the potential positive impact of player-labelling more broadly, further research on both male and female athletes in various age categories and sports contexts is recommended.