Talent Transfer Research Articles

Investigating Patterns of Donor and Recipient Sports of Talent Transfer Paralympians.

Talent transfer has enabled elite athletes to be successful in another sport, with great potential in para-sport. Previous research suggests that similarities between donor and recipient sports may facilitate talent transfer; however, this remains unclear in para-sport. This study investigated patterns between donor and recipient sports' characteristics, identifying the impact on talent transfer in para-sport. An Australian case study utilizing secondary data of 38 Australian Paralympians who competed at the Paralympic Games from 2000 through 2020 was analyzed. Results demonstrated that similarities between sports were not significantly associated with successful talent transfers between Paralympic sports. Understanding patterns associated with successful Paralympic talent transfers offers a foundation of knowledge for designing and developing future talent-transfer pathways and research. Based on this study, it is recommended that sport administrators and practitioners explore greater opportunity for talent transfer in para-sport, rather than limiting talent-transfer opportunities based on athletes' donor sports.

Co-designing talent transfer pathways in para-sport: a case study

ABSTRACT Research question: Talent transfer pathways offer great potential in para-sport yet are underexplored from a sport management perspective. Therefore, this study addressed the questions: What are the facilitators and barriers impacting sport systems ability to support talent transfer athletes and pathways, and how can the sport system improve talent transfer pathways in para-sport? Research methods: This exploratory study draws on expert practitioners’ perspectives of para-sport talent transfer through a co-design workshop conducted in 2023 with 12 participants (6 men and 6 women) experienced in areas including coaching, pathways and high-performance co-ordination and management, and classification. Findings: Processes for recognising, identifying, confirming, and progressing talent transfer athletes, the provision of para-sport and talent transfer-specific resources, and system collaboration were identified as factors influencing the sport system’s ability to support current, predominately informal, talent transfer. Eight distinct strategic areas for potential solutions were identified to improve talent transfer pathways in para-sport. Implications: The findings provide insights to enhance understanding of critical sport system factors in the underexplored area of para-sport talent transfer. Additionally, it offers direction for para-sport managers developing talent transfer initiatives, frameworks, and collaborations, ensuring the efficient allocation of resources, enhanced support and opportunities for athletes, and increased effectiveness of such programs.

Epidemiology of injuries among snowboarding athletes in the talent transfer program: A prospective cohort study of 39,880 athlete-exposures.

Talent transfer (TT) program is an appropriate approach to address the talent gap evident in specific sports activities, while little is known about the injury characteristics of snowboarding athletes involved in the TT program. To determine the epidemiology of injuries among snowboarders involved in the TT program. A total of 244 athletes who were not previously engaged in winter sports were selected for training in snowboarding that lasted for 109 days. The injuries and at-risk exposures (A-Es) data were recorded by physicians. Injury rates (IRs), incidence rate ratios (IRRs), and injury proportion ratios (IPRs) were calculated and compared by sex and age groups. The overall and time loss (TL) IR were 32.4/1000 A-Es and 12.2/1000 A-Es respectively. The overall and non-time loss (NTL) IRR were higher for female athletes than for male athletes. Additionally, the overall IRR and TL-IRR for female athletes were higher in those athletes who aged ≤15 years old. Over 93% of TL injuries resulted in participation restriction time of ≤7 days (male athletes, 93.94%; female athletes, 94.10%). Trunk (28.43%), knee joints (21.33%), and hand/wrist (16.53%) were found as the common sites of injury in both female and male athletes. The most frequent type of injury was contusion (male athletes: 53.00%, female athletes: 59.10%) resulted from ground/apparatus contact (male athletes: 75.10%, female athletes: 75.20%). The risk injury among snowboarding athletes involved in the TT program during the first snow season training was found noticeable, especially for younger female athletes. The high incidence of ground/apparatus contact-related injuries suggested the necessity of specifically designed training programs and braces for snowboarding athletes involved in the TT program.

Coach and Athlete Perspectives on Talent Transfer in Paralympic Sport.

Research pertaining to the experiences and motives of Paralympic athletes who transfer between sports is scant. This study aimed to address this gap through semistructured interviews with Canadian Paralympic coaches (n = 35) and athletes (n = 12). Three higher-order themes of "alternative to retirement," "career extension," and "compatibility" were identified. The subthemes of "psychobehavioral" and "physical and physiological" (from the higher-order theme of alternative to retirement) captured reasons leading to transfer, which are similar to reasons athletes may consider retirement. The subthemes of career extension-"better opportunities" and "beneficial outcomes"-shed light on factors that contributed to the withdrawal of negative experiences and reinforcement of positive outcomes associated with transferring sports. Last, compatibility had three subthemes of "resources," "sport-specific," and "communication," which encapsulated factors athletes should consider prior to their transfer. In conclusion, the participants highlighted the importance of transparent and effective communication between athletes and sports to align and establish realistic expectations for everyone involved.

Biomechanics of the lead straight punch and related indexes between sanda fighters and boxers from the perspective of cross-border talent transfer.

Objective: To bridge the technical gaps in reserve athletes in China's national boxing program and to rapidly improve the overall level of boxing, the Wushu Sports Administration Center of the General Administration of Sports of China has sent outstanding Sanda players to boxing events through cross-border talent transfer. This was done to widely improve the strengths and resources in various fields to prepare for the Tokyo Olympic Games. In view of this, we analyzed and compared differences in biomechanical parameters of the lead straight punch and index of force developments of the lower extremities between Sanda and boxing. The results provide information and insights to bridge the technical gaps in cross-border talent transfer from Sanda to boxing. Methods: We employed a Vicon infrared 3D motion capture system, two Kistler platforms, a Kistler target, and a synchronous instrument. Eleven boxers and sixteen Sanda athletes were recruited, and their lead straight punch techniques were compared and analyzed. Three indexes of punch velocity, six indexes of strength measurement, and four indexes of lower extremity strength were analyzed. Results: Significant differences in the peak punch velocity and contact velocity were found between the two groups. Furthermore, significant differences were noted in the peak impulse, peak strength, relative strength, and the rate of force development (RFD). Among the kinetics indexes of lower limbs, the front leg strength index was higher in the boxing group than in the Sanda group, namely the RFD index and RFD/body mass. Conclusion: Based on the disparity in the effects of the lead straight punch and biomechanical parameters of both lower extremities, we can conclude that, compared to the boxers, most Sanda athletes lack standard punching technique. Therefore, it is advised that coaches and practitioners carefully consider selecting Sanda athletes with higher technical standards of punching.

Talent transfer: a complementary elite sport development pathway

ABSTRACT Research question While talent transition pathways have received substantial research attention in the elite sport development literature, talent transfer initiatives, which enable athletes to transition from one sport to another, have received limited consideration. This research addresses the following question pertaining to elite sport development: What features differentiate structured talent transfer from talent transition pathways? Research methods This exploratory study draws on expert practitioners’ perspectives of talent transfer through semi-structured interviews conducted in 2018 with staff (N = 5) and coaches (N = 5) from an Australian-based program. Results and findings Differential features of talent transfer identified in this study include accelerated athlete integration into elite sport program, the presence of pre-elite prominent athletic prowess and when compared to talent transition pathways, differentiated skill development progress to the elite level. Additionally, interorganisational collaboration between sports was found to be essential for delivering structured transfer pathways. Implications The differential features suggest that talent transfer can complement talent transition pathways in elite sport development system. However, talent transfer requires the development of cross-sport collaborations. A structured talent transfer definition is provided in an effort to overcome misconceptions and encourage the integration of talent transfer within elite sport development frameworks and sport policy literature.

Implementing Path of Zhengzhou University's Establishment of Football Academy

Under the new policy background of the 2020 "Opinions on Deepening the Integration of Sports and Education and Promoting the Healthy Development of Adolescents", as the highest educational institution in China, higher education institutions should shoulder the responsibility of cultivating high-quality talents to meet social needs. As the highest-quality higher education institution in Henan Province, Zhengzhou University's innovation and exploration of teaching methods and talent training models under the background of the integration of sports and education will play a leading role in the development of higher education in Henan Province. Through combing and analyzing the existing policy documents, firstly, explore the reasons, significance, and social background of the construction of the football academy; secondly, analyze the theoretical basis for the construction of the football academy in the context of relevant policies, and analyze the demand for talent training required by the policy. It was combining with the construction situation of my country’s football academy at this stage, implementing the specific requirements of the integration strategy of sports and education, establishing the guiding ideology of “diversified integration” after establishing the academy from the three levels of discipline establishment, talent training, and talent transfer. Investigate the needs of the talent market at the stage, determine the direction of talent training, and discuss how to set up specific majors for domestic enrollment after the establishment of the college. Based on this, it proposes the professional setting direction and specific curriculum arrangement and assessment methods for talent training from five aspects: education and teaching, sports competitions, sports medicine, sports media, economics, and management. Finally, it discusses the difficulties faced by students, teachers, and employment development after graduation in the process of football academy construction and how to use existing resources and related policy support to solve the difficulties. As an innovative way of running a school, the Football Academy provides new opportunities for the reform and innovation of sports talent cultivation. In the torrent of sports and education integration reform, make full use of existing resources, integrate and mobilize various high-quality resources in the region, and finally transform them into the winning resources for the new development of our school's sports discipline in this innovative school-running method. After the football academy is established, it will become a link between campus football and professional football in the province, and a breeding base for national high-quality football industry talents. It will also provide a strong impetus for the development of football in my country.

Comparison of High and Low Responders to a Cross-Country Skiing Talent Transfer Program: A Coach's Perspective.

Purpose: To examine how coaches differentiate athletes with successful and non-successful development during a cross-country (XC) skiing talent transfer (TT) program. Methods: We conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with seven Norwegian coaches working with a group of 23 Chinese summer endurance athletes transferring from running, rowing, and kayaking to the winter endurance sport XC skiing over a six-month training period. The athletes were grouped as either high (n = 9), moderate (n = 3), or low responders (n = 11) based on objective performance development, quantified using laboratory testing. The interview guide contained six sections: physiological development, technical development, psychological characteristics, training and recovery routines, athlete background, and considerations about the effectiveness of TT initiatives in general. Results: The assessments of the coaches revealed that greater development of both physiological and technical capacities among the high-responding TT athletes were associated with higher motivation, as well as superior ability to deal with adversity in the development process. Conclusion: The coaches considered the TT program to be effective; however, successful transfer of athletes to a world class level in a complex sport such as XC skiing requires a multidisciplinary selection process and a longer time frame than the six-month period used in the current project.

Talent transfer: A systematic review

Background: The effectiveness of traditional talent development (TD) programs can be questioned. Meanwhile, an extra pathway to the top has made its appearance: Talent transfer (TT). The aim of TT is to fast-track talented athletes into the high-performance environment. The first TT initiatives and studies exploring the TT process have been carried out.
 Objective: This systematic review gives an overview of studies examining TT, by situating TT within the developmental framework, comparing formal and informal TT and investigating the similarities between donor and transfer sports in TT from elite and non-elite level.
 Methods: A search was conducted on the PubMed and PsychINFO databases. The analysis was done according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses) statement.
 Results: After screening on title and abstract and full-text review, five studies remained for inclusion. Although literature is still scarce, results show that TT can serve as an alternative pathway in addition to the traditional TD programs. Literature suggests that similarities between donor and transfer sports are helpful, but this is not a prerequisite for TT. Besides, psychological factors are perceived to play an important role. Results regarding other determining factors of TT are still lacking. Athletes, national governing bodies and TD programs might benefit from this additional pathway, but the effectiveness of formal and informal TT remains unclear.
 Conclusion: A lot remains unknown about TT, hence future research is needed to increase our understanding of TT and its contribution as an extra pathway to the top.

Western Approaches for the identification and development of talent in schools and sports contexts from 2009 to 2019 - a literature review

ABSTRACT This literature review provides an overview of the various modern approaches in talent programs for the context of schools and sports reported in scientific journals (2009–2019) and presents their similarities and differences and options for cross-pollination between contexts. This is a first attempt to overarch contexts regarding talent identification and development. Searches in 12 databases yielded 31 studies. Similarities and differences between contexts were distilled through a qualitative content analysis and described for the identification of talent and talent development. Based on these results, it is suggested that school contexts might benefit from including a talent transfer pathway, differentiating for maturity-level and sex, emphasizing on deliberate practice, monitoring load-ability, and applying acceleration, which are proposed approaches in the sport context. Furthermore, several approaches from the school context could enhance talent programs in sport, including universal screening, paying attention to underserved populations, focusing on creativity and enrichment as well as enhancing the accountability and education level of trainers/coaches. Future studies need to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of approaches in practice. Moreover, the search could be expanded to other countries to establish a more global view while examining national patterns regarding policy and funding contexts in which programs are located.

Similarities and differences between sports subserving systematic talent transfer and development: The case of paddle sports

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate similarities and differences for 18 sports toward canoe/kayak in order to identify donorsport and/or multisports, based upon a systematic analysis of the task constraints per sport that are assumed to be either crucial or less important from the coaches’ viewpoint. DesignDescriptive survey analysis. Methods891 certified coaches from 19 sports valued (0–10; not important at all-very important) 15 characteristics by a questionnaire (Flemish Sports Compass) within their sport. Unique sport-profiles (discriminant analysis – DA) were constructed for 19 sports based on these characteristics. Similarities and differences between canoe/kayak and the other 18 sports were analyzed by means of MANOVAs on anthropometric, physical and motor coordination characteristics. ResultsCross validated DA (rcan=0.660, Wilks’ Lambda=0.564, p<0.001) showed that 72.1% of the canoe/kayak coaches were correctly assigned to their sport. For canoe/kayak seven characteristics were valued crucial; dynamic balance (8.51±1.69), core stability (8.45±2.27), pulling power (8.12±1.68), speed (7.54±2.07), endurance (7.27±2.03), stature (6.43±1.41) and rhythm (6.01±3.01). Least important characteristics were: flexibility (6.16±1.75), agility (4.27±3.10), catching (3.90±3.22), climbing (2.45±3.05), jumping (1.81±2.11), throwing (1.60±2.24), hitting (.94±1.77) and kicking (.61±1.04). ConclusionsThis novel approach to determine important characteristics per sport makes identifying similarities and differences between sports possible. Similarities might enlarge talent-pools for possible talent transfers. Differences can help identify sports based on complementary characteristics for the construction of broad motor development programs. From this viewpoint gymnastics can serve as potential donorsport (similarities) for canoe/kayak, while handball and tennis can subserve broad development for young canoe/kayak athletes.

Development of Performance, Physiological and Technical Capacities During a Six-Month Cross-Country Skiing Talent Transfer Program in Endurance Athletes.

Purpose: To examine the development of performance, physiological and technical capacities as well as the effect of sport background among runners, kayakers and rowers when transferred to cross-country (XC) skiing over a 6-month training period.Methods: Twenty-four endurance athletes (15 runners and 9 rowers/kayakers; 15 men and 9 women) were tested for performance, physiological and technical capacities during treadmill running and roller-ski skating, double-poling ergometry, as well as upper-body, one-repetition maximum-strength (1 RM) at baseline (pre) after three (mid) and 6-months (post) of XC ski-specific training.Results: Peak treadmill speed when roller-ski skating improved significantly (13%, P < 0.01) from pre-post, with a larger improvement in runners than in kayakers/rowers (16 vs. 9%, P < 0.05), whereas peak speed in running was unchanged. Average power output during 5-min and 30-s ergometer double-poling tests improved by 8% and 5% (both P < 0.01), with improvement found only in runners on the 30-s test (8 vs. −2% in kayakers/rowers, P < 0.01). Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) in running and double-poling ergometry did not improve, whereas VO2peak in roller-ski skating improved by 5% in runners (P < 0.05). Submaximal gross efficiency increased by 0.6%-point and cycle length by 13%, whereas 1 RM in seated pull-down and triceps press increased by 12 and 11%, respectively (all P < 0.05).Conclusion: Six-months of XC ski-specific training induced large improvements in sport-specific performance which were associated with better skiing efficiency, longer cycle length, and greater 1RM upper-body strength in a group of endurance athletes transferring to XC skiing. Furthermore, larger sport-specific development was found in runners compared to kayakers/rowers.

Second Chances: Investigating Athletes’ Experiences of Talent Transfer

Talent transfer initiatives seek to transfer talented, mature individuals from one sport to another. Unfortunately talent transfer initiatives seem to lack an evidence-based direction and a rigorous exploration of the mechanisms underpinning the approach. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify the factors which successfully transferring athletes cite as facilitative of talent transfer. In contrast to the anthropometric and performance variables that underpin current talent transfer initiatives, participants identified a range of psycho-behavioral and environmental factors as key to successful transfer. We argue that further research into the mechanisms of talent transfer is needed in order to provide a strong evidence base for the methodologies employed in these initiatives.

Detecting and developing youth athlete potential: different strokes for different folks are warranted

Sport talent identification and development (TI and TD) in youth continues to attract strong interest among coaches, sport scientists and sport administrators. TI for sport in youth with the anticipation...

Change of plans: an evaluation of the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of successful talent transfer

Talent transfer (TT) is a recently formalised process used to identify and develop talented athletes by selecting individuals who have already succeeded in one sport and transferring them to another. Despite the increasing popularity of TT amongst national organisations and sport governing body professionals, however, there is little empirical evidence as to its efficacy or how it may be most efficiently employed. Accordingly, this investigation was designed to gain a deeper understanding of the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of TT, achieved through a two-part study. Stage 1 provided a quantitative analysis of the incidence and distribution or, in this respect, epidemiology of TT, finding the most popular transfer to be sprinting to bobsleigh, with an average transfer age of 19 years. Stage 2 scrutinised the TT process and explored the specific cases revealed in stage 1 by examining the perceptions of four sport science support specialists who had worked in TT settings, finding several emergent themes which, they felt, could explain the TT processes. The most prominent theme was the psychosocial mechanism of TT, an aspect currently missing from TT initiatives, suggesting that current TT systems are poorly structured and should redress their approach to develop a more integrated scheme that encompasses all potential mechanisms of transfer.

The Relationship between Competitive Experience and Performance in Skeleton

The Relationship between Competitive Experience and Performance in Skeleton The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between competitive experience and performance in skeleton. We obtained official rankings, chronological age, years of competitive experience and years in the national team from 2007– 2013 of internationally competitive World Cup competitors, from the international federations website. Chronological age, competitive experience and international competitive experience at World Cup level were correlated with end of season World Cup ranking. A total of 138 competitors (78 men and 60 women) qualified for inclusion in the study based upon World Cup ranking over the seasons analysed. Effect size (ES) was also used to compare between men and women. Results showed that men were moderately older (28.9- 30.8 vs. 26.5-29.2 years, ES=0.66) and had moderately higher competitive ages (7.7-9.6 vs. 5.7-8.1, ES=0.66) than women across seasons. Moderate correlations were found between performance and competitive age (-0.59) in two seasons for men. Talent transfer of younger women competitors before younger men into skeleton may result in higher rankings or results in a shorter timeframe.

Performance Trends In Australian Skeleton Talent Transfer Athletes

Performance Trends In Australian Skeleton Talent Transfer Athletes