Talent Development: A Practitioner Guide

The process of talent development (TD) is essential to success in any sport. Drawing on the latest evidence and a considerable experience base, this book dispels myths about talent development and offers practical advice on the TD pathway from pre-school to elite level. Aimed at practitioners and other stakeholders involved in the TD process – including coaches, scientists, administrators, educators, students, parents, policy makers and senior development athletes – this is the only up-to-date practical guide to TD in sport.

Written by experts with more than 20 years’ experience in TD training, coaching and research, it covers key topics from deliberate practice and fundamental movement skills to designing and managing a TD pathway. It also includes contributions from professionals working in a wide range of sports, providing real-world insights into important topics including:

• the recruitment process
• academy and apprenticeship preparation
• the coach–athlete relationship
• what to do to stay ahead
• considerations for parents and coaches.

Talent Development: A Practitioner Guide is an indispensable resource for all those interested in talent identification, talent development and coaching practice in elite sport.

Dave Collins is Professor of Coaching and Performance at the University of Central Lancashire, UK and Director of Grey Matters Performance Ltd. Dave has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles and more than 60 books and book chapters. From an applied perspective, he has worked with over 60 World or Olympic medallists plus professional sports teams, dancers, musicians and executives in business and public service. As a performer, he was excessively average at high contact sports (at least the way he played them) such as rugby, American football, martial arts and outdoor pursuits. He has coached rugby to national level, is a senior coach in weightlifting, a 5th Dan in karate and a qualified and experienced PE teacher/teacher educator. Dave is a Director of the Rugby Coaches Association, Director of Coaching for iZone Driver Performance and current lead psychology consultant to, amongst others, Chelsea FC and the New Zealand ski and snowboard teams. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Martial Arts, the Zoological Society of London and the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and an ex-Royal Marine. He is also the proud (and legal) father of five children, spanning 31 to 9, plus a plethora of grandchildren.

Áine MacNamara is a Reader in Elite Performance in the Institute of Coaching and Performance at the University of Central Lancashire, UK. Áine’s background is in physical education and coaching and she has worked with young people in a range of sporting environments as an educator, coach and sports psychology consultant. Her main research interest is in Talent Development (TD) and she has published widely in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and technical reports. She has consulted with a range of sporting organisations in the UK and Ireland to help them develop Talent Development pathways and policies as well as providing coach and parent education to support the implementation of these ideas. She is the mother to two long-term TD projects called Síofra and Iarlaith who she endeavours to support with an evidence-based approach!