Improving the talent pathway

We’re all familiar with examples of child sporting prodigies - social media posts of a four year old footballer masterfully dribbling past opponents or videos of a young Tiger Woods come readily to mind. But the reality is, these examples are anomalies - far from the norm and the pathway to getting there perhaps not desirable even if it was attainable for more children. 

The enhancement of talent identification and the ensuing development programs is understandably pursued by most organised sports - after all the discovery of the next Lionel Messi or Williams sisters is unquestionably valuable for any sport, due to the spike in participation and viewership that can result. 

But for an area that has been so well researched and resourced, so many fundamental questions seem to remain. What even is talent? How do we best develop it during childhood and adolescence? And why, despite considerable attention, does talent not seem predictable with any great precision? 

To help answer some of these questions and others, host Professor Sam Robertson is joined by  Professor Joe Baker. Joe is Professor and Head of the Lifespan Health and Performance Laboratory at York University, Canada. His research examines the science of talent selection and athlete development, as well as the varying factors affecting skill acquisition and maintenance across the lifespan. 

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