Movement & Sport Sciences – Science & Motricité 88, 3–12 (2015)


c ACAPS, EDP Sciences, 2014
DOI: 10.1051/sm/2014002

Talent in sports. Some reflections about the search for future

champions
Martinus Buekers1 , Pascal Borry2 and Paul Rowe3
1
Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Leuven, Belgium
2
Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Belgium
3
BLOSO, Brussels, Belgium

Received 30 April 2013 – Accepted 13 February 2014

Abstract. The goal of this paper is to look into the issue of talent identification in sports. Over the
last decade researchers tried to get a better insight into how future elite athletes can be selected at
young age. The findings reported in this review reveal that elite athletes originate from an optimal
combination of intrinsic competences (e.g., physical, technical, psychological) and extrinsic, contex-
tual factors (e.g., training, parents). The identification process that focuses on measuring intrinsic
competences should be multidimensional in nature. Moreover, valid interpretations of the potential
of the youngsters require longitudinal testing. Finally, the best talent detection program will be
useless unless a high quality follow-up is guaranteed through well-designed training programmes
in which coaches and PE-teachers play a crucial role. Therefore, the interaction and cooperation
of coaches and scientists offer great opportunities to advance the knowledge in the area of talent
identification.

Key words: Talent detection, talent development, sports

Résumé. Talent dans le sport. Quelques réflexions sur la recherche de futurs champions.
Le but de ce papier est de se pencher sur la question de l’identification de talent dans le domaine
du sport. Au cours de la dernière décennie les chercheurs ont essayé d’obtenir un meilleur aperçu de
la façon dont les futurs athlètes d’élite peuvent être sélectionnés. Les résultats présentés dans cette
étude révèlent que les athlètes d’élite proviennent d’une combinaison optimale des compétences in-
trinsèques (par exemple, génétique, physique, technique, psychologique) et extrinsèque (les facteurs
contextuels comme par exemple, l’entraı̂nement, le coaching, le support des parents). Le processus
d’identification qui se concentre sur la mesure des compétences intrinsèques doit être de nature
multidimensionnelle. En outre, des interprétations valides du potentiel des jeunes exigent une ap-
proche longitudinale. Enfin, le meilleur programme de détection de talent sera inutile, sauf si une
qualité de suivi est garantie grâce à des programmes de formation bien conçus dans lesquels les
entraı̂neurs et les professeurs d’éducation physique jouent un rôle crucial. Par conséquent, l’inter-
action et la coopération des entraı̂neurs et des scientifiques sont essentielles pour faire progresser
les connaissances dans le domaine de l’identification des talents.

Mots clés : Détection des talents, développement des talents, sport

1 Introduction the proper support and training to develop their talent

(Abbott & Collins 2002). This early search for high poten-
It goes without saying that talent identification attracted tials can even provoke a hefty competition, as Martindale,
a considerable amount of attention in the last decade. One Collins and Abraham (2007, p. 187) suggested when com-
of the principal reasons for this increased interest is cer- paring talent identification and development to big busi-
tainly the pressure coming from the field itself. Coaches ness. Be it as it may, we can fairly state that the global
and clubs are eager to spot the talented athletes as soon race for talent has been lifted to a higher level of ac-
as possible to incorporate them in their teams and provide celeration. This global search for talent has intensified

Article published by EDP Sciences

4 Movement & Sport Sciences – Science & Motricité 88 — 2015/2

not only in the business world, but also in the field of The latter observations emphasize the central role of
artistic culture where creativity rules (Goldstein & Win- methodology in performance prediction. In the first sec-
ner, 2009; Livingstone, Lafer-Sousa, & Conway, 2011; tion of the present paper we will extend this methodolog-
Rostan, 2010; Sommerlund & Strandvad, 2012), in ed- ical issue and briefly focus on two approaches. On the one
ucation (Matthews & McBee, 2007; Schroth & Helfer, hand the scientific method of systematic and meticulous
2009; Trustee & Niles, 2004) and in academia (Wildavsky, measurement and one the other hand the intuition mode
2010). Even though the identification of cognitive abili- of the expert coach. The second section will concentrate
ties (e.g., verbal and analytical skills) has been around on a number of studies covering the different competences
for many decades (Renzulli, 1978), the world of sports fol- (e.g. physical, technical, tactical, psychological, genetic)
lowed these front-runners in adopting strategies to locate that affect future performance. In the third section these
the best players. The question is to what degree scouting competences will be put into a broader perspective, fo-
systems, test sessions and psychological profiling can be cussing on their dynamic and interactive nature and
awarded the label of valid and proficient search engines. on the impact of environmental elements (e.g. parents,
Before entering the core of this paper, we want to training).
follow the trail of the anecdote and refer to an interest- Note that we also want to enlarge the scope of this
ing TV commercial promoting a French car. Actually the paper and put it into a broader perspective by referring
commercial1 shows a number of famous stars (Salvador where appropriate to the talent identification issue in the
Dali, Steffi Graf, Carl Lewis and Bruce Lee) at young field of artistic culture. Since talent identification is a ma-
age, followed by the clear message that “when one is born jor concern in the world of the creative minds, it can be
with certain qualities” – “becoming the best is only a mat- very informative to learn how the high potentials of art
ter of time”. It is tempting to misuse this statement and are recognized and escorted in their pursuit to conquer
consider the whole issue of talent identification as a su- famous museums, music halls or theatres.
perficial and redundant process. The message then would
be: ‘Those who have the potential will prevail’. Without
any doubt, the advocates of the quest for high poten- 2 Two individuals, two approaches
tials will argue against such non-strategy and legitimately
claim that numerous scientific data have been collected Even though the experience versus experiment conflict
strengthening the identification and selection case. In this has a generic touch, it is certainly overrepresented in the
paper we will take a closer look at a number of these ex- world of sports. Coaches consider themselves as the ex-
periments and discuss the variables that are believed to perts by experience whereas the sport scientists stick to
somehow predict future excellence. the strong conviction that only measurements can rightly
The previous reflections are a clear indication of the represent reality (for a more extensive elaboration of this
different opinions and views that are still present in the topic see Buekers, 2002). The advantage of the intuitive
talent detection arena. They also provoke some interest- approach used by the coaches lies in its holistic character.
ing considerations. First, they raise the question to what Their judgment focuses on the person as a whole and in
extent the scientific process of data collection and analy- doing so integrates the variety of critical elements that
sis can be used for talent identification. We believe it is determine future performance. The weakness of this ap-
a legitimate expectation that experiments based on solid praisal appears to be its subjective nature, even though
designs can help to explain the mechanisms bearing a we have to be conscious that this intuitive judgement is
facilitating or impeding effect on performance. Second, also based on an internal frame of reference build on rel-
they call into question the issue of complexity and con- evant knowledge.
textualisation. Scientific findings cannot shine in splendid The scientist then again tends to use what could be
isolation, as valid interpretations can only be found in labelled partition glasses, dividing the person in a num-
the interaction of many different elements spinning in the ber of quantifiable units. These units are to a large ex-
contextual web of final performance. Moreover, the need tent based on the specific requirements of the respective
for contextualisation was strongly endorsed in the forma- sport disciplines and mostly encompass physical, techni-
tive paper of Vaeyens, Lenoir, Williams & Philippaerts cal, tactical and psychological qualities or competences.
(2008). These authors correctly state that talent identifi- Since these competences need to be assessable, tests or
cation is not just a question of extrapolation from present test batteries are designed and administered to groups of
to future performance. Not only maturation but also the young athletes and players. The results of these tests are
dynamics of the development process interfere with the then converted into predictions of the future performance
simple linearity of the prediction curve. It should not be level of these same youngsters. Without any doubt, this
surprising then that, from a methodologically point of approach is drenched with the advantage of its objectiv-
view, they stress the importance of longitudinal designs. ity and as such produces figures carrying a genuine touch
of reality. The major problem with these data lies in the
fact that they are every so often obtained in their ‘splen-
1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player did’ isolation. Since these competences and qualities are
detailpage&v=pRR7FK5lIqkAccessed13February2013. frequently tested as separate entities, the predictive value
 Talent in sports. Some reflections about the search for future champions 5

of these data can be lost in the negligence of their contex- and qualities. Many tests have been developed for mea-
tual nature. In fact a player can very well compensate for suring these competences and the vast amount of studies
specific shortcomings in one of the competences by being illustrates the urge for finding valid tools for predictions.
extremely well in another characteristic that is crucial for However, before entering into the description mode and
successful performance (e.g., Tahara et al., 2006). presenting a synopsis of the relevant literature, I want to
Until now, comparing the usefulness of both ap- bring a very crucial element into the equation, that is to
proaches is rather challenging and in itself strongly af- say, the multi-dimensional nature of elite performance.
fected by intuition, as specific studies delving into this This view is corroborated by Collins and MacNamara
topic are almost completely lacking. In this respect the (2011) as they articulate that “It is always good to see
study by Rogulj, Papic, and Cavala (2009) is very instruc- reviews, . . ., which challenge the extant, simplistic, mono-
tive as the authors reveal similar results for an approach disciplinary approaches to talent identification and devel-
based on expert opinion and an approach based on mor- opment that are still common in the literature”.
phological characteristics of top athletes. Even though It is very well true that the different competences
the scope of their paper is limited as only morphological carry an individual load of determination. Strength, for
characteristics are used, the data have the merit to open example, is an extremely important physical quality in
the debate. It is interesting to notice that the authors practically all sports. Yet, on its own right it will not
eventually prefer the approach based on the morphologi- guarantee elite performance. Players also need, among
cal characteristics of the top athletes, despite the obvious others, technical skill and the right mental state to reach
equivalence of both methods. the elite status. But there is even more, as particular flaws
Perhaps this latter observation, i.e., the choice in in one or more competences can be compensated for by
favour of quantification when the science vs. intuition abundant strengths in other pieces of the performance
game is undecided, reveals a tendency to assign higher puzzle (Vaeyens et al., 2008). An excellent tactical insight
value to measurable results. For a scientist, this thought leading to a perfect position play can still put a slower
is reassuring. However, based on the experience of the player in a favourable situation. The data presented in
long coaching careers of two of the authors, we are con- the following paragraphs should therefore be interpreted
vinced that the intuition of coaches should not be con- through the goggles of this understanding. In what follows
sidered as meaningless. In contrast, the interaction and we will provide an overview of different competences and
cooperation of coaches and scientists offer great opportu- illustrate with some examples how the given competences
nities to combine the strength of both actors and advance are believed to predict future performance. In contrast,
the knowledge in the area of talent identification. the genetic determinants will be more comprehensively
elaborated, as this factor is still somewhat underrepre-
sented in the literature regarding performance prediction
in sports.
3 The current understanding

Claiming that the field of talent identification has been 3.1 The physical competences
the primary focus of investigation in sport sciences is
somewhat exaggerated. Yet, the number of scientific pa- Most probably the physical qualities of the athletes and
pers published in the last decades reveals a sound interest players are among the most frequently studied contribut-
in this topic. This concern is understandable given the ing factors of performance (e.g., Falk, Lidor, Lander, &
huge benefits that can be triggered by an adequate pre- Lang, 2004). Yet, the data were not completely convinc-
diction of future sport performance. It has already been ing as suggested in the title of a paper by Lidor, Falk,
mentioned that the formulation of reliable predictions is Arnon, Cohen, and Lang (2005) “Measurement of Tal-
far from easy, in particular since the ultimate performance ent in team handball: The questionable use of motor
level is not defined by the competences as such, but by and physical tests”. Actually, the authors had to con-
the combination of these competences. Or, stated differ- clude that, except for the slalom dribble test, none of
ently, on how these different competences and qualities the physical or motor tests was sensitive enough to dis-
interact, not only between themselves, but also with the tinguish between the selected and nonselected handball
dynamics of environment and time. To further put this players. Similar results, showing a lack of discriminative
into perspective, we want to note that predictions will al- power, were found for volleyball (Gabbett, Georgieff, &
ways carry a risky load as sporting results (the ultimate Domrow, 2007; Lidor, Hershko, Bilkevitz, Arnon, & Falk,
goal) not only depend on the own competence level but 2007). A final case pleading for reticence is presented in a
also on the competence level of the opponents. study by Re, Correa, and Bohme (2010) as they stipulate
In the remainder of this section, we will touch upon that anthropometric characteristics and physical capaci-
the most important experiments related to talent identi- ties should not be overvalued during early development.
fication. To classify these studies, we adopted the rather In contrast to these findings support for the predic-
obvious idea that performance in sports, and most cer- tive value of physical qualities was found in other studies.
tainly in ball sports, is defined by specific competences For example, based on better scores for speed, agility and
6 Movement & Sport Sciences – Science & Motricité 88 — 2015/2

strength for elite youth handball players, Mohamed et al. 3.2 The technical competences
(2009) argued that anthropometric, in addition to perfor-
mance measures were useful tools for talent identification At first sight it appears evident that youngsters showing
in youth handball. This finding was supported in a study superior technical skill would prevail and are designated
by Debanne and Lafayye (2011), who found a positive to become part of the elite circle. The study by Gabbett
relation between general anthropometric measures and et al. (2007) adds some support to this assumption as it
throwing velocity. revealed the discriminating power of passing and serving
Another, at first sight paradoxical example is de- skills for junior volleyball players competing for selection
scribed in a paper revealing the benefits of a deficit in a talent identification programme. Note that these au-
(Livingstone et al., 2011). While painters are confronted thors did not find any differences for the physical compe-
with poorer stereopsis than the normal population, this tence (see section 3.1). Similar results are found in other
deficit turns into a benefit for painters because it guar- studies (e.g.; Ali, 2011) placing the technical skills upfront
antees a more prominent role for the monocular depth in the talent detection process. However, not all techni-
cues such as shading, overlap and perspective. This phe- cal skill test were able to discriminate between elite and
nomenon of turning so-called disadvantage into specific sub-elite players (e.g., Reilly, Bangsbo, & Franks, 2000),
assets is also present in sports. Just think about the body indicating that a careful selection of tests is needed.
weight of jockeys, or the ectomorph body composition of As we mentioned in the introduction, we also want to
marathon runners. The body dimensions of these athletes strengthen our case by referring to talent identification in
makes them poorly suited for ball games or decathlon, the field of artistic culture. As far as the technical compo-
yet makes them fit perfectly well for horse riding or long nent is concerned, a paper by Rostan, Pariser, and Grüber
distance running. As Vaeyens et al. (2008) argued, the (2002) is very instructive. In their study the authors com-
nature of the sport discipline itself defines to what ex- pared the artworks (drawings) of children with a strong
tent the uni-dimensional components intervene. For in- training in the visual arts and children without such a
stance, for rock climbing Magiera et al. (2013) found that training with the juvenile artwork of acclaimed Western
the physiological and anthropometric characteristics ex- artists (e.g., Klee, Miro, Picasso, . . .). The results of this
plained 38% of the climber’s performance capacity. For expert appraisal showed that the juvenile artwork of the
elite snowboarders, the predictive value of the results on acclaimed artists clearly differed from the work of the con-
a test battery comprising physical tests (e.g., aerobic ca- temporary children. Actually the juvenilia had a higher
pacity, balance, isokinetic power) was even higher as it score on technical skill than art students, while this latter
explained more than 60% of the variance of snowboard group outperformed the non-art students. These observa-
performance (Platzer, Raschner, Patterson, & Lembert, tions illustrate a rather generic trend namely that initial
2009). technical skill defines (to an important degree) final qual-
ity. It is important to note here that one needs to take
Moreover, even within specific sport disciplines, the into account the possible confounding influence of the
physical requirements will vary strongly, depending on “Matthew effect”. Young athletes who demonstrate high
the position of the players on the field; This position- skill levels at young age, will more likely be selected for
specific adaptation has been observed for various sports, skill development programs, thus self-fulfilling the proph-
including volleyball (Sheppard, Gabbe, & Raebery, 2009), esy that they will maintain a higher skill level at later
handball (Zapartidis, Kororos, Christodoulidis, Skoufas, age.
& Bayios, 2011), and rugby (Delahunt et al., 2013).
Till et al. (2011) also turned to the game of rugby
to examine the anthropometric and performance charac- 3.3 The tactical competences
teristics influencing the selection of players for the re-
gional and national teams. Original in this study was the
“When the brain starts moving, tactics define the game”.
fact that possible differences for anthropometric and per-
This statement is helpful to highlight the vital role of
formance characteristics were controlled for chronological
tactical decisions and strategic behaviour for successful
age and maturation. Although the data showed better
results. Elite performers, in particular in ball games, are
results for the national players, the authors sticked to
obviously able to take split second decisions to favourably
the conclusion that given the small differences, the phys-
solve the most complex situations. Note however that tac-
ical attributes only partially contribute toward national
tical behaviour depends to a large extent on the technical
selection.
proficiency of the players, showing once again that the
To conclude this section, the least to say is that the different competences can only materialize on the field
findings are equivocal and do not permit an outspoken through their mutual interaction. Instructive in this re-
conclusion, except for the statement that although phys- spect is the study of Nevett and French (1997), revealing
ical qualities can make a difference they need to be con- an impact of skill level on tactical decisions, as young
sidered in relation to the requirements of the particular baseball players did not mention tactical solutions for
sport discipline. which the required motor action was not available in their
 Talent in sports. Some reflections about the search for future champions 7

movement repertoire. Even though this notion was chal- playing field. The next paragraph will briefly focus on
lenged in a recent paper by Bruce, Farrow, Rainer and this concern.
Mann (2012), it remains clear that technical limitations
will narrow the tactical execution range of the players,
even if they are capable to perfectly read and conceptu- 3.5 The multidimensional approach
ally solve the game situation.
Even though this introductory remark is sufficiently The examples given in the previous sections were in
explicit, the talent detection studies focussing on tac- essence conceived as one-dimensional studies, or at best
tics are rather limited as compared to their physical and as studies implying only two or three competences. Even
technical counterparts. Despite this narrow tactical play- though these types of studies expand the body of knowl-
ing field, the study of Kannekens, Elferink-Gemser and edge on talent identification, their actual practical use-
Visscher (2011) can be used here to illustrate the sig- fulness is lessened by the limits of their deliberately pur-
nificance of tactics in the talent detection process. The sued segmentation. For this reason a multidimensional
method used by the authors can be portrayed as inge- approach is more appropriate to fulfil the task of find-
nious as they assessed the tactical skills of elite soccer ing future talent, since it represents more accurately the
players when they were young and then used these data to different underlying factors that define elite performance.
compare the players who finally reached the professional As we mentioned before, a strong case against the
performance level in adulthood with those who became uni-dimensional approach can be found in the paper
amateurs. The most prevailing finding was that players of Vaeyens et al. (2008). Following up on their proper
who excelled in the tactical elements positioning and de- argument, Matthys et al. (2013) used a multidimen-
ciding had a significant higher chance to reach the profes- sional approach to study performance characteristics in
sional soccer level. It is worth mentioning here the study youth handball. A combination of good skill and excel-
of Savelsberghs, Haansa, Kooijmana, and van Kampen lent endurance appeared to be crucial factors. Apparently
(2010) who found differences between the visual search Elferink-Gemser, Visscher, Lemmink, & Mulder (2004)
patterns of selected young soccer players, showing that were sighted in this matter, as they studied the re-
tactical tests can be valid instruments to increase the va- lation between performance characteristics and perfor-
lidity of the selection process. mance level in talented hockey players. Elite and sub-
elite players were tested on anthropometric, physiologi-
cal, technical, tactical and psychological characteristics.
3.4 The psychological competences Multivariate analyses showed that the elite players out-
classed their peers for the technical, tactical and psy-
In the last decade the awareness gained ground that psy- chological variables being better in the slalom dribble,
chological competences represent a critical hurdle that the possession of the ball, and motivation. Apparently it
needs to be crossed by the athlete to become a high level is the combination of these factors that defines the po-
competitor. An attractive illustration of the impact of tential of the player. Similar observations were made by
psychological characteristics on top level performance is Burgess and Naughton (2010, p. 103) as they state: “un-
presented in the study of Gould, Dieffenbach and Moffett derstanding the multidimensional differences among the
(2002). Interviews with Olympic champions, their coaches requirements of adolescent and elite adult athletes could
and some significant others revealed that these athletes provide more realistic goals for potential talented play-
were able to take advantage of a number of specific psy- ers.” According to these authors the investment in talent
chological qualities, including confidence, optimism, men- identification and development is worthwhile as long as
tal toughness and coachability. the talent development models incorporate a large num-
Illustrative in this regard is the study of ber of variables (e.g., physical, psychological, relative age,
Weissensteiner, Abernethy, Farrow, and Gross (2012) game sense) that relate to the different requirements of
on the characteristics of expert batsmen. The results the final game.
of their study indicated mental toughness as the only
discriminating psychological attribute between skilled
and less-skilled batsmen, provoking a rather cautious
comment from the authors that if mental toughness 3.6 The genetic determinants
can be reliably predicted at an earlier age it would be
useful to integrate this attribute in talent detection tests Even though for many of us genetic prediction of sport
(Weissensteiner et al., 2012, p. 74). The fact that this performance seems to be part of the world of science fic-
study illustrates how relevant psychological attributes tion, recent findings in the field of genetic research have
are for elite performance is an important finding as it shown interesting new developments. In fact, some stud-
adds an element in the matrix of talent identification. ies are suggesting that genetics have a direct impact on
Since a mix of attributes, skills and competences are athletic performance (Yang et al., 2003; MacArthur &
required for high performance, testing should leave the North, 2005; Bray et al., 2009). For example, the ACTN3
one-dimensional arena and focus on a multidimensional gene – the fast-twitch muscle function gene that is found
8 Movement & Sport Sciences – Science & Motricité 88 — 2015/2

in leading sprinters – may help to predict if a person is as steering as the content. This steering effect of the
would be better in power/sprint or endurance sports. environment has been nicely illustrated in a paper by
It is not difficult to understand that genetic sport Mudrak (2011) who interviewed a number of parents of
performance tests could be of interest for professional gifted youngsters. Even though the parental support is
sport teams to know if their players have the “perfor- a vital element for developing the potential of the child,
mance gene” they need to become a successful athlete. the results of this study revealed a number of negative
In 2008, a soccer team was considering asking its play- effects caused by nurturing practices such as excessive ex-
ers to have a genetic sport performance test “to discover pectations, parental perfectionism or authoritarian style
whether they have a genetic predisposition to athletic ex- that are less than optimal (Mudrak, 2011, p. 200). Appar-
cellence” (Scott & Kelso, 2008). It has to be noted that ently high potential and failure can be intimately linked
professional sport teams are not the only ones to have an when contextual factors do not meet the necessary qual-
interest in the genetic potential of their players. Parents ity standards. We will elaborate this issue in the next few
often have an even stronger desire to know if their child paragraphs.
is blessed with the “performance gene” (Neame, 2009).
By knowing if their child is better suited for power or
endurance sports, parents believe that will be able to 4 The context
guide their child to choose “the sports they were born to
play”2 . It would lead us too far to discuss in this paper The first impression that comes to mind after completing
all potential ethical issues related to this type of testing the overview in the previous sections is its ambivalence.
minors, but it raises important issues regarding to what One the one hand the available evidence revealing the
extent parents should have access to the genomic infor- relation between specific competences and future perfor-
mation of their children and whether the ‘right not to mance and on the other hand the absence of an integrated
know’ should apply to this type of information. (Borry, perspective on the problem. As we noted previously, the
Shabani, & Howard, 2014). Moreover, it raises issues with multidimensional approach (e.g., Elferink-Gemser et al.,
regard to appropriate information concerning the test, in- 2004; Burgess and Naugthon, 2010) is best suited to as-
cluding its limitations, and the potential impact and use semble the required pieces of the puzzle. However, even
of the test results. though the puzzle might be showing a very nice represen-
In addition, given these observations one wonders to tation of the talented youngster, we should not overlook
what extent the use of genetic testing has the potential to its static nature. Many different capricious experiences
accurately predict future performance. Tucker and Collins can interfere during a career, making the final success
(2012, p. 555) state that “individual performance thresh- less obvious. For this reason, we want to put the data
olds are determined by our genetic make-up, and training into a broader perspective.
can be defined as the process by which genetic potential is A suitable starting point for this reflection relates to
realised ”. So, a major and logical element in the discus- the issue of the relative age effect (RAE), as it gives
sion is that genetic predisposition is not the only deter- a good feeling of the complexity of the identification
minant of future success. Some of the companies (Genetic process.
Technologies and CyGene Direct) offering genetic perfor- So what is the relative age effect? As demonstrated
mance tests correctly mention that performance depends by Thompson, Barnsley, and Stebelsky (1991) and an
on other key elements in the environment such as, train- impressive multitude of followers (e.g., Baker & Logan,
ing, nutrition and motivation3 . So even if one is able to 2007; Baxter-Jones, 1995), youngsters born early in the
select a child on the basis of genetic tests, the end result is selection year are privileged as compared to those born
not guaranteed, as the way the potential develops cannot later in the same year. Even though this effect resides in
be read (yet) from the chromosomes. This would require the flaws of organisational decisions, it appears to have
a complete understanding of all the genes that interfere detrimental effects on the prospects of young athletes to
with elite performance as well as their interaction between enter the famous hall of elite athletes. Yet, a recent study
themselves and the environment. At the time being this by Ford and Williams (2011) challenged the validity of the
endeavour still carries a high futuristic load. RAE effect in award-winning athletes. According to the
This takes us back to the nature-nurture issue show- authors, the youngsters born later in the given year were
ing that the environment is also a crucial player on the pressed to develop higher skill levels then their “older”
field of elite performance. In other words, the context opponents in order to survive the system.
Actually, the impact of relative age effects should
2
Baby Olympian? DNA Test Screens Sports Ability. be attributed beyond a dispute between believers and
MSNBC 2008 Mar 4. Available from URL: http://www. non-believers, based upon contradictory finding. Figure 1
msnbc.msn.com/id/29496350/print/1/displaymode/1098. shows how relative age and training age interact at dif-
3 ferent points in time and different ages within a highly
Genetic test may be able to predict the sport your
child should play. City News 2009 Jun 8. Available from relevant age segment of talent development. Take for ex-
URL: http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/life/health/ ample two individuals born in the same ‘year 0’, 6 months
Article/print/11149. apart. Both individuals, being born in the same year, will
 Talent in sports. Some reflections about the search for future champions 9

Fig. 1. Confounding effects of relative age (ra) and relative training age (TA).

start practicing at the same point in time, e.g. at the start individuals start training at younger ages, with higher
of year9. intensities, the relative training age effect will dominate
When evaluated at a given moment in time, both in- the relative age effect, ipso facto as individuals start train-
dividuals will have the same training age, as they started ing at older ages, with lower intensities, the relative age
training at the same moment, and a difference in skill effect will dominate the relative training age effect, (2)
could, among other factors, be caused by age difference, both effects will reduce in time, and (3) the impact of
through physical and neurologic development and all the relative age effect needs to be estimated relative to
kinds of “life-experiences”. Their relative age difference the impact of physical development (growth) in the given
(dRA) at the beginning of year12 is 4.2%, and reduces to sport.
3.8% at the beginning of year15 and further to 2.8% at A second point of interest is elaborated in a paper by
the beginning of year18. Through their sporting careers, Martindale et al., (2007) in which the talent identifica-
the relative age effect will gradually reduce towards zero. tion and selection process is considered against the back-
When evaluated at any given age, the younger individ- ground of talent development. Reading their paper had
ual B will always have a higher training age (TA), thus an interesting effect as it brought to mind the image of
causing an effect opposite to the relative age effect, which a snake biting its own tail. Actually, the premise of their
in general is considered favourable for individual B. This thinking is clenched in the following phrase: “.. while it is
effect too, will reduce in time, e.g. 13.1% at age 12, 7.4% clear that talent emerges with the right experience, many
at age 15 and 5 % at age 18. Moreover, in sports where still insist on providing funding and development oppor-
physical development (growth) has a strong positive ef- tunities to only a few selected youngsters, based on cor-
fect (e.g. throwing events athletics, basketball, American rect performance levels” (Martindale et al. 2007, p. 188).
football), the relative age effect will be significant and This seems to perfectly illustrate the limits surrounding
positive. In sport, however, where physical development the golden standard of selection. There are famous ex-
(growth) can have a negative effect (e.g., female gymnas- amples (e.g., Michael Jordan) of passed by youngsters
tics), the relative age effect might well be significant and that eventually reach the status of top athlete in spite of
negative. the blockades build by the system. Perhaps this can be
Finally, we need to bring a methodological issue into partly related to the earlier mentioned importance of the
the equation. The calculations of Delorme, Boiché and psychological concept of mental toughness. Not selecting
Raspaud (2010) indicated that the accuracy of the test a mentally tough young athlete might very well trigger
performed in most REA studies must be questioned, be- higher and long lasting determination to finally achieve.
cause the database of the national population was used The conclusion of the authors that performance standards
as a reference, instead of the database for licenced play- are often a poor measure of potential stabs the sword in
ers. In comparing this latter database for French soccer the heart of the problem. Talent identification is not a
players with the elite soccer players, the authors revealed question of taking a performance picture at a young age,
that the REA effect was no longer present. in which the future is frozen into the limits of the present.
In summary, when evaluating an individual with Talent identification is a starting point for freeing the
talent-identification purposes, relative age (generally in potential through welldesigned development programs.
favour of the older individual) and relative training age This viewpoint is not only adopted by Henriksen (2010),
(in favour of the younger individual) need to be consid- but also placed in a holistic perspective. In his doctoral
ered with caution, not only relative to age and moment dissertation The ecology of talent développent in sport,
in time but also to the given sport. In general, (1) as this author presents a judiciously elaborated framework
10 Movement & Sport Sciences – Science & Motricité 88 — 2015/2

for talent development. A framework that strongly vali- it is far from certain that this capacity guarantees an un-
dates the important influence of the environment as the biased judgment when their own children are involved.
following quote perfectly expresses: “Athletic talent de-
velopment is the progressive mutual accommodation that
takes place between an aspiring athlete and a compos- 5 Conclusion
ite and dynamic sporting and non-sporting environment ”
(Henriksen, 2010, p. 159). Talent detection is a very intriguing and inspiring en-
deavour but also one with a considerable responsibility
Another elegant elaboration of this talent identifica- as those who are involved in this process are shaping the
tion and development issue is provided in the study by dreams of many youngsters. How positive a selection pro-
Sommerlund and Strandvad (2012). Although this paper cess may be for those who succeed, the opposite is true
addresses the talent issue in the area of artistic culture for those who fail. The excerpts of interviews in the study
and creativity (Danish film directors and designers), the from Barnett (2006) reveal the devastating effects of non-
reflections of the authors relate very well to our current selection in a high school dance or cheerleaders team. For
debate. In fact, the authors try to escape from the di- this reason the methods, tests and concepts used to detect
chotomy that defines the reasoning about talent, that is the gifted individuals should be well conceived. In this re-
to say, talent in the form of especially gifted persons (the spect, we support the argument of Vaeyens, et al. (2008,
nature issue) versus talent as a social construct (the nur- p. 703) that talent identification programs should aim at
ture issue). In contrast they put forward the assumption the potential to develop, rather than exclude children at
that talent becomes manifest via specific situations that young age.
encompass the potential of the person and various other The findings reported in this paper reveal three im-
actors. Thus, talent takes place between the individual, portant issues. First, the importance of multidimensional
the material and the social (p. 180). More specific the au- testing. It is a false strategy to select young player on
thors discern three distinct phases in the process: identi- a few competences without taking into account variables
fication, self-technology and materialization. It is easy to that might play a more important role. Athletic perfor-
see the familiarity of the first two elements to the con- mance requires mastering many different skills that are
text of sports as they can be linked to identification of built on their underlying competences. A wellbalanced
the individual talent on the one hand and to the deliber- development of these competences is crucial to future
ate practice needed for skill improvement (mostly under success.
the supervision of coaches, teachers of parents). The third Second, there is a need to test the individual’s ca-
element is less familiar as it refers to the ability of the tal- pacity at different moments in time. Or in the words
ented person to make attachments to other persons (e.g., of Warburton (2002): “For assessment to tell the whole
fans, teammates, sponsors). While this latter capacity is story, it must get beyond the one-shot-deal administration
not really incorporated in our thinking, it could actually of a test. What we need are on-going assessments that al-
be a very influential factor for the eventual failure or suc- low repeated measures over time, so that the development
cess of an athlete. Athletes and players do not evolve in of the person’s knowledge and skill can be charted ”. The
splendid isolation but need to function in a world of in- role of coaches and PE-teachers as gatekeepers in this
teraction. Being able to capitalize on these interactions process should not be overlooked.
can place the player in a pole position in this contest for This brings us to the final observation, namely that
victory. talent detection is useless without a strong program to
Even though the interaction capacity of the young- develop the available competences. Only when talent de-
sters is mostly left out of the talent detection equation, tection and talent development are considered as an in-
other contextual factors are recognized and better inte- separable twin pair the full potential of the young athletes
grated in the process. This is for example the case for the will eventually blossom.
role of parents as “gatekeepers” for the gifted children
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