Talent Identification and Coaching Behaviour Sports Analysis LG

Talent Identification and Coaching Behaviour Sports Analysis LG B 518 Image by kicki

Aims This weeks lecture will cover • What is talent identification and why is it important? • What issues are evident when analysing youth sport? • What issues do analysts need to consider when analysing youth sport? • How do you analyse coaching behaviour? • Why is analysis of coaching behaviour important? Image by keithminer

Talent Identification What is it? The term talent is difficult to quantify as it refers to both a certain generic predisposition and to the capacity to improve performance characteristics through intensive practice (Reilly et al, 2000). The talent identification process can be separated into three components; Filming a game • Detection • Selection • Identification Why is it an area of research? The early identification of young talented sports people has become increasingly popular across many sports. Countries and professional clubs are continually striving to produce local and home grown talent. Due to this the identification of sporting talent has become a significant area of research.

Observation Task Talent identification is a complex process and making the right decisions on future sporting talent and performance is difficult. Watch the clip below on see if you can identify which players you think are talented? If so why have you come to that conclusion, what was it about that specific player which made you feel they are talented? Note your thoughts down and bring them to the seminar to discuss further. ò Example football action Image by keithmilner

How Do We Identify Talent? Research To select suitable athletes for talent development programmes a range of factors should be considered. Research has adopted a multi-dimensional approach to include; • Anthropometric • Physiological • Psychological • Game specific actions/variables Reilly et al. (2000) suggest that talent identification is more difficult in team sports than individual sports at a young age due to the lack of discrete objective measures of performance. Dribbling in hockey

What Issues Exist? What are the Potential Issues? Subjective Opinion As suggested previously talent identification is a complex and somewhat un classified area. The ‘correct’ strategy which should be used by all is not fully understood. Potential issues which analysts must consider are; Again as with previous topics the influence of subjective analysis ahs the potential to cause issues in talent identification. Ideally visual observations should be supported with an objective recording tool, a practical example could be the objective analysis system developed by Waldron and Worsfold (2009). • How many times do you need to watch an athlete? • What is the standard of opposition? • Are they suited to their playing position? • Are they in a successful team exaggerating their ability? • • ability to 'read the play/situation' • acquired knowledge Their age and maturation? • decision-making skills Image by Yatmandu

Coaching Behaviour Why is Analysis Important? Sports coaches have a direct influence on the development of the players they are working with, this is specifically important at a junior level when considering the process of talent development and identification (Kenow and Williams, 1999). Limited research exists regarding the optimal coaching behaviour but the use of instruction has been found to be the most common behaviour in youth football (Gallimore and Tharpe, 2004). Lyle suggests that successful coaches are those who can adapt their behaviour in relation to the environment and the athletes they are working with. The area is of importance as Weinberg and Gould (2007) suggest that athletes satisfaction and developed can be hindered if their preferred coaching style is not delivered. Image by Brian Sawyer

Practical Application Applied Practice The previous activity outlined a few of the systems which have been developed within academic literature, some of which are not accessible to most analysts. Analysis of coaching behaviour can be performed using the following systems; • Hand notational systems – use the ASUOI as a guide to create frequency tables to code behaviours. Sub sections could investigate when during the game these actions occurred. • Video the coaching session – this allows the coach to watch their session back post session allowing reflection on performance. • Analysis software such as Sportscode® allow coding of videos. This could be useful to obtain video clips of the behaviours analysed and feedback to the coach verbally and visually. • ability to 'read the play/situation' • acquired knowledge • decision-making skills Image by 2 E 0 MCA

References Franks, I. M. (1988) ‘Analysis of association football. ’ Soccer Journal, 9, pp. 35 -43. Gallimore, R. , and Tharpe, R. G. (2004) ‘What a coach can teach a teacher, 1975 -2004: Reflections and reanalysis of John Wooden's teaching practices’. The Sports Psychologist, 18, pp. 119 -137. Kenow, L. J. , and Williams, J. M. (1999) ‘Coach-athlete compatibility and athletes’ perceptions of coaching behaviours’. Journal of Sport Behaviour, 22, pp. 251 -259. Mohamed, H. Vaeyens, R. Matthys, S. Multael, M. Lefevre, J. Lenoir, M. and Philippaerts, R. (2009) ‘Anthropometric and performance measures for the development of a talent detection and identification model in youth handball. ’ Journal of Sports Science, 27 (3), pp. 257 -266. Pearson, D. T. Naughton, G. A. and Torode, M. (2006) ‘Predictability of physiological testing and the role of maturation in talent identification for adolescent team sports. ’ Journal of Sports Science and Medicine in Sport, 9, pp. 277 -287. Reilly, T. Bangsbo, J. and Franks, A. (2000) ‘Anthropometric and physiological predispositions for elite soccer. Journal of Sports Science, 18, pp. 669 -683. Smith, R. E, Smoll, F. L. and Hunt, E. (1977) ‘A system for the behavioural assessment of athletic coaches’. Research Quartley, 48, pp. 401 -407. Smith, M. , and Cushion, C. J. (2006) ‘An investigation of the in-game behaviours of professional, top -level youth soccer coaches’. Journal of Sports Sciences, 24, (4), pp. 355 -366.

References Vale, P. Ramos, A. Salgado, B. Correia, P. Martins, P. Brito, J. Oliveria, E. Seabra, A. and Rebelo, A. (2010). ‘Difference in technical skill performance of Portuguese junior soccer players according to competitive level and playing position’. In Drust, B. Reiilly, T. and Williams, M. A. (eds. ) International Research in Science and Soccer. London: Routledge, pp. 13 -20. Vanderford, M. L. Meyers, M. C. Skelly, W. A. Stewart, C. C. and Hamiltoon, K. L. (2004) ‘Physiological and sport specific skill response of Olympic youth soccer athletes’. Journal of Strength and Conditiong Research, 18, pp. 344 -342. Waldron, M. and Worsfold, P. (2010) ‘Differences in the game specific skills of elite and sub elite youth football players: Implications for talent identification. ’ International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 10 (1), pp. 9 -24. Weinberg, R. , and Gould, D. (2007). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. 4 th ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.