Modern day high-performance sport is arguably more competitive than ever before. National teams, clubs and sport programmes therefore focus on identifying talented athletes and developing them into the sporting superstars of tomorrow through structured talent systems and tailored talent development environments (TDEs).
Recently, however, concerns have been raised over the short and long-term physical, psychological and social impact on young athletes participating in the talent development process.
There are two main areas of concern...
Developmental Sacrifice
Talent development is time exhaustive and may result in a sacrifice of social and/or educational experiences ordinarily experienced by young people.
Negative Health Impact
Talent development is physically, psychologically and socially demanding and may impact on the health and wellbeing of young athletes as they progress towards elite levels.
For this reason, the International Olympic Committee have put forth a consensus statement that promotes the safe and balanced development of all young athletes.
“The goal is clear: develop healthy, capable and resilient young athletes, while attaining widespread, inclusive, sustainable and enjoyable participation and success for all levels of individual athletic achievement” - Bergeron et al. (2015)
What is Holistic Talent Development?
There is a lack of consensus around what holistic development is. We examined existing research and policy documents and arrived at the below definition:
Holistic development is an overarching philosophical approach to athletic talent development that aims to develop young athletes in three interrelated domains:
- Athletic Skills
The development of the skills and characteristics (i.e., technical, tactical, physical, psychosocial) needed to progress towards higher levels of athletic performance and competition.
- Health and Wellbeing
The promotion, development, safeguarding and maintenance of physical, mental and social health and wellbeing.
- Life Readiness
The development and application of attitudes and skills required to succeed in and outside of sport, now and in the future.
6 Principles of Holistic Development in TDEs
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You can also download the full report in English, and the Executive summary in English, Dutch, Spanish, French and German below
Dr. Barnaby Sargent Megicks
Barnaby is a Lecturer at Edge Hill University, where he also works for ICOACHKIDS. His current work seeks to explore the nature of talent development environments across Europe. He has previously studied at Leeds Beckett University, the University of Birmingham and Loughborough University. Aside from his research, he is also a Hockey Coach.
Professor Sergio Lara-Bercial
Professor Kevin Till
Dr. Fieke Rongen
Fieke is a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. She completed her undergraduate and postgraduate degree in Psychology with a specialisation in Clinical Psychology at the Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. On completion of her Master's, Fieke worked as an academic counsellor for one and a half years. In 2010 she was awarded the Prins Bernard Cultuur Fonds bursary to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance Psychology at the University of Edinburgh. Upon completion of this she returned to the Radboud University as a Junior Researcher and part-time lecturer. In 2012 Fieke was awarded a studentship by the Carnegie Faculty to undertake a PhD, which she completed in 2015.
