TALENT IDENTIFICATION

WHAT IS MULTI LATERAL (ATHLETES FOUNDATION PROGRAM)?

The Multi lateral program involves 3 type of fundamental movement
skill categories:-

i) Locomotor skills involve the body moving in any direction from one point to
another. Locomotor skills in this resource include walking, running, dodging,
jumping, hopping and skipping.

ii) Stability skills involve the body balancing either in one place (static) or while in motion (dynamic). Stability skills in this resource include landing, balance (static and dynamic) and rotation.

iii) Manipulative skills involve handling and controlling objects with the hand, the foot or an implement (stick, bat or racquet). Manipulative skills in this resource include throwing and catching, striking with the hands, feet and an implement(e.g. kicking, volleying, batting and dribbling).

WHAT IS TALENT IDENTIFICATION ?

Talent Identification refers to the process of recognizing current participation (children or adolescent) with the potential to become elite player. It entails predicting performance over various period of time by measuring physical, physiological, psychological and sociological attributes as well as technical abilities either alone or in combination (Regnier et al 1993)

Screening (measuring) children and adolescents using selected tests of physical, physiological and skill attributes in order to identify those potential for success in a designated sport.

• Talent is dynamic and multidimensional, and cannot be accurately or easily predicted.
• Gifted athletes can emerge at any stage of development.
• Environment, genetics, mental ability, physiology and support are all key to developing talent.
• Environment is the easiest element to influence.
• Some common attributes of top performing athletes are as follows:
  They were very active as children.
  They specialised in one sport later in development.
  They were motivated by the joy of sport rather than winning.
  They had access to coaching from an early age.
• Playing a range of sports developed a more advanced skill set for an athlete than concentrating on one sport from an early age.
• Inhibiting factors were a lack of social and financial support, and fathers who demanded success.