An article about talent development by sport psychologist Adam Truhlar.
Nowadays, we have phenomenal advanced measurement equipment with which we can examine motor skills of humans, compare results very quickly with others, and determine what is standard, average, or below average. We can also measure the general cognitive function of players and determine if a player has perfect visual skills in terms of reading and anticipating the trajectory of an incoming object, or great concentration or reaction time.
Of course, in the last decade, a new method, DNA analysis, has emerged that one can predict if a player will be able to apply their potential in explosive or endurance sports.
But is it enough?
Is this everything?
If we create the best expert group and integrate all these specific aspects, will this produce extra talent?
Individually, we take a kid and give them the best services available in the world. We find great personalities, kids with very high motor intelligence, with DNA predispositions, with high cognitive function.
Do we know if he will succeed?
Maybe yes, maybe not. Because the kid may not be able to handle the pressure. They have the best world team around them and yet they lose matches. They want to prove they are the “chosen talented kid” and they don’t want to disappoint their team, parents, or coaches. And if this case fails, it’s probably because of mindset.
Statistics on how many kids are able to go through this high-tech system and become internationally successful are unknown. We can only guess.
But what we know from past research from around the world (Arne Gulich) is that German, Australian, and Russian talent identification programs have shown that there is no predictability; success in junior categories does not guarantee success in adult categories. Here we can see the opposite effect. The best junior talented kids finish their careers because of pressure, and the mindset which is not prepared to enter the senior category and learn from mistakes, failures, and actively continue working on themselves.
What if there’s another way to do it?
Let’s examine a real situation.
Do you believe we can create high-talent players even without this high-tech team?
What about a country like Slovakia, which produces world champions in hockey on a regular basis even without a high-tech team?
How is it possible that a country has been world champion four times in a row, almost without any high-tech team or government support?
For information: From a team of 20 members, 4 players are from the small village of Skalica (population 15,000). Among these players, one is a former captain and now the national trainer, and another player is currently the coach of the junior representation. From this city, there is also a player who is the head coach of Switzerland. You might also know the world ice-hockey player Zigmund Palfy. All these players live within a 3 km radius in the city.
How is it possible?
TALENT ENVIRONMENT
Imagine an environment with a city district, building next to building, and in the middle, you have kindergartens, elementary schools, hockey, football, and tennis playgrounds.
In this area, the use of mobile phones or PCs is not allowed. The kids have a lot of time after school, they want to play. They will, but not PC games.
They come from school, throw their bags into the corner, and go out. They don’t actually know what they will be doing; they need to be creative, they have to socialize and make some program. Everything happens without the organization by coaches, autonomously.
The kids see their parents play hockey leagues in this playground every Saturday. So the kids copy that behavior and play too. Kids never know who will come and who will play against whom. One kid is sitting and behind their back throws the stick, one left and one right. 8-year-olds play with 11-year-olds and so on. It was spontaneous, unorganized games in which every single one was 100% engaged. That was their game, they created it, a feeling of freedom. They created their own games, just like today’s most popular game “Minecraft.” It gives the kids the feeling they can do what they can. Also, this environment gave them this freedom. No one tells them what, to, or how to do.
No coaches analyze how to play, how to score, how to pass, how to shoot; no analysis on how to win. Kids must do it just by themselves.
They need to actively think and explore how to do it better. Experiment, test, and making mistakes were a natural part, without extra analysis. Also, after losing, it was not a big deal and no one would comfort the kids with the words of support: Don’t worry son, it will be okay, next time you will win.” Kids must regulate these emotions just by themselves. And this is the way to build resilience and creativity: self-regulation.
Behind this city area was a sports areal. Big football, hockey, tennis clubs where kids participated mostly 3 hours a week. That was organized form of trainings in which they could develop optimal technical-tactical skills. But behind the houses, they spontaneously played daily 3 hours, soccer, hockey, basketball. This spontaneously multisport activity built not only great movement fundamentals with a huge variability of motor and cognitive stimulations but also personality development.
They developed leadership skills, resilience; when a younger team played against an older one, that was a challenge. All obstacles were challenges. They played in a safe environment, no parents or coaches screaming how to play; they could explore and learn by doing.
They spent a lot of hours spontaneously in non-organized activities with 100% focus in a stimulating and psychologically safe environment.
The kids from this environment are not only the best hockey players in the world but also very famous ice-hockey players in the most prestigious league NHL. Zdena Chara, captain of the Boston Bruins, Gaborik, Hossa, Demitra, world-known names, came from one city called Trenčín with the same conditions. These guys also won the 2002 world championship and became Slovakia’s best ice-hockey country.
That weren’t coaches who produced quality players; that was an environment that produced them, and coaches could only direct this fire inside the player.
This is the reason I am 100% convinced; we cannot expect systematically develop talented kids only with a professional high-tech team, but we need to make a good environment and create PC games for kids in real sport conditions.
And then, when we have a good fundamental system, we can focus individually on talented kids with a multidisciplinary approach and push the limits even more. At this point, one thing is for sure: they are ready to become a top!