Yesterday I started what I hope is an interesting and thought-provoking in young children. I looked at a recent study of Danish elite and near-elite athletes where the authors concluded that “There is no delay in the athletic development that cannot be made up later with late specialization”. Practice trajectory leads to performance? That conclusion was […]
Talent vs training
Early vs Late Specialization: When should children specialize in sport?
There is no single pathway to success in sport. If there were, we wouldn’t be able to compare the stories of Chrissie Wellington, who discovered her remarkable talent late in life but went on to dominate IronMan Triathlon within a few years, to that of another endurance athlete, say Floyd Landis, who began cycling at […]
Nature vs nurture
Of the many debatable issues in sport (or in life, for that matter), few are as “unanswerable” as the issue of nature vs. nurture, the notion that people are born champions or made into champions through hours (and years) of hard work. This debate applies to just about anything – your salary, your ability to play […]
The Matthew Effect Part 2
Yesterday, I did a , as applied to sports performance and talent Identification. Briefly, it refers to the phenomenon where a disproportionate number of elite level sports people are born during the first few months of the year. This comes about as a result of a confusion between ability and maturity, and the selection of […]
The Matthew Effect
The first post of 2009 is inspired by a book I read over the break – Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. One of the very first things I recall learning when I started out my postgraduate studies was a tip from Prof Tim Noakes to read widely, and read outside your field. Sensible advice, and it informs much […]
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