Are talent development programs truly effective? New trends in talent identification

Abstract

Many young athletes have the potential to become high performing athletes. However, very few of them can get to an international level. Achieving excellence in the field of sport requires great effort, resources and time. Thus, what are the contributing factors that result in some succeeding in becoming high performing athletes where others do not?. What factors and conditions favor the development of the athlete? How can one put in place a system of detection to locate and identify potential high performing? This paper aims to present the current state-of-the-art detection and talent development systems and resources. The reader will get an overview of the processes in place at this time, focusing on the key concepts and factors that are considered to be advancing and, conversely, limiting sports development. Furthermore, it´s also present a critical vision of the success of the different talent detection programs, and it´s present new perspectives and ideas for the design of this kind of programs.