Category Archives: Youth Training

RFU Talent Symposium – What is Talent?

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This weekend I had the opportunity to present at The Royal Society (London) as part of the Rugby Football Union’s Talent Symposium event. Not only was this a privilege to present at such a prestigious venue but to be invited to present at this unique event alongside some of the worlds leading experts on talent identification, talent development and expertise was a real honour.
The RFU’s aim for the symposium was “to consolidate, solidify, and broadly disseminate strong, evidence-based recommendations for provider practice in the field of rugby union talent identification, development and selection.” Talent is a word commonly used in sport but understanding what this actually means, how it can be identified and developed is not so easy and the RFU should be congratulated on organising such an event to support the development of the sports future stars!

Rob Andrew controlled proceedings throughout and Stuart Lancaster (England Head Coach) kicked off the weekend with why the development of talent is so important for the success of England Rugby in the future. What followed was a non stop showcase and discussions on the issues of talent identification and development. This included:

  • An Overview of Talent (Dr Steve Cobley, Professor Lew Hardy)
  • The Question of Natural Talent – Nature vs Nurture (Dr Yannis Pitsiladis, Dr Ross Tucker)
  • Psychological and Behavioural Factors for Talent (Prof Paul Ward, Dr Aine MacNamara, Prof Mark Williams)
  • Risks and Challenges in Talent Identification (Me, Anne Pankhurst, Prof Joe Baker)
  • Talent Development Environments (Dr Jorg Schorer, Richard Shuttleworth, Prof Bruce Abernethy)

My presentation was based around my research findings within Rugby League from my PhD (see an earlier Blog for an overview) and included some practical applications from the RFL’s talent development programme. I learnt so much and had some great conversations throughout and below is a brief (I tried to make it brief) summary of some of the main take home messages

  • Talent identification and development is a multifactorial and complex process
  • Relative age effects and maturation impact how ability / talent is perceived in youth athletes
  • Delay selection as long as possible – Post maturation!
  • Mental toughness is an important psychological attribute – and it can be trained!
  • Recruitment of younger players = a more likely younger exit from the sport. Later recruitment = higher senior success. Therefore, delay selection.
  • We cannot currently predict performance through genetic testing – more research is needed
  • 10,000 hours is not needed for expert performance and Ericsson forgot the issue of variance in his 10,000 hour rule
  • Eventual elite athletes have less exposure in a sport up to 15 years of age compared to those that do not go on to be successful
  • Experts know what they know (and also what they don’t!)
  • A Bio-psycho-social approach to athlete development is essential
  • Putting speed bumps (with support pre and post) is a useful strategy to develop talent
  • Non-coach led activity is important for future development (Encourage children to PLAY!!)
  • Learning is best developed with infrequent interaction, random practice and low levels of feedback. Coaches – BE AWARE!
  • Decision making is vital – test and train it!
  • Provide as many development opportunities to as many players as possible
  • Monitor athletes on an individual and longitudinal basis
  • Change coaches attitudes from Winning to Long Term Development
  • Know the four ages – chronological age, biological age, relative age and sporting age. They all have an effect on identification and development of players
  • Early specialisation leads to physical (i.e., injury) and psycho-social (i.e., compromised social development) problems
  • Data informs our decisions – therefore collect and analyse it!
  • Know what your sport will look like in the future – remember you are developing the stars of tomorrow not today!
  • We need to develop long term practical and research relationships
  • Experts have less effortful motor performance, anticipate actions quicker and recognise patterns easier
  • Where you are born may be as important as when you are born
  • Longitudinal, multidimensional talent identification research is needed for us to understand this complex process

Hopefully this provides a good summary of the content delivered. However, the conference probably threw up a lot more questions than answers – most importantly – do we really know what talent is and how to develop it? I wish the RFU all the best in developing their consensus and I am sure this great weekend will have gone a long way to achieving that. If you’ like to discuss any of this then as always get in touch

KT

Developing Fundamental Movements in Children

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I was recently directed to the following video (Fundamentals in Barca Youth Players). I thought this would be worth sharing with you all. The video is an example session from some youth football players at Barcelona FC, probably aged 8-9 years. The video demonstrates these young players with exceptional Agility, Balance and Co-ordination alongside speed and footwork within a fun and competitive training environment.

Agility, Balance and Co-ordination (the ABCs of movement) are the Fundamentals of Movement recommended to be developed in children from the earliest ages. These skills are thought to be pre-requisites for developing athletic performance in youths. Unfortunately, children in the UK currently lack these fundamental skills and it is essential they are developed during this key time to enhance future performance.

If any young athletes or parents want advice on developing these fundamentals of movement for future sporting performance then please do not hesitate to get in contact with me at kevin@ktconditioning.co.uk.

KT

IYCA Big Book of Programs

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I recently wrote a book chapter for the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA) Big Book of Programs. The book has been launched today and you can get your copy here - IYCA’s Big Book of Programs

To give you a bit of info, the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA) is the number 1 youth fitness & sports performance education & certification organization in the world. Their CEO (Pat Rigsby) asked 50 top Youth Conditioning Coaches in the world to write a chapter giving detailing one of their best programs. Luckily I was one of those 50! All the programs were then compiled into one book to make an amazing resource of over 600 pages for developing youth’s fitness and  conditioning programs across a range of ages, sports and contexts.

This is a great resource for any coach, fitness specialist or even parent so make sure you buy your copy today. The half price sale lasts until Friday so you can grab this for $49.95 (about £33).

I hope you find this resource useful and as always don’t hesitate to ask any questions

KT

Why do we need to develop athletic abilities in todays youth?

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Earlier this week I launched KT Conditioning’s Youth Athletic Development Program. Today I thought I would provide some more information as to why the program is important for developing the athletic abilities of youths.

First of all, any child that plays any type of sport is an ATHLETE! The Youth Athletic Development Program is generic and can be applied to all children (and even adults) regardless of their age and the sport they play. So this program is relevant to us all – Parents, Coaches, Teachers, Family, Friends - We can make a difference to a child’s athletic ability!

In most sports, advanced fitness characteristics (such as speed, strength, power and endurance) are all necessary for performance. However, to achieve advanced fitness characteristics a number of fundamental building blocks need to be developed. These building blocks are titled the Fundamentals of Movement (Agility, Balance & Co-ordination) and Fundamental Movement Skills (Stability, Object Control & Locomotion Skills).

For example, if we want to develop leg strength in a 15 year old then the squat is a primary exercise that we would use (see my previous blog on Resistance Training for Youths). However, if someone does not have the co-ordination, stability or movement capability to perform the squat safely and effectively then is it wise to start loading this movement. NO!! Therefore the development of strength can be hindered by the lack of movement ability and this firstly needs to be addressed.

These movement fundamentals are not just essential for advancing fitness characteristics but also for the development of sport specific skills. Therefore, the sporting performance of a child can be hindered - not by their skill but by their movement ability. For a basic example of a sport specific skill, consider kicking a football. This simple action involves standing on one leg while kicking the ball with the other and therefore requires stability and balance of the standing leg and co-ordination and movement of the the kicking leg to effectively kick the ball. This sounds simple but a lot of movement fundamentals contribute to this action.

Therefore, if children do not have the basic Fundamentals of Movement and Fundamental Movement Skills then developing sport specific skills and advanced fitness characteristics is difficult and problematic. From my experience as a strength and conditioning coach working with youth athletes, I cannot start developing strength, power and speed because a lot of these junior players cannot MOVE or CONTROL their own body weight effectively. I believe this is a very severe problem in the youth of today. This is why the youth athletic development program is so important. If we can start developing and improving the movement ability and stability of youngsters throughout the country then this is going to substantially enhance performance and training gains in the future. 

KT Conditioning’s Youth Athletic Development Program is about getting the basics right and can be incoroprated with youngsters of any age but in my opinion the earlier the better. The program is about the quality of the exercise and not making the children tired (anybody can do that). So if you are a parent, teacher or coach this program is applicable to you! You can start implementing athletic development exercises into the daily routines and exercise of your children, players and pupils to enhance their potential of being a athlete in the future.  

Therefore, access the Phase 1 of KT Conditioning’s Youth Athletic Development Program now and start improving the athletic abilities of todays youth. The first 50 members will gain access for just £10 (£15 there after).

As always if you have any questions please Contact Us and I hope you enjoy and see the benefit of the program

KT

Summer 2012 – Youth Athletic Development Camps

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This Summer, KT Conditioning will be using its extensive knowledge and experience in improving the physical performance of junior athletes by offering a series of Youth Athletic Development Camps. KT Conditioning will be teaming up with fellow Strength & Conditioning Coach, Kevin Shattock (Podium Performance Strength & Conditioning – www.facebook.com/ppsccoaching) to deliver these camps.

These workshops will focus on a number of athletic development areas including:

■ Fundamental movement skills
■ Speed
■ Agility
■ Strength
■ Conditioning

The workshops are designed to improve your (or your son / daughters) physical performance in the sports and activities they participate in whilst providing a fun but informative experience.

Structure
Camps will run for 5 days (Monday – Friday) with a different focus each day.
Athletes can attend a one day workshop or a full 5 day camp.
We would recommend the full 5 days for optimal development.

Camps will be split according to age (12 – 16 years 0930 – 1230hrs / 16 years+ 1300 – 1600hrs). The numbers on each camp will be limited to 15 to ensure each individual receives relevant and appropriate coaching. Camps are open to male and females.

Dates
The weeks commencing 30th July, 6th August, 13th August and 20th August.

Where
Harrogate College, Hornbeam Park, HG2 8QT.
Further venues to be announced.

Cost
£25 per workshop or £100 for 5 day camp.
Individuals will be registered (and receive confirmation of place) prior to the week.  Payment must be made prior to first day of attendance.

What Will Workshops Look Like?
12 – 16 years old:
0930:  Individuals will be met at the College Reception
0935:  The Coaches will spend 15 minutes framing the days session (aims, objectives, skills, activities)
0950:  Head outdoors for the Group warm up
1005:  First activities
1030:  Refreshment break
1035:  Second round of activities
1130:  Refreshment break
1135:  Games (to develop and consolidate the skills practice in the workshop)
1200:  Review of the day (reinforce techniques, coaching points, how it affects each individual and the sport they play)
1230:  Workshop finish.  Individuals picked up from College Reception.

16 years +
1300:  Individuals will be met at the College Reception
1305:  The Coaches will spend 15 minutes framing the days session (aims, objectives, skills, activities)
1320:  Head outdoors for the Group warm up
1335:  First activities
1400:  Refreshment break
1405:  Second round of activities
1500:  Refreshment break
1505:  Games (to develop and consolidate the skills practice in the workshop)
1530:  Review of the day (reinforce techniques, coaching points, how it affects each individual and the sport they play)
1600: Workshop Finish. Individuals picked up from College Reception.

For more information or to book a place, please contact Kevin at KT Conditioning on 07411 227745 or kevin@ktconditioning.co.uk.