Training Differences and Selection in a Talent Identification System

Baker J, Bagats S, Büsch D, Strauß B, Schorer J

Abstract

Contemporary models of human expertise (e.g., Ericsson, Nandagopal, &Roring, 2009; Howe, Davidson, & Sloboda, 1998) emphasize the crucial role thatexperience and training play in skill acquisition. However, the value of different formsof training across development is not clear. This study compared training histories ofyoung athletes who were selected (n = 65) during talent identification camps withathletes from the same camps who were not-selected (n = 64). As hypothesized,selected players had different training profiles than those not-selected, although theseeffects were restricted to females. Selected females performed more sport-specifictraining than their not-selected counterparts and had greater involvement in sportsoutside their area of expertise (i.e., non-sport-specific training). These results suggesttraining behaviors distinguish between skill levels even within a single step along theathlete development pathway, at least in females. Furthermore, they suggest nonspecifictraining may have value during early athlete development. The inconsistenteffects across sex groups highlight the need to control for sex in examinations ofexpertise development. Further work is necessary to confirm these results in otherpopulations and integrate these findings into more comprehensive training-basedmodels of expert performance.