SAL & AIS Talent Identification Findings Drew McGregor - Coach, AIS Swimming Lachlan Mitchell - PhD Scholar, AIS Physiology
Talent vs. Potential What should we be trying to identify? Talent Natural aptitude or skill 1, the ability to perform an action Potential Having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future 1 1 Dictionary, Oxford English. "Oxford english dictionary." (2008).
Talent vs. Potential Talent, especially for age groupers Being fast now Being big and strong now Being skillful now Potential Ability to increase capacities Maturation still to come Ability to learn skills
Talent vs. Potential Real talent, the talent we should be looking for, is: Being able to manipulate one's skills Being willing to make changes to improve Being an average performer with obvious deficiencies, but a good foundation
Talent vs. Potential Who has more potential? Measure Athlete 1 Athlete 2 Gender Male Male Age 13 13 100 Free time 54.00 56.30 Height 177 cm 167 cm Weight 70 kg 60 kg Sessions per week 8 3 Gym Sessions 2 0 Father s height 170 cm 190 cm
Quotes Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent - Calvin Coolidge We re looking for the whole package
Quotes We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities but its own talents - Eric Hoffer Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads - Erica Jong
How do we find potential? Currently: Performance at a young age Development squads Juniors teams SIS/SAS assistance Maturation is a key component here Fastest 12 year old may mean more mature, not more potential Are we missing the background to performances?
Domestic - International Transition AGE GROUP ALL TIME TOP 10
Top 10 all time Age records - Girls
Top 10 all time Age records - Girls Australian Representatives Olympic Games World Championships, LC/SC Commonwealth Games Pan Pacific Championships
Girls Red Olympic Gold Medal Green Olympic Medal Yellow International Medal 223 individual swimmers 8 Olympic Gold Medals 13 Olympic Bronze and Silver Medals 80 International Medals
Top 10 all time Age records - Boys
Top 10 all time Age records - Boys Australian Representatives Olympic Games World Championships, LC/SC Commonwealth Games Pan Pacific Championships
Red Olympic Gold Medal Green Olympic Medal Yellow International Medal Medals are event specific Boys 262 individual swimmers 5 Olympic Gold Medals 13 Olympic Bronze and Silver Medals 35 International Medals
Age Group Top 10 Small conversion rate Especially from <15 years Both Australian teams and international medals Men vs. Women Male later maturation Some of these people haven t finished their careers yet
Age Group Top 10 Potential explanations: Later developers Develop skills early to keep up Don t become complacent due to early success Don t train too hard too early and burn out
Development Pathways Total Registered swimmers 50,000-52,000 in the last 3 years Total swimmers on Junior and Development teams In 2012 there were153 different swimmers on youth squad, trans-tasman, junior pan pacs and oceania teams No transition to individual gold in London
Structure and Concept TALENT IDENTIFICATION CAMP
Concept Premise: Looking for kids who: Have potential Are outside the current pathways Vince Raleigh, National Youth Coach in conjunction with AIS initiated the idea to have a camp
Athlete Selection Selection Protocol Selection Panel: Vince Raleigh, Bernie Mulroy, Frank Hohmann, Glenn Beringen, Drew McGregor Individual lists of swimmers with potential, not just medalists If a swimmer appeared on 3/5 lists they were placed on a shortlist Shortlist was then cut down to 30
Potential Potential for this camp was viewed as being relatively fast despite: Maturation, being late in this process Training, presenting with obvious deficiencies Poor skills, with significant but simple changes to be made As well as having an excellent Attitude, being willing to listen, learn and improve
Swimmer history Background questionnaire Parents heights Where they come from Home Club First Club Training volume (typical sessions per week) Training Age Gym Sessions PBs, swim, kick, pull for 50m, 100m, 200m Injury/Illness Basic knowledge
Camp Structure 29 Swimmers, 16 girls, 13 boys Stroke specific groups for entire camp Gender specific groups for the first half of the camp 3-5 swimmers per group 1-2 coaches per group
Camp Structure 10 Development coaches were identified Training was structured around testing sessions Allowed swimmers to perform to their potential for testing sessions
Camp Structure Coaches were given a structure for sessions to program around Supported by: AIS coaching and science staff National Youth Coach, Vince Raleigh National Youth Sport Scientist, Jess Corones
Schedule
Sports Science 7 days, 13 Tests Physiology Biomechanics Anthropometry Strength and Power Functional Movement
National Database Collect data from all over Australia and collating it centrally at the AIS Information would be available to ASCTA coaches More data = better interpretation of results Comparisons of swimmers who are successful internationals for: Initial characteristics Progression
Standardised testing National protocols Allows sharing of information Opens communication lines between the states, SIS/SAS and AIS to identify talent Gives coaches an indication of the national benchmark for each test
Performance Tests What characteristics are important for a swimmer? Within the timing constraints of the camp Practical and applicable Can be run in any home pool with just a stopwatch Lactate not essential
Physiology Aerobic Power (VO 2 max, threshold) Anaerobic Power (Speed/strength) Aerobic Capacity (Fuel) Anaerobic Capacity (Total anaerobic work)
Physiology 4x25m Dive Max on 6 minutes Anaerobic Power/Speed 6 minutes for logistics Stroke rate, stroke count as well as time
Physiology 800m/600m Timetrial 800m Freestyle for freestylers and butterfliers 800m Backstroke 600m Breaststroke 600m to match time 10 minutes Aerobic power Efficiency Threshold
Physiology 8x50m Dive Start on 2 minutes Best Stroke Anaerobic capacity Lactate tolerance Aerobic power 200m Kick and 200m Pull timetrials Indication of upper vs lower body bias
Biomechanics Wetplate analysis Combined force and video analysis system for: Starts Turns Targeted Free Swimming (video only) Explosive potential related to jump profile testing Determine skill vs. capacity to target start improvement
Anthropometry Height Weight Skinfolds Sitting height Arm span DXA Fat mass and lean mass 3D body scan Compared to AIS and International standards
Strength and Power Unweighted and weighted (30kg) squat jumps Lower body power Indication of lower body strength Name Bodyweight (kg) SJ+0 Relative Power (W/kg) SJ+0 Peak Force (N) SJ+30 Relative Power (W/kg) SJ+30 Peak Force (N) Athlete 1 67.9 62.7 1418 41.0 1481 Athlete 2 82.5 62.6 1845 68.2 2078
Functional Movement Determined competent or not 3 movements, 3 key points for each Score out of 9 Overhead Squat 2 minute Prone Hold 5 x Chin up
Peak Height Velocity Predicted age for biggest growth spurt 2 Indication of maturity Accurate to ±1 year Equation uses: Trunk length, leg length, current age, weight, height 2 Mirwald, R.L., A.D.G. Baxter-Jones, D.A. Bailey, and G.P. Beunen, An assessment of maturity from anthropometric measurements. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 34(4): p. 689-694. 2002
Education Nutrition Gender Specific Recovery Cold and contrast water immersion Compression garments Race Analysis Green eye Pacing
Outcomes Data to compare other teams to More data = Better interpretation of results Strengths and weaknesses analysis highlighted biggest areas of potential improvement
Strengths and Weaknesses
Next Camp Physiotherapy screening Psychological education and analysis Further coach education including: Programming Periodization Compare results to this group
Overall Goal Standardised testing protocol for youth swimmers, administered by state bodies Tests that will allow us to identify potential Therefore maximising the impact of development programs on Australian international success
Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it. - Lou Holtz
Acknowledgments Former National Youth Coach, Vince Raleigh Youth Sport Science Coordinator, Jess Corones AIS Staff: Jason Bartram, Greg Shaw, Dr Shona Halson, Dr David Pease, Julian Jones Development Coaches
Questions