Continuing on with the topic written by Paul Bicerkton
Playground to Podium
The psychologist Csikszentmihalyi described this reverie state common to creative development as ‘flow’ (5) – the principle that when you discover an activity to which you feel a particular affinity, you experience a sense of almost addictive control. Such is the engaging and physical nature of sporting activity. It is little wonder so many children find themselves drawn to sport, and it has nothing to do with calorie-counting. ‘Flow’ is most keenly felt in solitude or with a group with whom one feels comfortable (6). It is for this reason that children seek to play freely so often.
The key environments to their sporting development tend to be the informal ones – the street or the garden, the playground at school or in the park with their friends. Brazilian football is possibly the best example of a talent development system that revolves entirely around informal sporting environments. Such is the accessibility and profile of football in Brazil that practically any youngster will go out and play the game. At the early stages of development, this play is highly unstructured and informal but hugely successful in increasing and sustaining the pool of talent required to produce world-class footballers. The importance of free play should in no way detract from the crucial role of formalised environments, and in particular the coaches and teachers within them. Quality teachers and coaches successfully introduce sport to children, making it accessible and allowing them to go to it, of their own accord. And for those who do, structured support and development is key to maximising potential.
Formal coaching or teaching will guide and influence subsequent play and unstructured practice. Talent pathways in sport are now being redesigned to establish a more flexible and holistic system. That’s because ‘talent’ is virtually impossible to quantify, and genetic ability on its own will not deliver. What delivers is being there, to deliberately practice, and a careful balance between the formal and the informal must be struck.
Next time the final segement on Playground to Podium.
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