Using Parents and Families to Support Rather Than Scupper TD

Individual Characteristics of Developing Elites

Myth Busting: Truth and Conjecture in TID

ICaP Symposium attracts sport's finest

A number of top sporting names joined almost 300 delegates as ICaP hosted its first ever Talent Identification Symposium at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

Brian Ashton MBE, the former England RFU Head Coach, and Danny Grewcock MBE, Academy Director at Bath Rugby, were amongst an influential gathering which included representatives from Manchester City FC and British Athletics.

ICaP researchers presented findings which showed natural talent plays only a small part in a complex web of influential factors when developing elite athletes.

They suggested athletes who have a slow and bumpy progression in the early stages of their career tend to eventually succeed at a far higher level than those tipped to be the next big thing from the start.

By avoiding this 'simply the best' syndrome and positively reacting to challenges and setbacks, athletes are more likely to be independent, adaptable and resilient leading to greater long-term achievements.

Professor Dave Collins, Director of ICaP and former Performance Director of UK Athletics, headed up the conference. He said: "There is no magic answer as to what makes an elite performer. Too many people are looking for straightforward solutions such as the idea that practising for 10,000 hours is the secret to success.

"There are many 'gifted' individuals that don't make it whilst those who are committed and work hard do. By considering the psychological characteristics of developing excellence such as completing realistic performance evaluations, learning how to cope with pressure and taking responsibility for your own learning, we can develop a 'curriculum' for helping people to achieve at the highest levels of their potential.

"The findings also showed the relationship between a coach and parents needs to be turned on its head - a coach should ask what a parent would like to know about their child's performance to enable them to offer support, rather than assuming what they need to know and what their existing knowledge is."

Anne Pankhurst, Education Consultant to the Professional Tennis Registry, Development consultant for USA Football and previously the Coach Education Director for the Lawn Tennis Association, is a Doctoral student with ICaP and presented on the parent-coach relationship at the conference.

She commented: "Parents generally want to know what competition their child is up against, how much and what sort of practise they need to do and more generally, what their job is in enabling the development of their child. Most coaches tend to assume parents have a pre-existing knowledge of what this is when of course why would they? It's this focus that needs to change so the coach can help parents play a more supportive role in the whole process."

Other ICaP findings were:

• Young athletes need to focus on a breadth of activity, done with a depth of commitment, rather than specialise early in their career
• Sports people who take more responsibility for their own learning rather than relying heavily on coaching and those that receive less pressure from their parents tend to make the transition to professional athlete much more successfully
• Having a sibling who has succeeded in sport can be a catalyst for success but it can also have a negative impact by influencing the talent development process before the coach comes into contact with the athlete causing perceived favouritism.

Other ICaP researchers to present their findings included Neil McCarthy, Head of Academy at Leicester Tigers RUFC, British Cycling's Coaching and Education manager Vinny Webb and Will Tullett, Movement Specialist at Chelsea FC Academy. The trio are all Doctoral students at UCLan.

Brian Ashton praised the event: "It’s great for young coaches to see the variety of ways that coaching can be approached. For some, it will be a reaffirmation that they are doing things right and highlight there isn’t one set way to coach because many different strands make up an elite athlete."

Danny Grewcock said: "As a coach you are constantly looking to improve performance levels and listening to the experts today has provided snippets of gold I can embed into our performance programme."

Elite coaches gain academic awards

A host of professional coaches swapped their tracksuit for a cap and gown as they graduated from UCLan. Elite hockey, table tennis and rugby league coaches were among 1,500 students who took to the stage to receive their academic awards in Preston's Guild Hall.

The 13 specialists have spent the past two years combining their full-time careers with studying for the United Kingdom Coaching Certificate (UKCC) Level 4 Postgraduate Diploma in Elite Coaching Practice.

The England Hockey coaches were Andy Bradshaw, Carolyn Rolleston, Clare Hayes, Jody Paul, Marc Bourhill and Jon Bleby. The English Table Tennis Association coaches were Craig Bryant, Stephen Gertsen, Paul Whiting and Natalie Green, while the Rugby Football League coaches were Christopher Chapman, Dan Clements and Martin Cunningham.

Andy Bradshaw, Head Coach for the England Hockey Girls' Under 18's squad, commented: "I've been able to access research at the University that proved to be particularly useful when developing our talent identification processes. Working with like-minded professionals from other sports has also been beneficial."

Highlights of the intensive course included analyzing techniques and discovering innovative training methods.

The Rugby League National Player Development Manager Chris Chapman said: "This course was the natural progression for my career and it's been both challenging and rewarding. Sharing knowledge across a range of sport disciplines has allowed me to think differently about coaching and what new techniques we can apply."

Paul Whiting, South West Regional Coach for the England Table Tennis Association, added: "I have really challenged myself to see the job from a different perspective by sharing ideas of best practice with coaches from other sports, particularly in the area of performance analysis."

Bryan Jones, UCLan Principal Lecturer in Coaching and Performance, said: "The course is making a big difference to coaching methods throughout various sports. We've got more sports looking at sending their coaches as they've seen and heard great things. That can only be of benefit to the individuals and their national teams."

Top award for Professor Collins

Professor Dave Collins is set to receive a prestigious British Psychological Society Award.

The Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology have honoured Professor Collins with the Distinguished Contribution to the Field of Sport & Exercise Psychology Award for 2013.

Professor Collins will receive his award and deliver the closing presentation at the Division's annual conference at the Midland Hotel, Manchester.

The event takes place on 16 & 17 December and features a variety of symposiums and presentations, with speakers from the UK, Europe and the USA. For further details please click here.

Professional Master's in Elite Performance (M. Prof. EP)

Having successfully established the Professional Doctorate in Elite Performance programme, ICaP has recently launched another original, exciting, and linked initiative: the Professional Master's in Elite Performance (M. Prof. EP).

The M. Prof. EP provides a high-level, vocationally-focused qualification for professional enhancement across multiple performance domains.


Who would be interested in the M. Prof. EP?

The M. Prof. EP programme will be of particular interest to practitioners working in, but not limited to, coaching (sport and business), sport science (e.g., strength and conditioning, psychology), education, science and medicine, performing arts, military, and other structured service providers.

The course is an individualized programme of studies tailored to each practitioner’s career-based needs and aspirations, and presents a unique opportunity to further develop thinking and analytical skills through work on an area of expertise. The M. Prof. EP also allows practitioners to demonstrate transferable skill sets as a precursor to changing role, career, or performance domain.

How do I study for an M. Prof. EP?

Using an established in-house core team of performance specialists, in conjunction with other colleagues across the University, candidates will explore issues from their own specific field across two course components. The first set of modules represents a ‘grounding’ element and aims to develop practitioner awareness and application of the knowledge sources that impact on performance in their domain.

The second component consists of an independent research project leading to submission of a dissertation. Wherever possible, and confidentiality notwithstanding, practitioners will also be encouraged and supported to publish their work in peer review journals, professional publications, or other pertinent media.

Independent and Distance Learning

Reflecting the challenging professional circumstances and interests of those likely to enroll on the M. Prof. EP, the entire award is designed to be completed at a distance and by independent study. Practitioners are assigned an experienced academic as a personal tutor who can draw on a strong background in elite performance and a broad base of expertise, both within existing University staff and via other national/international contacts.

Students are then supported through their programme of study using various electronic links such as online materials, email, and skype. Tutors also travel to meet with participants, particularly in the early stages of the different modules.

Who do I contact?

For further information on any aspect of the programme please email: Professor Dave Collins or Áine MacNamara.