Article
Coaches’ perceptions of long-term potential are biased by maturational variation
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
(2016)
Abstract
Talent identification and development programs seek to recognise and promote athletes with long-term potential in aparticular sport. Coaches involved in these programs are often required to make inclusion or exclusion decisions based on their perceptions of an athlete’s long-term potential. However, biological maturity can influence physical capabilities ofadolescent athletes and may bias coaches’ perceptions of long-term potential. This study explored the relationshipbetween coaches’ perceptions of long-term potential and variations in athlete’s biological maturity. Talented adolescent
male Australian footballers (n=264) from nine different teams were recruited to provide basic anthropometric information
for estimates of biological maturity. Coaches from each team were recruited to provide a rating of their ownplayer’s long-term potential. Coaches perceived late maturing athletes to have a significantly lower long-term potential
than their average (x2=9.42, p<0.01) and early (x2=5.86, p<0.04) maturing counterparts. Of the late maturing
athletes, 72% were predicted to go no further than adolescent competition. No concurrent bias was evident betweenthe average or early maturing athletes. The findings of this study demonstrate coaches’ perceptions of long-termpotential can be biased by maturational variation in adolescent athletes. Such perceptual bias may impact on coachesselection decisions and result in talented but late maturing athletes missing selection into development pathways.
Keywords
- Anthropometry,
- Australian football,
- peak height velocity,
- talent identification and development
Disciplines
Publication Date
Winter June 10, 2016
DOI
10.1177/1747954116655054
Citation Information
Ashley Cripps, Luke Hopper and Christopher Joyce. "Coaches’ perceptions of long-term potential are biased by maturational variation" International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching Vol. 11 Iss. 6 (2016) p. 1 - 4 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ashley-cripps/4/