Athletes, like all of us, grow, change and develop over time. The present article discusses the possible pathways and benefits surrounding talent transfer programs; that is, transferring from one sport to another sport.
Athletes may choose to retire from one sport and transfer to another for several reasons: financial incentives, coach recommendations, burnout, passion or any number of other reasons. As coaches and professionals, we need to look at talent transfer from several angles. Firstly, as a form of recruitment and taking athletes into our sport; secondly, as a form of long-term athlete development and preparing athletes to transition to another sport; and thirdly, we need to honour and support the athlete's career decisions.
We already know that most trampoline athletes are winning senior world championship and Olympic medals in their twenties1. There is undeniable evidence that aerial sports, such as trampoline, diving, aerial skiing, etc are late specialisation sports(1, 2), yet we know that there is a high need for athletes to have learned fundamental movement skills and body coordination while they are still young(2). This information lends itself to the promotion of talent transfer programs. Sports programs need to confidently build the fundamental movement skills of young athletes and, as they mature, the athletes may transition into competitive programs or transfer into another sport where they are most suited, passionate or talented.
Aerial Sports Academy works with athletes across several aerial sports; acknowledging the similarities, learning from professionals in multiple disciplines and providing training for athletes across several sports. Researchers refer to this as clustering: a technique first discussed to boost productivity business and cooperate fields(3).
The clustering model is proven to be successful in sport; countries such as China have adopted a system of sports clustering that allows for the transfer of knowledge, coaching and talent between similar sports(4). In China, trampolining, diving and artistic gymnastics are clustered together due to their similarities(4).
An aerial sports cluster may, for example, consist of trampoline, diving, aerial skiing and gymnastics; this however, may be a simplistic view. In club and institute environments, we need to consider all the possible sports that may benefit from our programs. For example, a trampoline program may ask "who could benefit from using a trampoline in their training?" The answers may include the sports mentioned above, as well as surfing, moguls skiing, freestyle BMX among many others. The question must then be reversed: "What can we learn from these other programs to make ours better?" Not only can we share knowledge this way, but we can participate in outsourcing and we can discover new opportunities for athletes too.
At the highest level of sport, talent transfer is common. Take the Australian Women's rugby 7's team for example: most of the team had come from a touch rugby or an athletics background(5), yet within a few years, they became Olympic champions.
In aerial sports, research into trampoline medallists at world championships and Olympic games found that every single athlete who begun trampolining after 10 years of age, participated in some sort of sport before they begun trampolining; often tumbling, gymnastics or diving(1). In order to achieve more Olympic medals, the UK, developed a talent transfer program to transition retired gymnasts into diving(6). In addition to documented examples around the world, many successful athletes in Australia have transferred between sports(7), including 2008 Olympic 10m platform diving champion, Matt Mitcham, who competed trampolining when he was a younger age.
Younger athletes (under 12 years old) benefit from participating in multiple sports and building up their fundamental movement patterns(2, 8, 9). When working with younger athletes, it is very important to consider the bigger picture. Coaches need to help athletes develop well rounded skills and allow them to participate in multiple sports, knowing that there is plenty of time for them to develop into an elite performer between the age of 12 and 20. There is research demonstrating that, for athletes under 12 years old, participating in numerous sports and limiting the number of hours in organised sport results in better performance and lower dropout at the senior level(2, 8, 9).
Understanding the number one prerequisite for becoming a world champion can change the way coaches work with their athletes; the top prerequisite being that the athlete is participating during peak age. If an athlete shows a lot of potential whilst young, they do not need early specialisation. Juvenile success does not transfer to senior success(2, 9) and is linked to dropout(2, 8). Instead, develop their fundamental movement skills and encourage participation in a variety of sports.
Coaches recruit older athletes with potential to become the next world or Olympic champion and can benefit from looking both within their sport and from other sports. Additionally, coaches must develop a pride in preparing their athletes to take on any challenge, knowing that they may switch sports at some point in their career. Talented athletes can, and do, change sports, and some of their success can be attributed to the skills they learned in previous sports programs.
Finally, to recruit better athletes, coaches need to understand what the predictors of success are with talent transfer in mind. Using data to predict the potential of success, combined with a systemised talent identification processes can inform better decisions. Coaches are going to need to understand how to coach and develop talent from different backgrounds with a variety of different strengths and weaknesses. Keeping an open mind and an eye open for talent scouting might mean your next champion comes from a background you never expected!
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4. Zheng J, Chen S. Exploring China's success at the Olympic Games: a competitive advantage approach. European sport management quarterly. 2016 Mar 14;16(2):148-71.
5. Why the Women's Rugby Sevens Gold Is Our Most Important Medal. ABC: Triple J Hack. 2016 Aug 9: online https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/rio-2016-womens-rugby-sevens-gold-is-our-most-important-medal/7710314
6. Krasilshchikov O. Talent identification and development-international trends and principle models. Buletin Kejurulatihan Majlis Sukan Negara Malaysia. 2010 Aug;1(1):5-15.
7. Gulbin JP, Oldenziel KE, Weissensteiner JR, Gagné F. A look through the rear view mirror: Developmental experiences and insights of high performance athletes. Talent Development & Excellence. 2010 Oct;2(2):149-64.
8. Russell, W. D. & Limle, A. N. (2013) Relationship between youth sport specialization and involvement in youth sport and physical activity in young adulthood. Journal of Sport Behaviour
9. Güllich A, Emrich E. Considering long-term sustainability in the development of world class success. European Journal of Sport Science. 2014 Jan 1;14(sup1):S383-97.
