Introduction

Over roughly the last twenty years, talent identification and talent development have become central concerns in high-level sport (Sarmento, Anguera, Pereira and Araujo, 2018). A large body of research now looks at how sporting ability develops — often in a long, non-linear way — at the qualities that underpin elite performance, and at how coaches can help gifted athletes progress through the sports system. The questions are practical ones for any CBSE Class 12 Physical Education student: who is likely to succeed, how do we recognise them early, and how do we then build their ability without burning them out?

These two ideas — identifying ability and developing it — run through the whole chapter and are the natural starting point before we study training cycles and the individual motor abilities. …