About this Research Topic
In youth sports, the identification and development of talented athletes is paramount. Identifying potential talents at an early age is a key-factor to excel in most sports. Moreover, it increases the likelihood of success by a country at major international competitions. Monitoring how athletes respond to training programs provide deep insights on factors that determine the sports performance. Coaches design and employ training programs aiming to enhance the performance of their young athletes.
Nonetheless, scarce attention has been given to coaches´ role in this process. Coaches have a key-role determining if the program aims at a short-term or long-term development. Short-term development relies on winning at an early stage. However, a young athlete should be given adequate time and support to grow. By contrast, long-term development relies on maximizing the individual potential and involvement in a given sport. That is, coaches should be focused on the athletes’ competence to acquire fundamental skills and the subsequent acquisition of more specific skills that are sport related. This will increase the odds of the athletes’ engagement (and not drop-out) and achieve an elite level.
The main goal of this Research Topic is to gather new evidence about: (1) youth sports performance and its determinant factors; (2) share insights on different development programs in youth sports (e.g., short-term versus long-term development) within the same sport and between sports; (3) better understand the effect of coaches´ guidance on young athletes (performance, psychological, biological and others).
We welcome submissions of the following article types: Book Review, Brief Research Report, Case Report, Clinical Trial, Conceptual Analysis, Data Report, General Commentary, Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, Perspective, Registered Report, Review, Study Protocol, Systematic Review and Technology and Code.
Nonetheless, scarce attention has been given to coaches´ role in this process. Coaches have a key-role determining if the program aims at a short-term or long-term development. Short-term development relies on winning at an early stage. However, a young athlete should be given adequate time and support to grow. By contrast, long-term development relies on maximizing the individual potential and involvement in a given sport. That is, coaches should be focused on the athletes’ competence to acquire fundamental skills and the subsequent acquisition of more specific skills that are sport related. This will increase the odds of the athletes’ engagement (and not drop-out) and achieve an elite level.
The main goal of this Research Topic is to gather new evidence about: (1) youth sports performance and its determinant factors; (2) share insights on different development programs in youth sports (e.g., short-term versus long-term development) within the same sport and between sports; (3) better understand the effect of coaches´ guidance on young athletes (performance, psychological, biological and others).
We welcome submissions of the following article types: Book Review, Brief Research Report, Case Report, Clinical Trial, Conceptual Analysis, Data Report, General Commentary, Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, Perspective, Registered Report, Review, Study Protocol, Systematic Review and Technology and Code.
Keywords: youth sports, performance, talent identification, training, training load, evaluation, growth, motivation, sport participation, coaching
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
