ABSTRACT
The effortless skill displayed by sport’s elite is constantly admired by those in the stands. Such skill belies the effort the individual has invested in the sport and the resources channelled into the athlete over their sporting career. Not surprisingly, those at the coalface of the talent development pathway, coaches and parents of emerging talent, are increasingly leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to guarantee their protégé will be the next star. However, the tools and processes available to identify and develop talent are generally still in embryonic stages relative to many other disciplines of sport science and medicine. This chapter seeks to outline the progress and challenges that exist within the identification and development of skill.
