Nature Vs Nurture in Sport: Evaluating Talented Individuals

Introduction

It is common for viewers/spectators to perceive a successful athlete as ‘talented’. Media is one of many attributes behind the reasoning of why we define high performing athletes as ‘talented’. The term talent intertwines with the statement to describe someone who consistently performs at a high athletic level or achieves/learns tasks exceedingly quick (Vaeyens et al., 2008). Before the discussion of an athlete’s capabilities within a sport and nature vs nurture in sport can be examined, the term “talent” requires an in-depth understanding.

Understanding the Term 'Talent' in Sport

Identifying talent is one of sport’s biggest and most profitable issues. There is a constant seek for a new David Beckham in the world of football, the next Serena Williams on the tennis court and Usain Bolt of running. The people and the media demand more. Scientific researches have been conducted and some reach a null end (Starkes., 2016). However, the German Tennis Federation (GTF) held a talent identification camp to scout their next potential high performing athlete. A qualified psychologist was also used to help identify the next talent amongst the group that was recruited. Tennis players that entered the programme were tested for tennis-specific skills, but also general athleticism. The psychologist discovered, the better general athleticism was, the more tennis specific skills the tennis players were able to acquire in a short period of time (Coghlan., 2003)

Nature vs. Nurture: The Debate

“Are athletes born or bred?” “Is talent a product of development or genes?”. When discussing the origin of talent, the most well common debate of ‘nature v nurture’ arises in question. Scientific literature offers limited documentation behind successful athletes and the term ‘talent’, therefore leaving the subject unclear to many (Hecimowich., 2004). To thoroughly evaluate the nature v nurture debate, we must clarify what the term nature and nurture mean within a sporting context. Nature is somewhat defined as an athlete who is born with genes that give them the ability to excel in a certain sport; on the flip side, nurture is classed as an individual who has developed elite skills over time caused by rigorous training. Richard Mulcaster, a British educator, reviewed nature vs nurture as “Nature makes the boy toward, nurture sees him forward'' (Mulcaster, 1582).

“What we know about genes in sport is that genetic make-up accounts for about 50 percent of variability in baseline performance,” (Bush & Salmela., 2002). The Independent Newspaper released an article, on the bases of whether nature or nurture is behind Jamaica's need for speed? In London’s 100 and 200 metre events, eight Jamaicans were able to finish within the top 3. Three won gold. Many Jamaican athletes are considered to genetically inhibit fast twitch fibres which thus allows them to perform at an expertise level. It has been stated, Jamaican’s are ‘blessed’ with long limbs, narrow hip and low-fat levels, which explains their consistent efforts in finishing in the top 3. However, this statement cannot vouch for the whole of the population; leading us to believe nurture must play a role in the development of an elite athlete (Independent Newspaper, 2012)

When evaluating the parameters around talent, researchers have offered models that illustrate the involvement of specific factors in the development of talent in sports. The early specialization focuses on the athlete dedicating their time and training hours to one specific sport, sometimes chosen by parents/coaches. The core argument for early specialization derives from the theory of deliberate practice, put forth by Eriksson, Krampe & Tech-Römer (1993) providing evidence that development into elite performance in various contexts takes 10,000 hrs of intentional practice. Although the concept of deliberate practice was derived using the data from musicians, Ericsson indicated that it applies to all areas of human endeavor and is often used to exemplify the relationship between types of practice and attainment. Baker & Young (2014) found that expert athletes from basketball, netball and field hockey accumulated significantly more hours in video training, organized team practices, and one-on-one coach instruction, which separated the elite to the non-elite. Moreover, the most favourable and successful stories originate from performers who partake in women’s gymnastics and women’s figure skating; peak performance occurs in adolescence or early adulthood within these two sports (Bridge & Toms., 2012).

Conclusion

There is a high level of success via these two sports, due to the complexity of the sport. Does nature v nurture only apply to specific sports? The game of gymnastics is judged and scored by the intricacy of the tumbles and stunts, which becomes a mere product of nurture; when relating this to a sport such as basketball or 100m sprint, genes have a bigger role to play in the success story of an athlete (Phillips et al.,2010). Researchers and peer reviews, acknowledge that early specialisation, is the most commonly sought method of identifying talent and developing a world class athlete. Nevertheless, early specialisation presents many negative factors, such as the young athlete’s being more at risk of a long-term injury. Which can result in early retirement before they reach peak performance (reference). 

Works Cited

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