2022, Zuber, Claudia, Sieghartsleitner, Roland, Zibung, Marc, Conzelmann, Achim

2021-01-20, Schmid, Michael J., Charbonne, Bryan, Conzelmann, Achim, Zuber, Claudia

2020, Zuber, Claudia

2019-06-27, Zuber, Claudia, Conzelmann, Achim

2021-05-07, Schmid, Michael J., Schmid, Jürg, Zuber, Claudia

Die frühe und langfristige Förderung von Nachwuchsathleten stellt einen entscheidenden Faktor dar, wenn es darum geht, im Hochleistungssport international konkurrenzfähig zu sein. Unter den zahlreichen in der Literatur vorgeschlagenen Talentkriterien nimmt die Motivation eine Sonderrolle im Bereich der psychologischen Merkmale ein: Sie wird sportartenübergreifend in Praxis und Forschung als relevantes Kriterium für Leistungsentwicklung anerkannt. Der vorliegende Artikel soll einen Überblick über den aktuellen Stand der Talentforschung im Bereich der Motivation geben. Dabei werden zuerst die gängigsten Motivationstheorien im Leistungssport beschrieben, dann wird auf verschiedene Messverfahren und deren Vor- und Nachteile sowie auf die prognostische Relevanz der Motivation hinsichtlich der sportlichen Leistung eingegangen. Zum Schluss werden Implikationen für die Praxis abgeleitet. Es lässt sich zusammenfassen, dass die Motivation in verschiedener Hinsicht konzeptualisiert und operationalisiert wird. Die Wahl des passenden Messinstruments hängt vom Ziel der Erfassung ab. Um ein möglichst ganzheitliches Bild über die motivationale Verfassung eines Athleten oder einer Athletin zu erhalten, ist es sinnvoll, durch verschiedene Verfahren mehrere Aspekte der Motivation zu beurteilen. Introduction

2020-09-09, Schmid, Michael J., Conzelmann, Achim, Zuber, Claudia

Talent selection in rowing is often solely based on anthropometric and performance variables, even though psychological characteristics are considered to be important contributors to successful talent development. Because multidimensional talent models and holistic theories represent the state-of-the-art in talent research, we aimed to find patterns connecting psychological and performance variables to future success in rowing. Therefore, 22 coaches rated the achievement-motivated behavior represented by the variables proactivity, ambition and commitment of 65 competitive to high-level athletes (Mage = 17.2 ± 1.55 years) for the past year (t1). Additionally, the athletes performed several 2,000 m ergometer tests during that same period. At t2 (30 months later), each rower’s performance was evaluated based on the success at different competitions. To examine the results, we used the person-oriented Linking of Clusters after removal of a Residue (LICUR) method to identify the relationships between the achievement-motivated behavior and ergometer results at t1 and the success at t2. The rowers could be assigned to five clusters. Although the highly motivated rowers were not the fastest on the ergometer at t1, they were more likely to be in highest performance level at t2 compared to the other clusters (OR = 3.5, p < .05). By contrast, all the ambitionless rowers and unmotivated rowers were either racing at national level or had dropped out. In conclusion, certain patterns of achievement-motivated behavior and current performance are associated with future success (30 months later). The consideration of achievement-motivated behavior in the selection of rowers seems promising in this context.

2019-11-12, Sieghartsleitner, Roland, Zuber, Claudia, Zibung, Marc, Charbonnet, Bryan, Conzelmann, Achim

Recommended multidimensional models for talent selection are difficult to implement for practitioners in the field. Furthermore, their application has not been established from a scientific point of view, with a lack of clarity concerning how to integrate manifold test results with respect to loading, interaction, and compensation phenomena. Consequently, the question of powerful single predictors for future player status are still of interest within talent research in order to determine promising content for less extensive selection procedures. The aim of the current study is an immediate comparison of the prognostic validity of two frequently used areas within talent selection in youth football: general motor performance (e.g., speed and endurance) and specific motor performance (i.e., technical skills). Participants completed four general and four specific motor performance tests at early adolescence (U13/U14, 133 players) and middle adolescence (U16/U17, 85 players). The area under the curve (AUC) from the receiver operating characteristic was used to compare the prognostic validity of both motor performance areas (predicting U20 player status: professional vs. non-professional). Although no comparison at the four different age levels led to a significant difference (.07 ≤ p ≤ .65), there was a continuous superiority of specific over general motor performance in descriptive AUC values. These descriptive differences reached relevant extent within early adolescence (ΔAUCU13 = .09; ΔAUCU14 =.14) and were partially accounted for by the influence of biological maturation. In line with theoretical considerations and earlier research, these results provide further evidence of the superiority of specific over general motor performance in predicting future player status. Until the applicability of multidimensional models is further established, specific motor performance rather than general performance should be included in less extensive talent selection models, especially in early adolescence.

2021-02-10, Stegmann, Pascal, Zuber, Claudia, Zibung, Marc, Lenze, Lars, Conzelmann, Achim, Sieghartsleitner, Roland

There is continuing discussion in talent research on the best approach to developing sporting expertise through learning activities during early sport participation. Among other concepts, the specialized sampling model describes a pathway between early specialization and early sampling and yields promising results in Swiss football. As successful constellations of early sport participation might be affected by sport-specific constraints (e.g., age of peak performance, selection pressure, and physiological/psychological requirements), other popular game sports may show similar promising pathways. This study investigates whether ice hockey, another popular game sport in Switzerland, shows similar successful constellations of early sport participation. A sample of 98 former Swiss junior national team players born between 1984 and 1994 reported on early sport participation through a retrospective questionnaire. Using the person-oriented Linking of Clusters after removal of a Residue (LICUR) method, volumes of in-club practice, free play, and activities besides ice hockey until 12 years of age were analyzed, along with player’s age at initial club participation. The results indicate that ice hockey enthusiasts with the most free play and above-average in-club practice had a greater chance of reaching professional level compared to other groups. This implies that high domain specificity with varied sampling experiences is the most promising approach to developing sporting expertise in ice hockey. As similar results were previously found in Swiss football, comparable sport-specific constraints might indeed require similar constellations of learning activities during early sport participation. Therefore, in popular game sports in Switzerland, the specialized sampling model seems to be most promising.

2020-02-24, Zuber, Claudia, Schmid, Michael J., Conzelmann, Achim

2019-10-22, Zuber, Claudia, Conzelmann, Achim