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Hoping your child has what it takes to become the sporting superstar of tomorrow?
Help is at hand, for there are ways in which you can spy the traits required earlier on than you might expect, perhaps before they have even kicked a ball or swung a racket.
Some families are rewarded for their blind faith. In 2013, for example, the grandfather of footballer Harry Wilson netted £125,000 after he placed a £50 bet at odds of 2,500/1 on his grandson playing for the Wales national team when he was only 18 months old.
There is no exact formula for creating an elite athlete from an early age. If there was, we might all be trying to follow the recipe as parents.
But you might already be able to spot the potential of the future champion in your household via a selection of tell-tale signs, all of which have been studied scientifically and are summarised below...
SIGN 1: SELF-CONFIDENCE
One multi-study investigation spanning 2009 to 2021 followed the careers of academy footballers in Spain. Those who made it as professional players were found to possess significantly higher levels of self-confidence than those who never got out of the amateur game.
Lamine Yamal, 18, of Spain and Barcelona became the youngest player to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or at the age of just 17
The youngsters completed the Psychological Performance Inventory used by the Spanish Olympic Committee. No significant differences were found for emotional control, concentration, or motivation, but self-confidence? That was starkly in favour of those who turned pro.
Published in the International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, this particular study concluded that coaches within academies – or parents at home even – should try their best to coax self-confidence out of their youngsters.
If you have a kid already strong in this attribute, then even better.
It does not mean your child has to act as if they are at the centre of their own universe, but being sure of oneself cannot hurt their chances of taking those steps towards becoming the next big sports star.
SIGN 2: GENERAL MOTOR SKILLS
To what extent can general motor skills contribute to talent identification in children and is it a helpful pre-requisite to learning sport-specific motor skills?
A systematic review was conducted last year to answer that very question, looking at a selection of quality studies. Moving sideways and jumping sideways were among the common sub-tests. While confessing further studies are required, those behind the review determined overall that when differences were found, they were in favour of the talented athletes.
Again published in the International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, it was indicative of those with the potential to reach higher performance levels in the future.
So, next time you see your child acting feral in front of the television, leaping from side to side as they dance along to their favourite YouTube video, maybe you are on to a winner.
Wayne Rooney burst on to the scene as a 16-year-old when he scored the winner against Arsenal for Everton
SIGN 3: DECISION-MAKING
This one is particularly key for budding footballers. Players on the pitch do not have a crystal ball tucked into their sock. They must decide what to do in a split-second, and anticipate what will happen next once they make their dedicated movement.
A systematic review was staged into studies conducted between 2000 and 2016, all relating to youth players no older than 19, and published in PLOS One.
It cited how one video-based assessment looked at four areas within their sample of male youths: decision-making, anticipation, pattern recognition and situational probability. Only decision-making significantly fell in favour of the superior players.
Further scientific studies are needed, but the early indicators are this area could be a useful tool in spying those destined for a career in sport.
Lionel Messi, here playing for Barcelona, was destined for greatness from a young age
SIGN 4: DISCIPLINE AND COACHABILITY
What does a football scout look for in a prospective player?
Many who go from academy game to academy game trust their gut when assessing the fledglings fighting in front of them for their attention, but they look at much more than whether they play nicer passes or take truer shots than their peers.
One study this year, from the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, was based on interviews with nine scouts. A number of themes presented themselves, not least discipline and coachability, both of which were found to be essential psychosocial attributes required to go far in the game in the eyes of these talent spotters.
So, kids, pay attention!
Great Britain's Emma Raducanu won the US Open at the tender age of 18 in New York
SIGN 5: A JANUARY BIRTHDAY? PERFECT!
Once into adulthood, an age difference of up to 12 months can make little difference between one athlete and another. We eventually catch up to each other in our growth and maturity levels. But in childhood, it can have a huge influence and can therefore set kids up well to be higher achievers.
Research into the ‘relative age effect’ has shown that there is a strong correlation between birth month and sporting advantage.
Essentially, the closer your child is born to January, the better. It has been found when comparing competing youths across several sports, from athletics to basketball and rugby union to tennis.
Imagine a group of 2016-born youngsters playing together in a game of football today. Those born earlier in the calendar year will have an upper hand on those born later due to their physical and mental development being ahead.
One study even investigated 341 youth footballers, aged 10 to 20, at the Brazilian club Sao Paulo. It found 47.5 per cent of the players were born in the first quarter of the year, compared to 8.8 per cent in fourth quarter.
All is not lost if your child was born in December, however. There is such a thing as the ‘underdog hypothesis’, whereby any initial physical disadvantage may help once they reach adulthood as they worked harder and are psychologically better for their experience.
But if January-born, studies show you may have an early advantage.
Boris Becker became the youngest-ever Wimbledon champion at 17 in 1985
SIGN 6: TRIUMPH AFTER ADVERSITY
Now, none of us ever want our children exposed to trauma, but life has an unfortunate habit for dropping us all into unwanted situations, be it the death of a loved one, physical or verbal abuse in the household, a significant injury, and so on.
They tend to have a negative impact. However, there is apparently a small sliver of a silver lining, as those who have gone through such traumatic experiences can find triumph after adversity.
In 2018, the University of Toronto produced an investigative piece entitled ‘The surprising role of childhood trauma in athletic success’. Among others, it mentioned Andy Murray, our tennis champion who survived the 1996 massacre at Dunblane primary school in Scotland at the tender age of eight. Murray has since spoken on tennis being his 'escape' from everything else.
Andy Murray showed tremendous mental resilience after being so close to tragedy early on his life, and won Young Sports Personality of the Year aged 17
One 2017 study focused on 32 former British athletes. It compared 16 Olympic champions to 16 non-medaling Olympians. Those who won medals had been exposed to childhood distress compared to only four of their counterparts.
Of course, it is not the trauma itself that turns youngsters into sporting stars, but it is striking how many athletes have thrived later in life in spite of their experiences. They grow from it, gain resilience, and take that strength into their future endeavours.
Although we must point out: we don't recommend inflicting trauma on your little loved ones!
