Advances in athlete development: understanding conditions of and constraints on optimal practice

Abstract

The development of elite, high performance athletes reflects the complex interaction of biological and genetic factors with important environmental influences. Over the past two decades, discussions of athlete development have largely focused on the role of 'deliberate' practice, and more recently, researchers have begun exploring the means by which practice can be best used to maximize the rate of talent development across the different stages of athlete development. In this article, we summarize recent developments in understanding how athletes maximize practice including (a) antecedents of practice involvement, (b) environmental constraints of practice involvement, (c) the value of diversification for athlete development, (d) and methodological advancements in this area. Collectively, sustained focus on issues of athlete development and researchers' use of more advanced approaches to novel questions extend our understanding of the nuances associated with this process.