Fysisk aktivitet i barne- og ungdomsidretten

-I denne undersøkelsen studeres utøvernes fysiske aktivitetsnivå i organisert idrett. Utvalget består av jenter og gutter i alderen 9 til 17 år. Utøverne er fordelt på 10 treningsgrupper i fire idrettsgrener. Det er gjennomført 283 målinger på 29 treninger. Data er innsamlet ved at utøverne hadde på seg akselerometer gjennom treningene. Resultatene viser et høyt aktivitetsnivå på treningene. Enkelte av trenerne mente at utøverne var noe mer aktiv på de treningene vi observerte, sammenlignet på andre treninger. Dataene viser store individuelle forskjeller i aktivitetsnivået. Dette skyldes flere forhold som; utøverne er i ulik form, alle viser ikke lik stor innsats (i forhold til egen form), ulike tekniske forutsetninger for å være aktiv og ulik forståelse av hva som skal vektlegges mest i de ulike øvelsene. Det er ikke riktig å sammenligne aktivitetsnivået mellom ulike idretter og ulike treningsgrupper. For det første vektlegges ikke den fysiske delen av treningen like mye i alle idretter og treningsgrupper. For det andre gir ikke akselrometeret like godt bilde på den fysiske arbeidsbelastningen ved alle typer aktivitet. I aktiviteter hvor utøverne har jevn hastighet (eks. ski og lengre løp) gir akselometeret mindre utslag enn i aktiviteter med retnings- og hastighetsendringer (eks. fotball og håndball). Med tanke på utøvernes fysiske form og idrettslige prestasjoner i de fleste idretter, er det viktig at en finner det riktige fysiske aktivitetsnivået på treningene. Disse resultatene bidrar til mer kunnskap om hvordan ulike former for trening påvirker utøvernes aktivitetsnivå. Resultatene viser også behov for å tilpasse treningene til den enkelte utøver – det er store variasjoner i en treningsgruppe. Etter hvert håper vi at en i dette prosjektet får anledning til å se nærmere på sammenheng mellom utøvernes ferdighetsutvikling og den fysiske aktiviteten på treningene. I den sammenheng er det viktig å være oppmerksom på at for sterkt fokus på intensitet kan ha utilsiktede virkninger

The balancing act of combining school and football in the transition from a non-professional club into junior-elite academy football

Football players in the transition from junior-to-senior are usually involved in dual careers, combining school and football – a process that makes them dependent on a holistic talent-development journey. The aim of the current study was to describe how male junior elite football players (N=10; 5=living at home, 5=living away from home) perceived stressors in the transition from a non-professional club into a junior elite academy. Furthermore, the school transition (between lower- and upper-secondary school) and social transition (based on the school and football transitions) as a consequence of the football transition into academy football. Based on Wylleman and Lavallee’s (2004) and Stambulova’s (2003) models, the data were analysed based on the following three levels in the transitions: athletic, academic - and psycho-social. The main perceived stressors in the football transition (athletic level) were new performance demands, which impacted them both physically (e.g., quality of training) and psychologically (e.g., self-esteem and well-being). Perceived stressors in the school transition (academic level) were related to increased academic workload and expectations, and academic achievement. Perceived stressors related to the social transition (psycho-social level) among the players that have chosen to live away from home were new roommates and doing more housework, even though they adapted quickly to the new requirements. Both groups highlighted the importance of having a social network (friends, leisure activity) outside of football, so they got to relax and not always think about football or school. The study findings suggest that maintaining dual careers introduces stressors for most players – independent of living at home or away from home.publishedVersio

Differences in coaching feedback between coaches of junior elite soccer players and junior amateur soccer players

The verbal feedback given to junior soccer players potentially heading to a professional career is essential for technical and tactical skill development. The aim of this study is to examine whether differences exist in feedback between coaches of junior elite soccer teams and coaches of junior amateur soccer teams. The coaches of a junior elite soccer team and a junior amateur soccer team in Norway were observed and filmed during eight training sessions. Our measurements of verbal feedback (537 observations) were categorised based on frequency, valence, direction and timing. No differences in the number of feedback sequences or timing of feedback were detected. However, the coaches of junior elite soccer players spent more time providing feedback and gave more individual feedback, and their feedback was more positive, concrete and reflective than that of the coaches of the junior amateur soccer players.publishedVersio

Talent development abroad. Young football players’ experiences and challenges on being recruited to English academies

The aim of the current study was to gain insight into talented Norwegian football players who made a club transfer to an English football academy, by investigating the players’ choice of academy, main challenges upon arrival, how they settled in both athletically and socially and their day-to-day life in the academy. Eight Norwegian players registered in an English professional football academy between the ages of 16 and 18 years were interviewed in retrospect. The challenges that the players met were mostly related to their efforts to develop as players, such as going into an extremely high-performance environment, which was quite different from what they perceived in their original club. Even though the transfer to an English professional club seemed like the natural choice to make, the players experienced a cultural shock not just athletically, but also socially and emotionally in their everyday life in a host family.Talent development abroad. Young football players’ experiences and challenges on being recruited to English academiespublishedVersio

Embedded, embodied, enculturated, and enabling processes : The identification and evaluation of sporting talent by ice hockey coaches in Norwegian youth national teams

Author's accepted version (postprint).This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Human Kinetics in International Sport Coaching Journal on 21/2/23.Available online: https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2022-0058Elite sports systems are characterized by structured attempts to identify, select, and develop talented athletes and to increase the likelihood that athletes will achieve future international success. Studies of such systems have focused mostly on the procedures and measures that are intended to improve talent identification, but less attention has been given to the crucial role of coaches. The aim of this case study is therefore to explore how coaches of Norwegian youth ice hockey national teams identify and evaluate sporting talent within these structured settings. The data were generated using nine semistructured interviews. These interviews included questions about how coaches identify talent and discussions about four hypothetical examples of ice hockey players, each with specific histories and skill sets. Building on recent developments in motor learning research, we contend that coaches identify and select talent using embodied (rather than entirely rational or cognitive) processes. These approaches are embedded in the ebb and flow of situated sports performances, and shaped by the broader and unique cultural settings in which they are situated. The results of this study show that talent identification and evaluation of sporting talent cannot, and should not, be separated from the subjectivities of the coaches themselves or from their individual preferences. The implications of this study for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.acceptedVersio

Norwegian football academy players - Player's self-assessed skills, stress and coach-athlete relationship

Background: Being part of a football academy environment is associated with many advantages. Even so, academy players will also encounter a range of personal and interpersonal challenges that might affect their development, including stress and the coach-athlete relationship. Objective: This study’s purpose was to investigate how football academy players assessed their own skills compared to their teammates, and how this is associated with perceived stressors and their perceived relationship with their coach. Method: Participants (N= 122) represented 3 football academies (12-19 years old). Instruments used were CART-Q and a modified version of the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire. Results: The results showed that the players with high-perceived skill reported a higher amount of self-organized training, more playing time, and a lower level of performance stress compared to the low perceived skill players. The results also indicate that the players perceived they had a close coach-athlete relationship and a low level of stress. Conclusion: The results suggest that low perceived skill players should receive equitable focus from coaches, especially related to their performance stress.submittedVersionpublishedVersionNivå

Talent Development Environments in Football: Comparing the Top-Five and Bottom-Five-Ranked Football Academies in Norway

Background: The aim of this study was to examine junior-elite football players’ perception of their talent development environment by comparing clubs ranked as the top-five and bottom-five in the 2017 Norwegian academy classification. Methods: In total, 92 male junior-elite football players recruited from under-19 teams from five professional football club academies took part in the study. The Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ-5; Martindale et al. 2010) was used to measure the players’ perceptions of their team environment. Results: The subscale long-term development focus and support network had the highest score and indicated that they perceived that the environment was high quality with respect to those factors. Players from the top-five-ranked clubs perceived their development environments to be significantly more positive with respect to holistic quality preparation, alignment of expectations, communication and, compared to players from the bottom-five-ranked clubs. Conclusions: The players’ perceptions of the talent development environment seem to be in alignment of the academy classification undertaken by the Norwegian top football association.publishedVersio

A world class academy in professional football:: The case of Ajax Amsterdam

The holistic ecological approach puts an emphasis on the environment in which prospective elite athletes develop. Applying the holistic ecological approach, this article examines talent development among male under-19 football players at Ajax Amsterdam which has a history of successfully developing several of its juniors to top-level international players. Principal methods of data collection include interviews, participant observations of daily life in the environment, and analysis of documents. The environment was centred around the relationship between players and a clubhouse community consisting of a team of coaches, teachers, experts, and managers that helped the players to focus on: Handling dual careers (sport and school), developing mental toughness, social skills and work ethic. Furthermore, the environment was characterised by a strong, open, and cohesive organisational culture based on each player as an investment, social responsibility and individual development before winning matches. We argue that the holistic ecological approach holds the potential to inspire coaches and practitioners to be sensitive to and analyse not only the individual player’s athletic development but also the overall strategies and organisational settings, in the talent development environment

“Mission impossible”? How a successful female cross-country skier managed a dual career as a professional athlete and medical student : A case study

The aim of the present case study is to illuminate the factors contributing to the initiation, maintenance and discontinuation of the dual career of a Norwegian world-class athlete and medicine student. We additionally aimed to highlight contextual factors facilitating and impeding the dual career development. The participant Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen was a Norwegian student-athlete in the 2005–2020 period when she concurrently achieved 10 FIS World Championship medals, one Olympic medal, and 43 World Cup podiums in cross-country ski- ing. Day-to-day training diary data, study load and progress, performance, and interviews were analysed. In most years, the participant’s annual training vol- ume was c. 800–900 hrs/year. No significant differences in athletic performance were seen between the years with full-time studies, part-time studies, and study breaks. The participant Jacobsen experienced conflicting schedules and a lack of dual career support from stakeholders as the major challenges. Hence, the present single-case study provides unique data on the process and management of a dual career.publishedVersio

Stress among Talents in a Football Academy

This article studies Norwegian football academy players who have been part of a professional club at level 2 in Norwegian elite football. The purpose of the article is to report the stress levels of selected players in 2013 and 2016. In addition, the study compares the reported stress level of players who were part of the academy in both 2013 and 2016, with that of the players who were new to the academy in 2016. The selection consists of two groups of players between 12 and 16 years: group 1 consists of 57 players (age 12.8 years) from 2013 and group 2 consists of 51 players (age 15.0 years) from 2016. The results show that the 2013 players reported a signifi cantly higher evaluation and development stress and signifi cantly lower academic stress. The youngest age group reported a signifi cantly higher evaluation stress compared to both the 14-year-olds and the 15–16-year-olds. Compared to the oldest players, the 12–13-year-olds reported a signifi cantly higher development stress and a signifi cantly lower academic stress. Furthermore, the results showed that the players who had been part of the academy for a long time reported signifi cantly less stress on both dimensions – evaluation and development stress. The results would indicate that coaches should be aware of newly recruited players because of their potential lack of safety in the role as an academy player. Further studies should be conducted to see to what extent these results can be confi rmed in other academies or other similar performance groups