Ross A. Pinder

The development of talent in Paralympic athletes presents unique challenges and opportunities, distinct from able-bodied sports. This chapter explores talent identification, selection, and development systems within Paralympic contexts, examining how conventional methods must be adapted to account for impairment types, classification systems, and limited resources. Paralympic talent pathways often extend beyond traditional sporting environments, requiring engagement in rehabilitation centres and grassroots programs to overcome barriers related to talent pool depth, awareness, and accessibility. Classification systems, which aim to ensure fair competition, create additional complexities in talent selection and resource allocation, often influencing an athlete's opportunities. Furthermore, athlete development is impacted by impairment onset, training history, and environmental factors, requiring individualised approaches to maximise potential. This chapter emphasises the need for continued innovation in Paralympic talent systems to ensure inclusivity and success, while addressing the unique intersections of athlete impairments, socioeconomic backgrounds, and access to resources.

Numerous calls have been made throughout coaching science literature for consideration of different methodological and theoretical approaches to underpin research design. Recommendations include the need for more ‘naturalistic’ ¹ and ‘longitudinal’ ^{2 , 3} approaches. One such approach is ethnography. The purpose of this scoping review was to provide an overview of peer-reviewed studies that used ethnography to investigate coaching behaviours that aim to enhance skill learning. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) ⁴ was used to guide this review. Electronic databases including APA PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, SCOPUS, and PubMed were searched to identify eligible studies. From 1661 results, 9 studies were determined to meet the eligibility criteria. Findings indicated that the use of ethnography is increasing, however, the low number of studies suggest its uptake remains limited in coaching science. The embedded nature of ethnography creates an opportunity for researchers to gain in-depth and nuanced insights on coaching behaviours in situ. The included studies suggest that different methodological and theoretical approaches underpinning ethnography can help enhance our understanding of the coaching process. Specifically, the use of ethnography allows us to see how behaviours inform coaching practice, influence task design and oppurtunities for learning, and the responding behaviour and actions exhibited by athletes.

The evolution of 4G and 5G digital technologies is (re)shaping contemporary methods of coaching by removing the requirement for coaches to be physically present at practice and competition venues. This technological advance provides opportunities for sports organisations, especially those with limited resources, to implement innovative learning and performance solutions by delivering remote coaching. In this insight paper, we reimagine what “the coaching environment” could look like by considering how the remote context may shape coaching. Currently, there is limited understanding of the use and implementation of such approaches, highlighting a need for further research to be conducted to better understand how online environments may impact the coaching process. We propose how adopting an ecological dynamics approach may align with existing research within coaching science and contemporary theorising in skill acquisition and motor learning, advocating a learner-centred approach to coaching. We then introduce and discuss the work of Roger Barker with a focus on “behaviour settings” and how this perspective may provide a lens for future research to explore different coaching environments. When complemented by ethnographic methodologies, this approach may provide a novel way to understand how coach–athlete interactions are framed in situ.

The use of a throwing pole in seated shot put is prevalent across many athletes with varying impairment types in para-athletics and it has been shown to have a large impact on throwing technique. However, the measurement of throwing pole forces in seated shot put has not been reported previously in the research literature, leading to a considerable barrier to a better understanding and optimisation of performance. In this research, the first set of pole force measurements in seated throwing is presented, along with a comparison between two methods for such measurement: a direct load-sensing and a deflection-based method, where the latter requires considerably less specialised equipment than the former. From this, the measurement of pole forces without an instrumented pole is found to be feasible (RMSE < 10%), thus providing a simpler option for the measurement of pole forces in seated throwing. In addition, unexpected resonant pole effects (5-6 Hz) are observed during the throw which may have an interaction with the way athletes apply force to the pole. The methods and findings presented are intended to provide a platform for future research.

This research provides a review of seated shot put alongside new data from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with the aim to understand the latest trends in equipment within a recently established rule set and how key equipment variables may impact performance for athletes in different classifications. First, a review of the literature found that the throwing pole is a key equipment aid that is not well understood, in part due to limitations in testing design. New data from the 2020 Paralympic Games showed inconsistent trends for the use of the throwing pole among athletes, particularly in transitionary classes (F33–34 and F54–55). A two-way analysis of variance found a main effect of classification on performance (p < .001), as well as an interaction effect between pole use and classification on performance (p < .05). Notably, pole users are seen to perform better than non–pole users in Class F32 (p < .05).

In this insight article, we aim to challenge current thinking regarding coaching and spark new ideas by demonstrating how high-performance Paralympic sport contexts provide rich environments for innovation. We propose an innovative approach to enhance coach learning and introduce coaches and practitioners to three interconnected areas of opportunity emerging in research: (a) reframing the role and harnessing the work of skill acquisition specialists, (b) the use of a design thinking approach, and (c) the implementation of technology-enhanced learning. Specifically, we demonstrate how using these three strategies can better facilitate cocreated coach learning in situ. Whilst we acknowledge that each of these areas is not necessarily new, we propose that when addressed and applied collectively by practitioners they can provide effective and efficient coach learning opportunities, where the result of the integration of ideas means the impact can be greater than simply the sum of the parts. We highlight how this approach has emerged out of challenging high-performance Paralympic sport contexts, and could have impact on research, practice, and coach development experiences across a wider range of contexts along the performance pathway in both Paralympic and nondisabled sports.

Remote coaching via the use of digital technologies has been utilized within Paralympic Sports since 2015 to address challenges experienced by coaches. These technologies have connected coaches and athletes in real time, alleviating time and travel costs. However, very little is known about the experience of coaching in these environments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the experiences of coaches’ use of remote coaching technologies. Seven coaches from five Paralympic Sports were recruited for this study and participated in semistructured interviews. Additionally, observations were conducted of remote coaching sessions that were part of their regular training schedules. Coaches’ insights highlight that remote technologies created opportunities to increase coach–athlete interactions and positively impact the development of interpersonal relationships. This allowed coaches to explore and exploit newly discovered information from within training environments to aid athletes in skill development. Additionally, remote coaching provided unexpected opportunities for coach development. However, coaches also reported new environmental and logistical challenges which disrupted their usual coaching approach. Overall, remote coaching technologies were perceived as being beneficial despite the challenges experienced. However, future research that looks to understand how to impact coach and athlete development through the online environment is encouraged.

This chapter provides insights into the roles and impacts of Skill Acquisition (SA) specialists embedded across the Talent identification and Development (TiD) pathway in Australia. Applied insights across Paralympic, Olympic and professional sports pathways provide coaches, SA specialists and National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) with examples of the value and impact an SA specialist can have on the development and refinement of their programs. Readers will gain insights across a range of themes, including the importance of immersion in performance contexts, application of SA principles in high-performance environments, as well as challenges and opportunities in test design.

Practice tasks that more closely represent the demands of competition are thought to augment skill learning and transfer. This study observed the serve and return performances of junior grand slam tennis and used this benchmark to evaluate the representativeness of serve and return practice among elite junior tennis players. The serve and return behaviour of 26 junior tennis players competing in junior Australian Open grand slam matches were observed and compared with the serve and return practice behaviours of 12 elite junior tennis players over an 8-week period. The variables measured included the number of serves/returns landing in, serve/return type, serve direction and the variability of practised skills. Serve and return practice contributed to <13% of total practice time, with each skill predominately practised in isolation. Compared to the matchplay benchmark, players typically had less success (i.e., fewer serves/returns landing in the court), were less variable in shot selection and hit fewer serves to the extremities of the service box. As task representativeness increased fewer differences between practice and matchplay were observed. Tennis serve and return practice could be improved by better simulating specific competition affordances, providing greater opportunities to practice serve/return tactics and/or increasing the variability of practised skills.