Testing Protocols for Talent Identification ~ with Anthony Hazeldine

Anthony Hazeldine is the former Head of the National Talent Identification Program at the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence in Qatar. He has recently returned back to Darwin, Australia where his family resides and is enjoying much valued time with them given the impact that the global pandemic has placed on people’s lives. This podcast shares some of his experiences, thoughts, and where the future of sport may lie for him and others seeking to pursue or maintain a career in the sports industry.  Anthony has over twenty years of experience in the field of athlete preparation and identification at both a State and National level. He has a degree in Human Movement and Exercises Science at Southern Cross University, including undertaking Heat-related research on athlete performance as a Sports Scientist, at the National Heat Acclimatisation Centre in Darwin, Australia.  Anthony has worked in the field of athlete preparation as the Head of Strength and Conditioning at the Northern Territory Institute of Sport and Head of Player Performance in Rugby League in the UK. His experiences in Talent Identification started in 2007 at the Australian Institute of Sport where he was involved in a number of talent development initiatives, working directly with the National Sports Federations to recruit and identify potential athletes in the lead up to the 2012 London Olympics. Anthony gained valuable knowledge and insight into the discipline of Talent Identification, working amongst world-class coaches, Olympic medallists, and a suite of professional staff all working to develop future sporting champions on the global stage. As the former Head of the National Talent Identification Program at ASPIRE Academy in Qatar. Anthony shares his experience in helping provide expertise in the field of talent identification, to help the sport grow, and to improve the performance qualities of each sport’s current and future talent pool. He has an interest in physical literacy and how children learn and acquire new movement skills, particularly in a free play environment. In general, Anthony considers himself a creative and innovative thinker, with a coaching philosophy to inspire the mind, teach the movement, and enhance athlete performance. In this episode, you’ll learn:  About growing up barefoot with no TV in the Solomon Islands The importance of having a personal connection to why you’re doing something How sport builds character to instill great values and help individuals become great people The value of free-play in identifying talent  The importance of balancing structured play with unstructured play The differences Anthony sees when out walking with his daughter compared to when he grew up (3 decades apart in time but only a few hundred meters apart in distance)  Why making things safer may actually make them more dangerous How to blend sport and mental health issues The similarities between Australian Indigenous communities and the Middle East How the Aspire obstacle course test came to be Why kids are natural coaches The similarities in mindset between Ramadan and training for sporting success How we’re changing human movement intelligence  The cross-over and benefits of playing multiple sports Plus, some great famous quotes  Want more? Connect with me on & for behind-the-scenes footage! Plus, Anthony and I will be live on Instagram to dive even deeper into this episode and answer all your questions!