Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
Does this atlas rank groups by IQ, race or nation?
No. Pathways and evidence stay individual. Scores are browsing aids — never group biological or racial ranks.
How much does practice explain in sport?
Macnamara et al. 2014: about 18% in their sports coding — a minority. Hours still matter; they are not the whole ranking.
Do early specialisers always win?
Some sports (women’s gymnastics) have early peaks. Many field sports reward later specialisation. The “10,000 hours from age five” poster is Gladwell, not a periodisation plan.
Are East African runners a racial proof?
No. Altitude towns, running to school, camps in Iten and Bekoji, and selection are the first variables. This atlas will not turn medals into a biological hierarchy of peoples.
What did Bloom 1985 add?
Families and coaches around high achievers — play, then a serious teacher, then a master. Qualitative and still useful.
Do talent ID camps work?
They measure current performance plus size. Late developers and late bloomers get cut. Australia’s AIS is a famous, imperfect machine.
Development here follows Gagné-like honesty: aptitudes, practice and catalysts. Athletic talent is not a finished essence.
Windows differ by domain. A closed sport window is not a closed writing window. Read the clocks.
Stages
- Sample games
More than one code if the sport allows.
Bloom play.
- Learn the grammar
The sport’s cues.
Transfer limits.
- Designed reps
Weakness, not only scrimmage.
Ericsson.
- Track load
Sleep, pain, mood.
Health.
- Re-test after growth
Do not freeze a cutoff.
Relative age.
- Plan an off-ramp
Identity beyond the academy.
Ethics.
Levers
- Coach design — The scarce hour.
- Sampling vs specialising — Sport-dependent.
- Health system — Injuries end files.
- Who is invited — ID access.
- Place — Iten-type environments — named as places.
Windows
- Early play — Bloom phase one.
- Puberty / growth — A dangerous ID moment.
- Event-specific peaks — Gymnastics ≠ marathon.
- Adult codes — Some sports recruit late.
Supports
- AIS-type institutes — Science plus ID.
- Club academies — Brazil/Europe pipes.
- School sport (部活, Title IX) — Hours as policy.
- Community first-contact — Before the harvest.
Athletic talent: catalysts and windows do the daily work. Destiny talk is the failure mode.
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