EP 84: Professor Kevin Till - Talent ID and Development in Rugby League and Rugby Union

“What we identified was that is was the relatively younger players and later-maturing individuals who were actually more successful at getting League Super appearances.”  - Professor Kevin TillIn this episode, I chat with Kevin Till, a Professor in the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University.His expertise lies in athletic development, strength and conditioning, coaching and sport science.In our conversation, Kevin shares stories and insight from his PhD and coaching work in youth rugby league and union, including how relative age and biological maturation influences talent identification and development.We also discuss:The physical and psycho-social impacts of youth sports programmes;Why late-maturing may have an advantage when it comes to making the elite-level of performance;The RAMPAGE programme Kevin developed to help community coaches better plan sessions to improve engagement and athletic development;Kevin's childhood and his passion for rugby;The need for programmes in youth sport that develop the whole-person in sport and what they could look like; andMixing performance with participation.Please say hello to Kevin on Twitter @ktconditioningIf you enjoy the show, please subscribe to your favourite podcast listening app.I’d also encourage you to head over to iTunes and give the show a rating as it helps more people to hear the show.Kia ora!Support the show