This conversation with Stuart Wilkinson challenged some of my thinking about optimal talent development approaches and made me consider if we can sometimes become too dogmatic in our thinking about a specific way to approach the development of young people in sport.

Stuart has a rich background in talent development having worked in several professional club academies in Rugby League as well as working as a pathway manager for the National Governing Body. He is currently working as a lecturer in sports coaching at the University of Central Lancashire and is working towards his PhD in Talent Development.

The conversation covers the following:

- The 'synoptical approach' and how it can be used to create a more multi dimensional athlete way of developing young people
- How the use of games that don't look like the sport can be effective in supporting development
- Stuart's manual for talent developers that he is currently writing
- Why using specialists from other sports can have limitations
- Karl Newell's model of 'Assembly - control - optimisation'

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