Youth athleticism: Perspectives on what is it, why is it important and how to measure it

While athleticism is recognised as a guiding principle for youth development, practitioners’ perceptions of athleticism are variable and unidimensional. Therefore, this study aimed to explore academic and practitioner perceptions around the concept of athleticism, including its importance and measurement. A multi-method survey was completed by 167 academics and practitioners (sport coaches and strength and conditioning coaches). The survey consisted of six sections: (1) participant demographics; (2) role specific demographics; (3) knowledge of athleticism; (4) importance of athleticism; (5) perceptions of the current definition of athleticism; and (6) measuring athleticism. Fixed response quantitative data were analysed in SPSS and qualitative data were analysed using template analysis. Athleticism was described as a multi-dimensional (i.e., physical and psychological), dynamic (i.e., product and a process that interacts with the environment), and adaptable (i.e., individual, environment and sporting context specific) concept. Developing athleticism was deemed important for both participation and performance environments for: 1) mental and physical health and wellbeing, 2) engagement in physical activity and sport, 3) enhancing physical and psychosocial characteristics, 4) reducing injury risk, and 5) for successful sporting performance. However, numerous theoretical and practical challenges were identified for measuring athleticism. It is imperative that academics and practitioners working with youth are cognizant of the athleticism descriptors (i.e., multi-dimensional, dynamic and adaptable) when researching and developing youth athleticism.