From potential to performance: Coaching practices in futsal talent development

This study offers a futsal-specific account of how elite Portuguese coaches conceptualize and operationalize talent identification and development. Adopting an ecological dynamics perspective, we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven elite male coaches (Liga Placard and national teams) and analysed transcripts thematically (NVivo 14). Findings are organised across three domains. (1) Athlete constraints: coaches framed physical capacities as non-limiting baselines, emphasising instead psychological robustness (e.g., resilience, intrinsic motivation, emotional regulation) and technical–tactical adaptability (e.g., game intelligence, rapid decision-making under pressure) as key markers of potential. (2) Task constraints: coaches prioritised representative learning design (e.g., small-sided games), adaptive task complexity, and the developmental value unstructured play alongside formal practice (3) Environmental constraints: family support, peer interactions, and school context were identified as critical factors shaping long-term development. Coaches conceptualise talent in futsal as an emergent property arising from the continuous interaction between athlete, task, and environment, shaped by the sport's specific demands. This study advances talent identification and development in futsal by grounding ecological theory in the lived expertise of coaches within one of the world's most successful futsal systems.