long-term athletic development Rick Howard, M.Ed., CSCS, *D

Long-Term Athletic Development

What is LTAD? LTAD is a framework LTAD Canada Definition: how to systematically develop sporting excellence and increase active participation in local, regional and national sport organizations.

Underlying Principles of LTAD LTAD begins in childhood (NSCA, 2014, 2009) LTAD requires coordinated sequential planning at all phases of development Youth do not pass through “stages” linearly or chronologically Deficiencies in any phase of development may impact later phases

The 10 Pillars 6. Youth should participate in targeted training that helps reduce the risk of injury to ensure their on-going participation in long-term athletic development programs. 7. Long-term athletic development programs should provide all youth with a range of training modes to enhance both health- and skill-related components of fitness. 8. Practitioners should use relevant monitoring and assessment tools as part of a long-term physical development strategy. 9. Practitioners working with youth should progress and individualize training programs for successful long-term athletic development. 10. Qualified professionals and sound pedagogical approaches are fundamental to successful long-term athletic development. Accommodate for the highly individualized and non-linear nature of the growth and development of youth Youth of all ages, abilities and aspirations should engage in LTAD from early childhood, that promote physical fitness & psychosocial wellbeing All youth should be encouraged to enhance physical fitness from early childhood with a primary focus on motor skill and muscular strength development. LTAD pathways should encourage an early sport sampling approach for youth that promotes and enhances a broad range of motor skills. Health and well being of the child should always be the central tenet of long-term athletic development programs.

  Motor Skills Body management: the ability to balance your body while still, and in motion Locomotor: to transport the body in any direction Object control: controlling implements Balance (dynamic) Crawling Bouncing Balance (static) Dodging Catching Bending Galloping Dribbling (feet/hands) Climbing Hopping Kicking Landing Jumping (distance/height) Striking Rolling Leaping Throwing Stopping Running Stretching Skipping Swinging Swimming Turning Walking Twisting  

ABCs of Movement Athletic stance, Body management, Cardinal planes of motion

Athletic Motor Skill Competencies

Qualified Professionals Practitioners need a solid understanding of: Pediatric exercise science Training principles for youth Pedagogy Developmental appropriateness Coaching skills Cueing Providing a motivational climate for youth Cultivating an environment that promotes intrinsic motivation and enjoyment

MUSCLE Strength Training Age Experience with Each Exercise How to Create Groups How many exercises and sets? Progressions and Regressions Rule of 1 Types of Strength Volume

What do we know about LTAD. (Lloyd et What do we know about LTAD? (Lloyd et. al, JSCR, 2015a, 2015b) summarized in (Howard and Lloyd, USOC Coach, Winter 2015) Lack of longitudinal evidence of any LTAD model Evidence against early sport specialization and talent identification Continuous development of fundamental motor skills and muscle strength is imperative Coaches at all levels need to emphasize all fitness attributes

What Needs to be Addressed in Youth Sports? Developmentally-appropriate guidance Adult model imposed on kids Early sport specialization 10,000 hours Windows of opportunity Lack of physical preparation Overuse and underuse

Key Points of Invited Review (Pt 2) Physical activity levels appear to peak at approximately 6 years of age, afterwhich there is a consistent decline into adolescence and adulthood Daily physical activity early in life is a critical component of all long-term athletic development models Modern-day youth do not possess sufficient levels of muscular strength largely because of physical inactivity Fundamental movement skill competency is associated with long-term engagement in physical activity Long-term strategy should prioritize the development of muscle strength and motor skill proficiency during the primary school years

Key Solutions Proposed for LTAD Focus on aerobic exercise can be problematic in terms of compliance and adherence, yet adherence is improved with motor skill, strength, speed and power exercise Exposure to a variety of activities where generic pattern recognition, hand-eye coordination and decision-making skills can be developed will ultimately avoid the need for early specialization Planning sequential blocks of training is crucial to elicit the greatest adaptive response.

Solutions Existing education structures require a dramatic overhaul to enhance their capacity to reverse the cascading effects of physical inactivity and its associated negative health outcomes INT should be creatively incorporated into all PE classes/sports practices (e.g., dynamic warm-up activities)  The development of athletic potential in school age youth should be viewed as a long-term process.

Why Not Focus on Athleticism? Aspen Institute definition of athlete: anyone with a body Bill Bowerman (Nike) definition: If you have a body, you are an athlete Webster: a person who is trained or skilled in exercises … requiring physical strength, agility or stamina Margaret Whitehead (physical literacy) consideration: within the given level of endowment American Academy of Pediatrics (2001) Adequate preparation of the biological, social, physiological and psychological domains for sport and competition

Recommendations AAP definition of athleticism Kids are not miniature adults Not all X year olds are the same Fun= Success + Challenge Testing is a snapshot PHV Product and process Recognize Exercise Deficit Disorder Address “underuse” and “overuse” Promote participation pathways The 3 types of play Given level of endowment Talent development, not talent identification

Skills

Physical Literacy

Have We Addressed Key Issues in Positive Youth Development? Kids are not miniature adults Not all X year-olds are at the same level of growth and development Focus on talent development, not talent identification The three types of play Promote muscle strength and motor skills to enhance success in sampling What are “lifetime” fitness activities? Did we ask the kids? Is it fun? Who is teaching life skills? Overuse of testing and talent identification

NSCA Resources on LTAD

References Aspen Institute. Sport for all, play for life. Washington DC: Aspen Institute, 2015. Côté, J. and Erickson, K. Diversification and deliberate play during the sampling years. In J. Baker & D. Farrow (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Sport Expertise (pp. 305-316).Mew York: Routledge, 2015. Faigenbaum, A., Kraemer, W., Blimkie, C., Jeffreys, I., Micheli, L., Nitka, M., et al. Youth resistance training: Updated position statement paper from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 23(Supplement 5), S60-S79. 2009. Howard, R. Catch 22: Why fundamental motor skills are so important. NSCA Coach, 2(1), 38-41, 2015. Lloyd, R., Cronin, J., Faigenbaum, A., Haff, G., Howard, R… Oliver. J. National Strength and Conditioning Association position statement on long- term athletic development. Official position stand of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(6), 1491-1509, 2016. Lloyd, R Oliver, J., Faigenbaum, A., Howard, R, Ste Croix, M., Williams, C., & Myer, G. Long-term athletic development- Part 2: Barriers to success and potential solutions. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(5), 1451-1464, 2015b Lloyd, R., Faigenbaum, A., Stone, M., et al. Position statement on youth resistance training: the 2014 international consensus. British Journal of Sports Medicine, BJSM Online First, published on September 20, 2013 as 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092952. Myer, G., Lloyd, R., Brent, J. and Faigenbaum, A. How young is “too young” to start training? ACSMs Health Fit J. 2013 September/October; 17(5): 14–23. Whitehead, M. The concept of physical literacy. European Journal of Physical Education, 6, 127-138, 2001.