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

2. Long-Term Athletic Development

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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

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

8. Athletic Motor Skill Competencies

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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

18. Skills

19. Physical Literacy

20. 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

21. NSCA Resources on LTAD

23. 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 ).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-S
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), , 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), , 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 /bjsports
Myer, G., Lloyd, R., Brent, J. and Faigenbaum, A. How young is “too young” to start training? ACSMs Health Fit J September/October; 17(5): 14–23.
Whitehead, M. The concept of physical literacy. European Journal of Physical Education, 6, , 2001.