Long Term Athlete Development

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Long Term Athlete Development

• Sarah White
• Surrey Sports Partnership

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Comments on present sports system?
Sport in the UK has evolved like a patchwork
quilt. it is difficult to suggest fundamental
change without taking the whole thing to pieces
and starting again Ian Elvin, 1993 If I
am ever asked again how long it has taken me to
understand theBritish sport system, my reply
will be I will let you know if I ever
do. Dennis Whitby 1999What you are
saying is that the present system is a b
mess!! Istvan Balyi 2001
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We are left with!

• Young athletes under-train, over-compete.
• Low training to competition ratios in early
  years.
• Adult competition superimposed on young athletes.
• Adult training programmes superimposed on young
  athletes.
• Male programmes superimposed on females.
• Training in early years focuses on outcomes
  (winning) rather than processes (optimal
  training).
• Chronological age dominates training rather than
  biological age.
• Under development between 6-16 years cannot be
  fully overcome (athletes will never reach genetic
  potential).
• The best coaches are encouraged to work at elite
  level.
• Coach/Teacher education tends to skim the growth,
  development and maturation of young people.

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Sports System set for change

• UK Sport Governing Body modernisation reviews
• NGBs as custodian of their sport
• Whole and One Sport Plans
• Coaching Task Force
• Focus on Physical Activity
• Focus on School Sport

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Background

• Evolution of Athlete Development Models
• Work of Istvan Balyi, Cote and others
• LTAD is not new or a panaceabut
• Built upon consensus of scientific research
• Reflects applied knowledge experience of
  coaches from around the world
• Packages complex phases of child/adult
  development into a simple flexible model

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Key LTAD principles

• Athlete centred approach
• Makes full use of the critical or sensitive
  periods of adaptation (growth spurts)
• Focuses on the need to develop PHYSICAL LITERACY
  in all young people
• Recognises Training Competition Recovery
  ratios i.e. Athletes need a life
• Takes 10 to 12 years training to reach elite
  level
• Some sports require early specialisation
• Model is flexible to meet needs of each sport

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Long Term Athlete Development
Building Pathways in English Sport
Source NCTC, Ireland
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What people have said.

• What Istvan is advocating now is what we as
  national coaches were trying too implement 20
  years ago but we never had the logistics or
  resources to do it properly.
• (Tom McNab, WC Advisers Seminar, April 2002)
• This knowledge base has been around for a long
  while and has a sound scientific basis. In simple
  terms it is what I would call a good PE programme
  linked to a high quality and progressive sports
  development programme. (Margaret Talbot,
  Stakeholder Workshop, Nov. 2002)
• For Swimming, Long Term Athlete Development is
  our weapon of mass instruction! The implications
  of implementing LTAD within our sport are far
  reaching and provide a dynamic force for change
  and sustainable development at all levels from
  learn to swim to WC elite. (Di Bishop, NASD
  Seminar, April 2003)

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LTAD Key Issue
The critical, fundamental phase is often
overlooked by coaches, teachers and parents, who
focus on competition and winning rather than the
acquisition of basic skills and fitness Balyi
2001
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LTAD Principles Sport Categories
EARLY SPECIALISATION SPORTS
Gymnastics, Figure Skating, Diving, Table Tennis
andSwimming
LATE SPECIALISATION SPORTS
Athletics, combative sports, Cycling, Rowing,
team sports.
4 stage model 5/6 stage model Cusp of
early specialisation
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For late specialization sports
specialization before age 10 is not recommended
since it contributes to early burnout, dropout
and retirement from training and competition
Harsanyi, 1985
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LTAD MODEL BY ISTVAN BALYI (2002 Late
Specialization Sports)
Chronological age5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
FUNdamental Stage
Learning to Train
Training to Train Stage
Training to Compete Stage
Training to Win Stage
Key stages of learning development
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Istvan Balyi - LTAD Model Stage
1 FUNdamentals Stage 2 Learning to train Stage
3 Training to train Stage 4 Training to compete
Stage 5 Training to win Stage 6 Retirement /
Retainment
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FUNdamental Movement Skills Phase

• Chronological Age Male 6-9 years Females 6-8
  years
• FUN, participation and child centred playful
  environment
• Focus on general overall movement skills
  development
• ABCs of Athleticism Agility, Balance,
  Co-ordination Speed
• Own body strength games/exercises
• Semi-structured programme
• Physical activity 5-6 times per week (note
  definitions!)
• Simple rules and ethics of sport

Movement Literacy
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FUNdamental Sport Skills Phase(Learn to Train)

• Chronological Age Males 8-12 years Females
  8-11 years
• FUN and develop range of basic sports skills (L
  to T)
• Major focus on skill learning and movement
  mastery
• Introduction and ideally mastery of all basic
  sport skills
• Own body strength games/exercises
• Introduce ancillary capacities (e.g. warm-up) and
  thinking skills
• Training to Competition ratio 70 30 (e.g
  Festival Challenges)

Sports Literacy
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Training to Train Phase
Sport Selection Talent Detection

• Chronological - Biological Age
• Males 12-16 years Females 11-15 years
• FUN, developing fitness and consolidating sport
  specific skills
• Major fitness development opportunities e.g.
  aerobic strength
• Monitor growth spurt and musculo-skeletal
  evaluations (during PHV)
• Further develop ancillary capacities and mental
  skills
• Introduce technique of free weights near end of
  phase
• Training to Competition ratio 6040

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Training to Compete Phase
Specialisation Developing Potential

• Chronological - Biological Age
• Males 16 - 18 years Females 15 - 17 years
• FUN, fine tune the engine and developing advanced
  sport specific skills
• Event and/or position-specific physical
  conditioning
• Event and/or position-specific technical and
  tactical preparation
• Modelling skills under different competitive
  conditions
• Optimise ancillary capacities and advanced mental
  preparation skills
• Physical activity example 9/12 sports specific
  sessions plus rest/recovery/regeneration
  programme including alternative activity

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Training to Win Phase
Expert Performer Realising Potential

• Chronological Age Males 18 years Females 17
  years
• Maximise and integrate all physical and technical
  capacities
• Further develop advanced technical, tactical and
  mental capacities
• Focus on modelling all possible aspects of
  training and performance
• Focus on recovery/regeneration
• Maximise ancillary capacities e.g. nutrition,
  warm up, taper etc
• 2575 Training/Competition ratio
• Sports specific technical, tactical and fitness
  training

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LTAD Implications
Need to develop a comprehensive
LTAD curriculum of sport education for
athletes/coaches/officials/parents Need to
develop and encourage co-operation within
sports and between key institutions
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LTAD Implications

• After school multi-activity FUN Clubs
• Need for cross-sport Physical Literacy (FMS
  SMS) resources training
• Need for multi-sport camps and generic support
  services e.g. coaching,clubs,competition
• Need for specialist YP Coaches (sport specific)

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LTAD Implications

• We need coaches who are trained and skilled in
  the physiological, cognitive and emotional
  development of children
• Coaches should employ periodised training and
  competition programmes
• Integrate sports science and medicine
• Delivery of athlete centred competition
  programmes e.g. training to comp. ratios

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LTAD implications

• Specific competition patterns for children
• Optimise trainability of children.
• Training and competition should be based on
  biological not chronological age
• Improve parents education
• Well planned training, competition and recovery
  regime (coach education)

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Review of LTAD key features

• Flexible and child/athlete centred approach
• Staged approach with progressive and sequential
  phases to maximise potential
• Well planned training, competition, recovery and
  lifestyle regime
• Windows of trainability and accelerated
  adaptation act as road map for coaches
• Cater for early and late developer
• Avoid peaking by Friday.every week!
• Its about optimum development reaching full
  genetic potential (10 years)

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Win Win Outcome
Sport Performance
Lifelong Physical Activity Participation
Physical Literacy