What is Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD)?
LTAD is a framework that adopts a systematic approach to developing athletes, the outcomes of which improve performance, foster lifelong participation and enhance physical literacy.
The LTAD framework breaks athlete development into five stages for early specialisation sports and six stages for late specialisation sports, which are based on the physical and cognitive of children and young athletes.
Commonly, elite coaches are associated at the "training to win stage" - they are considered
If we can create coaches who are knowledgeable about LTAD and childhood development; have the ability to apply that knowledge to their coaching; are sensitive to the needs of young athletes; and, finally, relate well to children, we will be providing one of the necessary puzzle pieces to helping athletes reach their full potential, whether that be competing for their local club or competing for their country.
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FUNdamentals
(6-8 girls; 6-9
boys)
No
sport-specific specialisation; Emphasis on development of basic
movement skills; fun and enjoyable environment; develop speed and
power through use of games; sample a wide variety of
sports
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Learning to
Train
(8-11 girls; 9-12
boys)
Focus on mastery of basic sport skills; emphasis
on learning to train and practice, not competition or
output
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Training to
Train
(11-15 girls;
12-16 boys)
"Building the Engine;" emphasis on aerobic
conditioning; high volume, low intensity training; development of
strength; foster understanding of how to train
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Training to
Compete
(15-17 girls; 16-18
boys)
"Fine-Tuning the Engine;" high volume training
with increasing intensity; develop individual strengths and
weaknesses; training should simulate regular competitive
events
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Training to
Win
(17+ females, 18+
males)
"Maximising the Engine;" focus on optimising
performance; significant increase in sport-specific
training
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Retaining
(varies per individual)
Take up alternate activities
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How will this affect my coaching?
Ian Stafford professor at the University of Durham, suggests the following development model for coaches in conjunction with LTAD. (Stafford, Ian. Coaching for Long-term Athlete Development. Coachwise Ltd. Leeds. 2005. pg. 64).
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FUNdamentals
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Development of mutli-sport knowledge;
understanding of a range of core movement skills and how to deliver
these skills in a "fun" environment
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Learning to Train and Training to
Train
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Knowledge of how skills are developed; strong
understanding of child and adolescent growth and
development
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Training to
Compete
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Understanding of fitness and skills training
programmes, including competition and monitoring
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Training to
Win
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Ability to manage and coach a team of
experts
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If you would like to develop your coaching or coaching knowledge click through to our coaching courses section below or find out more about services on offer through sports coach UK which includes Training Needs Analysis and Mentoring.
For more information please contact Berkshire Sport:
Tel: 0118 3766 135
Email: berkshiresport@reading.gov.uk
