Long-Term Athlete Development model

(LTAD)

LTAD framework is a sport development framework

1. It is a framework for an optimal training, competition and recovery schedule for
each stage of athletic development.
2. Coaches who engage in the model and its practices are more likely to produce
athletes who reach their full athletic potential.
3. At the early stages of development, it is imperative that sport development
programs are designed around critical periods of accelerated adaptation to
training.
4. Children who do not develop their fundamental motor skills by age 12 are unlikely
to reach their genetic athletic potential.
5. Establishing a core set of motor skills early in life enables children to gain a sense
of achievement and establish a positive relationship with sport and physical
activity.
6. Successful and positive experiences with sport at a young age, coupled with the
acquisition of transferable sports skills, will enable children to become proficient
in a number of different sports.
7. The LTAD framework ultimately strives to produce elite and consistent performers;
however, it also seeks to provide opportunities for all children to grow into
confident, healthy and active adults.

There are 10 key factors influencing LTAD

Factor 1: FUNdamentals
FUNdamental movement skills should be introduced through fun and games.

In order for children to become physically literate, they need to acquire fundamental
movement skills, including running, throwing, catching, hopping, bounding, etc.,
along with fundamental sport skills.
FUNdamental sports skills should follow and include basic overall sports skills, such
as agility, jumping, balance, coordination, speed, climbing, walking, hopping, cycling,
kicking, throwing, hitting and diving.

Recommendation: To help develop FUNdamental movement skills, it is

important that young athletes also take part in a wide variety of other sports.

Factor 2: Specialization
It is advantageous for children to participate in a variety of sports as early as possible.
Early exposure to a wide variety of sport and physical activities will ensure the
development of some of the physical and movement attributes which are crucial to
later success in participation. These include: agility, balance, conditioning, speed,
core body strength, stamina, suppleness and eye-hand-foot coordination.

Sports can be classified as either early or late specialization. It is important to be

aware of the distinctions between early and late specialization.

Early specialization sports: where early specific training is essential to be successful,

such as gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, diving, figure skating, swimming and table
tennis.

Late specialization sports: sports when early specialization is not required to achieve
excellence. These sports include cricket, athletics, soccer, rugby, volleyball, combat
and racquet sports.

Recommendation: early specialization is not recommended for a lot of sport

disciplines as this contributes to one dimensional (too narrow) preparation,
injuries, physical and mental burnout and early retirement.

Factor 3: Developmental age

Development refers to the interrelationship between growth and maturation. The
concept of development also includes the social, emotional, intellectual and motor
development areas of the child.

There are 2 important types of ages:

1. Developmental or biological age: The degree of physical, mental, cognitive and

emotional maturity.
2. Chronological age: The number of years and days elapsed since birth.

Developmental and Chronological ages differ most during adolescence. Training and
competition are currently based on chronological age, which means that although
athletes can be in different stages of their growth spurts, we continue to train them
the same way. For example, we often see two 14 year old – one that looks like a 16
year old (early developer) and one that looks like a 12 year old (late developer), yet
they both compete and train in the same age category. Youth who mature early have
a significant biological advantage over their competitors and have traditionally been
selected over late matures at an early age.

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Recommendation: sport programs must find ways to keep late developers in
the sport until they catch up to the early developers.

Factor 4: Sensitive periods

Trainability during the sensitive periods of accelerated adaptation to training refers to
the body’s responsiveness to training stimuli at different stages of growth and
maturation. The physiological systems of the athlete can be trained at any age, but
there are sensitive periods when individuals are especially responsive to specific types
of training.

Trainability is best reviewed by the Five Ss of training and performance:

• Stamina (endurance)
• Strength
• Speed
• Skill
• Suppleness (flexibility)

The “sensitive periods of accelerated adaptation to training” for stamina, strength and
skills are identified using biological markers (Balyi, 2001) such as the onset of the
adolescent growth spurt, PHV (the fastest rate of growth after growth decelerates),
and the onset of menarche. The trainability of speed and suppleness are based on
chronological age, and the trainability of stamina, strength and skill is based on
developmental age determined by the biological markers. Thus, the biological
markers are used to identify the “windows of optimal trainability for accelerated
adaptation to training.

Factor 5: Mental, Cognitive and Emotional Development

Different aspects of an athlete’s development may evolve at different rates, so
training, competitive and recovery programs should adapt to the stage of physical,
psychological and technical development.

Recommendation: An athlete may be at different stages in physical,

psychological and technical development. Coaches need to take this into
account when preparing training programs for the athlete.

Factor 6: Periodization (Annual training, competition and

recovery plan)
Periodization is where the science of training meets the art of coaching. It is about
sequencing the right activities at the right time to achieve success in an annual or
long-term plan.

Periodization provides the framework for organizing training, competition and

recovery into a logical and scientifically based schedule to achieve optimum
performance at the required time. A periodized annual plan that takes into account
growth, maturation and trainability principles should be developed for all stages of
LTAD.

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Recommendation: coaches need to ensure that they focus on the stage-
appropriate periodization.

Factor 7: Calendar planning for competition

There are three aspects to Calendar Planning for Competition:

1. Scheduling of major events: The current schedule of competitions is based on

tradition rather than on LTAD principles
2. Ratio of training to competition: Younger athletes typically over-compete and
under-train.
3. Events in which athletes compete: The athlete’s selection of events impacts
their ability to achieve long-term development goals.

Different stages of development and different levels of participation have different

requirements for the type, frequency and level of competition. At some stages of
development, training and development take precedence over competitions and
short-term success. During the later stages, participants need to experience a variety
of competitive situations in order to perform well at international and other high-level
events.

Factor 8: Excellence takes time

Research has concluded that it takes 8 to 12 years of training for talented athletes to
achieve sporting excellence. This is also called the “10 year – 10,000 hour” rule, which
averages 3 hours per day. This time may increase from 1 hour a day for younger
athletes up to 5-6 hours a day for high performance athletes and includes all physical
activity and sport.

Recommendation: It takes a long time to develop a champion; therefore, it

is important to track developing athletes’ progress and not rush their
development.

Factor 9: System alignment and integration

System alignment and integration refers to the process of ensuring that LTAD plan is
athlete-centered, coach-driven and administration-supported, and that all
stakeholders work together for the benefit of the athlete and the sport.

LTAD recognizes that physical education, school sports, recreational activities and
competitive sport are interdependent. Enjoying a lifetime of physical activity and
achieving athletic excellence are both built on a foundation of physical literacy and
fitness.

Recommendation: The stakeholders will provide the best possible

development pathway for all athletes.

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Factor 10: Continuous Improvement (Kaizen)
LTAD is a dynamic framework that requires continuous adjustments based on key
principles. Continuous monitoring, evaluation and readjustment is needed.

Recommendation: All stakeholders need to take into account the latest

developments in science, sport and culture. The LTAD model is dynamic, so
new developments may change the recommendations and guidelines.

Early Specialization Model

1. Training to Train
2. Training to Compete
3. Training to Win
4. Retirement/Retaining

Late Specialization Model

1. FUNdamental
2. Training to Train
3. Training to Compete
4. Training to Win
5. Retirement/Retaining

Stage 1: The FUNdamental stage

The FUNdamental stage is well-structured and fun! The emphasis is on the overall
development of the athlete’s physical capacities, fundamental movement skills.
Participation in as many sports as possible is encouraged.

Speed, power and endurance are developed by using FUN games. Correct running,
jumping and throwing techniques are taught using the ABCs of athletics.

Strength training during this stage should include exercises using the athlete’s own
body weight, medicine ball and Swiss ball exercises.

Athletes should be introduced to the simple rules and ethics of sports. No periodisation
takes place but all programs are structured and monitored.

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Stage 2: The Training to Train Stage
During the Training to Train stage, young athletes learn how to train, and they also
learn the basic skills of a specific sport. Also, they are introduced to the basic
technical/tactical skills and ancillary capacities including warm-up and cool-down,
stretching, hydration and nutrition, recovery and regeneration, mental preparation,
taper and peak, integrated pre-competition routines and post-competition recovery.

During competitions, athletes play to win and to do their best, but the major focus of
training is on learning the basics as opposed to competing. Training and competition
ratios are optimized because too many competitions waste valuable training time and
conversely, not enough competition inhibits the practice of technical skills and
learning how to cope with the physical and mental challenges presented during
competition.

A 60% training to 40% competition ratio is recommended by experts during the

Training to Train stage; however, these percentages vary according to sport and
individual specific needs. Athletes undertaking this type of preparation will be better
prepared for competition in both the short- and long-term than athletes who focus
solely on winning. During this phase, athletes train in competitive situations daily in
the form of practice matches or competitive games and drills.

Stage 3: The Training to Compete Stage

This phase of development is introduced after the goals and objectives of the Training
to Train stage have been achieved. The training to competition and competition-
specific training ratio now changes to 40:60. 40% of training is devoted to the
development of technical and tactical skills and fitness improvements and 60% is
devoted to competition-specific training and to competitions.

During the Training to Compete stage, high intensity individual and sport-specific
training is provided to athletes all year round. Athletes, who are now proficient at
performing both basic and sport-specific skills, learn to perform these skills under a
variety of competitive conditions during training. Special emphasis is placed on
optimum preparation by modeling training and competition.

Fitness programs, recovery programs, psychological preparation and technical

development are now individually tailored to a greater degree. This emphasis on
individual preparation addresses each athlete’s individual strengths and weaknesses.

Stage 4: The Training to Win Stage

This is the final stage of athletic preparation. All the athlete’s physical, technical,
tactical, mental and ancillary capacities are now fully established, and the focus of
the training has shifted to the optimization of performance. Athletes are trained to
peak at major competitions.

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Training is characterized by high intensity and relatively high volume. Frequent
‘prophylactic’ breaks help to prevent physical and mental burnouts. Training and
competition-specific training/competition ratios are 25:75.

Stage 5: The Retirement/Retaining Stage

This stage refers to the activities performed after an athlete has retired from
competition permanently. During this final stage, ex-athletes move into sport-related
careers that may include coaching, officiating, sport administration, small business
enterprises, master’s competition and the media.

Suggested readings:

• https://sportforlife.ca/quality-sport/long-term-athlete-development/
• Balyi, István: Coaching for Long-Term Athlete Development: To improve participation and
performance in sport. The National Coaching Foundation, 2005.
• Bompa, TO: Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training. Champaign, IL: Human
Kinetics. 1999
• Canadian Sport for Life – Long-Term Athlete Development Resource Paper 2.0. Published
by Canadian Sport Institute – Pacific 2014

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