Long-Term Athlete Development

1. Long-Term Athlete Development 1) What is the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Model? 2) What are the goals of the LTAD? • Description • Roles, Implementation and Feedback

2. What is the LTAD? • The LTAD is a “general framework of athlete development with special reference to growth, maturation and development, trainability and sport system alignment.” • So what does all this mean?

3. What are the goals of the LTAD? • Provide quality training and competition that considers developmental age and critical periods of trainability • Provide a common curriculum • Properly prepares individuals by giving them physical literacy skills needed for life-long physical activity • Provide appropriate pathways for athletes to choose from 5) Provide a means to align recreation, competition, school sports and PE

4. Description

5. Awareness • These are the different ways that people learn about our game • They can include everything from stories in the media to PSA’s to one on one contacts

6. First Contact/Recruitment • These programs are things like Bridging the Gap • The key element here is that a person gets a chance to try the sport out • You need personal contact and you need follow-up

7. Active Start • There are two types of athletes we are going to address-Early Entry and Late Entry • For Early Entry, the individuals are 0-6 years old • For Late Entry, the individuals are 0 plus years post acquisition • Learn fundamental movements and link them to physical activity/play

8. FUNdamentals • Emphasis is on using fun and games that use basketball to teach fundamental movements and basic basketball skills • Early Entry athletes are 6-8 years old for females and 6-9 years old for males • Late Entry athletes are 0-2 years post acquisition • Skills are basic wheelchair skills and basic basketball skills

9. Learn to Train (L2T) • Fundamentals are still important, but we begin to emphasize basketball skills • Early Entry athletes are 8-11 for females and 9-12 for males • Late Entry athletes are 1-2 years post acquisition • Use basic skills in more game-like situations

10. Train to Train (T2T) • The goal is to introduce technical skills and strategies used to develop a well-rounded player and increase the structure around training • Early Entry athletes are 11-15 years old for females and 12-16 years old for males • Late Entry athletes are 2-5 years post acquisition

11. Train to Compete (T2C) • At the end of this level, a player should have almost all of the technical skills and they will start to specialize • Early Entry athletes are 15-18 for females and 16-18 for males • Late Entry athletes are 4/5 years post acquisition • Athletes learn how to compete in any situation at this stage as they refine their skills

12. Learn to Win (L2W) • Establish all the technical, physical, tactical and mental skills needed to compete at the highest level • Early Entry athletes are 18-23 for females and 18-25 for males • Late Entry athletes are 4/5 years post acquisition • Athletes have been introduced to specialization and strategies and have specific training plans

13. Train to Win (T2W) • The goal at this level is to achieve a high level of performance nationally and internationally • Early Entry athletes are 23 years plus for females and 25 years plus for males • Late Entry athletes are 5 years plus • Athletes are working on refinement of skills and creativity and training plans are highly personalized

14. Active for Life • Up to L2T, the athletes have been learning skills and in a non-competitive environment • After L2T, athletes stream into two tracts, T2T or Active for Life • Active for Life is for those athletes whose goal is recreation and using the skills of physical literacy across the lifespan • Competitive Recreation allows late maturing athletes an avenue to get back into high performance sport if they desire

15. Roles, Implementation & Feedback 1)Roles-NSO, PSO, Clubs, etc. 2)Implementation 3)Feedback