At Team Quest, all our youth training programs are centered around Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) to maximize benefits for our students.
Long-term athletic development (LTAD) practices have been recommended for the past two decades. However, limited research and studies exist exploring the knowledge and skills required by practitioners to optimize LTAD.
Youth athletic development should occur in a fun, engaging, and progressively challenging environment.
I have been at the forefront of LTAD since I began my coaching career at West Linn High School in 1993, and later at the University of Nebraska in 1996. At Nebraska, I served as an assistant wrestling coach for four years while also competing as an elite athlete.
During my time at the University of Nebraska, I had the opportunity to lead both the youth development wrestling program and the Nebraska Elite Wrestling Club. My coaching tenure there was marked by significant achievements, including coaching multiple NCAA Division I All-Americans. Notably, I also coached Nebraska wrestling’s first-ever four-time NCAA All-American and a Division I National Champion in 2000—the same year I won an Olympic silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in the 76kg weight class
Long-term athletic development (LTAD) aims to be a lifelong journey, emphasizing the importance of an individual-centered approach. Youth sport pathways often have diverse goals, from maximizing health, fitness, and physical activity to creating developmental opportunities for future sporting stars. At Team Quest, we tailor our programming to align with your specific goals.
The concept of long-term athletic development (LTAD) is defined as the “habitual development of athleticism over time to improve health and fitness, enhance physical performance, reduce the relative risk of injury, and build confidence and competence in all youth.”
A key component of LTAD is enhancing athleticism, which is defined as the “ability to repeatedly perform a range of movements with precision and confidence across various environments. This requires competent levels of motor skills, strength, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and endurance.”
The ten pillars of successful long-term athletic development, based on previous models and up-to-date research evidence, are crucial for fostering athletic growth and performance. These pillars address various aspects of development, ensuring a comprehensive approach to training and personal growth.
This importance is underscored by current trends showing declines in physical fitness, physical activity, and motor skill development among youth, alongside rising rates of overweight and obesity. By emphasizing these ten pillars, we aim to counteract these negative trends and support healthier, more active futures for young athletes.
Long Term Athlete Development 10 ways to develop youth.
1. Jumping: Explosiveness, for height, distance, lateral, single leg add variety.
2. Sprinting: tag, relay, effort is key and making it a game and have fun.
3. Calisthenics: Jump rope, body weight and movement develop athleticism.
4. Gymnastics: Landing, falling, balance, static holds movement is key to LTAD.
5. Strength: tug-o-war, push/pull, climbing, hanging, carrying (NOT weight training)
6. Tag: start/stop, forward/backward, lateral movements, decision making, fun.
7. Multi-sport: specialize later, early on use variety.
8. Limit Screen Time: Creates stress and sensory overload, GET OUTSIDE enjoy nature.
9. Fun: Keep it fun make it a game kids develop over time.
Things parents can do to help.
Get your child involved in a program that focuses on long-term athlete development.
Help your child get to training consistently, kids need your support and encouragement.
Digital Sunset – turn off all screens and devices when sun goes down, always limit screen time.
Get you kids to sleep they need 10 Hours of sleep a night.
Get our youth off medication, exercise heals the brain.
Limit process foods eat healthy even if it’s less convenient.
Eat Protein rich diet, that includes Iron, Omega 3, Zinc, Vit C, B16, B12, L Theanine
Get your child involved in a program that focuses on long-term athlete development.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES: Long-Term Athlete Development Model
1 EXCELLENCE TAKES TIME
The Long-Term Athlete Development Model (LTADM) is grounded in guiding principles derived from research and best practices in youth sports, human development, coaching, and sports sciences. These principles are designed to promote developmentally appropriate athlete growth, ensure health and safety, and encourage sustained physical activity throughout the lifespan.
The Long-Term Athlete Development Model (LTADM) is designed to help individuals realize their athletic potential and use sport as a pathway to an active and healthy lifestyle. To achieve this, it is essential to apply the guiding principles and best practices appropriate to each age group and stage of development. This approach ensures the development of all facets of athletic performance—technical, tactical, physical, and mental—while recognizing their deep interdependence. Additionally, fostering a love for the sport and providing opportunities for lifelong participation in martial arts are key goals of the LTADM.
2 PHYSICAL LITERACY & FUNDAMENTALS
All youth should be encouraged to build confidence and competence in fundamental movement skills, basic sport skills, and general athleticism from childhood through to adulthood. This development should occur in a fun, engaging, and progressively challenging environment. The primary reasons children first engage in sports and physical activities are for enjoyment, fun, and the opportunity to experience a variety of activities.
3 BUILDING ATHLETICISM
Long-term athlete development programs should offer all youth a variety of training modes to enhance health and various components of fitness, thereby reducing the risk of injury. Most, if not all, components of fitness are trainable throughout childhood and adolescence.
4 SPECIALIZATION & EARLY SAMPLING
An early sampling approach is encouraged for youth, promoting a broad range of experiences in sports and physical activities. Well-rounded, multisport athletes often have the highest potential for long-term success. Early sampling does not impede sports performance in martial arts or other sports that require later specialization, and it has positive implications for sustained sport involvement.
Eventually, athletes should have the opportunity to either specialize in their favorite sport or continue participating at an appropriate level. Highly specialized training in martial arts or any other sport can begin around ages 14 to 16, provided the athletes have the desire, motivation, and abilities. Early specialization, on the other hand, is linked to negative long-term outcomes such as increased risk of injury and burnout.
5 GROWTH AND INDIVIDUALIZATION
Understanding normal growth, maturation, and development is crucial for delivering a quality sport program. Long-term athlete development pathways must recognize, appreciate, and accommodate the highly individualized and non-linear nature of youth growth and development.6 PERIODIZATION
Athlete development should follow general training principles that facilitate effective and efficient planning for individual practice sessions, as well as weekly, seasonal, and yearly programs. This approach includes dividing the calendar year into time intervals for preparation (pre-season), competition, and off-season activities, while incorporating appropriate rest and recovery periods to optimize health and performance..
7 MENTAL, COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Health, well-being, and positive youth development should always be the central focus of athlete development. Youth of all ages, abilities, and aspirations should participate in programs that promote both physical fitness and psychosocial well-being. While physical development can be visibly assessed, changes in cognitive, emotional, and moral development are more challenging to identify. Psychological development is also a long-term process that programs must consider, integrating it into both training and competition.
8 QUALITY COACHING
Quality coaches, employing sound pedagogical approaches, are essential for the success of long-term athlete development programs. Quality coaching is defined as the consistent application of integrated interpersonal and intrapersonal knowledge to enhance athletes' competence, confidence, connection, and character within specific coaching contexts.
9 SYSTEM ALIGNMENT AND INTEGRATION
We need a structure that operates not only within and across sport organizations but also across all sporting bodies and physical education programs. This structure should be athlete-centered, coach-driven, and administrator-supported. The framework for long-term athlete development is influenced by many factors, including the varying interests of clubs, schools, and training facilities. To maximize a player’s development, it’s crucial that these entities work together and support each other, as each has a role in advancing the game. Collaboration, alignment, and integration are essential to delivering the best possible athlete development programs.
10 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS
Coaches, administrators, and everyone involved in our sport should pursue continuous improvement by incorporating new findings, innovations, and best practices from sports science, education, and coaching. We are committed to this ongoing enhancement to ensure that our long-term athlete development programs reflect the evolving aspects of physical activity, sport, and the overall welfare, well-being, and performance of athletes at all ages.
Health, well-being, and positive youth development should always be the central focus of athlete development.
Key References:
I Balyi, R Way, C Higgs. Long-Term Athlete Development. Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL, 2013Canada Sport for Life https://sportforlife.caUSOPC American Development Model https://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Programs/Coaching-Education/American-Development-ModelUSOPC Quality Coaching Framework https://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Programs/Coaching-Education/Quality-Coaching-FrameworkRS Lloyd, JB Cronin, AD Faigenbaum, G Haff, R Howard, WJ Kraemer, LJ. Micheli, GD Myer, and JL Oliver. NSCA Position Statement on Long-Term Athletic Development Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Volume 30, 2016MF Bergeron, M Mountjoy, N Armstrong et al International Olympic Committee consensus statement on youth athletic development British Journal of Sports Medicine 49:843-851, 2015.J Cote, R Lidor, D Hackfort. ISSP position stand: To sample or to specialize? Seven postulates about youth sport activities that lead to continued participation and elite performance. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Pyschology. 7:7-17, 2009R Lloyd, J Oliver The Youth Physical Development Model: A New Approach to Long-Term Athletic Development Strength and Conditioning Journal: June 2012 - Volume 34 - Issue 3 - p 61–72RS Lloyd, JL Oliver, AD Faigenbaum, R Howard, MB De Ste Croix, CA Williams, TM Best, BA Alvar, LJ Micheli, DP Thomas, DL Hatfield, JB Cronin, GD Myer. Long-term athletic development- part 1: a pathway for all youth. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 May;29(5):1439-50RS Lloyd, JL Oliver, AD Faigenbaum, R Howard, MB De Ste Croix, CA Williams, TM Best, BA Alvar, LJ Micheli, DP Thomas, DL Hatfield, JB Cronin, GD Myer. Long-term athletic development, part 2: barriers to success and potential solutions. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 May;29(5):1451-64The BASES Expert Statement on Trainability during Childhood and Adolescence. The Sport and Exercise Scientist 41:22-23, 2014.LaPrade et al. AOSSM Early Sport Specialization Consensus Statement Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine 4: 2016R Hulteen et al. Development of Foundational Movement Skills: A Conceptual Model for Physical Activity Across the Lifespan Sports Med. 2018 Jul;48(7):1533-1540, 2018.RM Malina. Movement proficiency and talent development in sport. Journal of Kinesiology and Exercise Sciences. 69: 15-24, 2015.J Trevor, B Varcoe. How Aligned Is Your Organization? Harvard Business Review Feb 7, 2017