*If you have not read the first article of our two-part series on LTAD I strongly recommend that you read it first Strategies for Developing Olympians – “The Early Years”
In the first article of our two-part series on Long Term Athlete Development we addressed how young children should be exposed to sport. During the stages of physical literacy it is important that the child develops fundamental movement skills, fundamental sport skills, and the “ABCs of sport”. In the final stage of learning physical literacy, the child can begin “Learning to Train”. Although some sports require early specialization in this stage it is not advisable as it leads to a very one-sided development. It is important to note that for Olympic programs, the goal for the athletes is not longevity. The goal for national Olympic programs is to win medals, thus the process of specialization often begins as early as the “FUNdamentals” stage of the LTAD model. During the “Active for Life” stages of the Long Term Athlete Development model, the process of specialization begins.
Specialization occurs when an athlete chooses to compete in a singular sport. It is a delicate, inevitable and highly necessary process that every serious athlete must undergo. The key to specialization is choosing the correct age to start the process, starting too early can result in one-sided development and starting too late can result in missing important phases of the athlete development process.
“Training to Train”
Early in phase 4 of LTAD the objective of training should be centered around building an aerobic base and developing sport-specific skills in the chosen sport of the athlete. Athletes must be constantly monitored during this phase as physical changes begin to occur faster than at any of the previous stages of LTAD. Further on in the “Training to Train” phase, the athlete should begin focusing on strength training and development of the anaerobic system. To determine when to implement certain training methodologies in phase 4 the coach must take track of the athlete’s Peak Height Velocity (PHV). Peak Height Velocity is obtained by measuring the growth of the young athlete over time, and plotting it to determine time periods where the athlete is growing most. PHV is an important marker in LTAD as it dictates which physical capacities can be trained at which certain time periods.
Specialization Recommendations for “Learning to Train”
- Utilize a 60:40 ratio of training time to competition time. This will help develop decision making skills in the environment of their chosen sport.
- Utilize extensive aerobic training at Peak Height Velocity, since growth hormone levels are high at PHV, this is a good time to hypertrophy the cardiac muscle.
- Emphasize flexibility to accommodate for the rapid growth of bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles
- A plateau in the development of the athlete could be due to too much competition and not enough training.
“Training to Compete”
During phase 5 of LTAD the athlete’s aim should be to compete on the national or international level. Training is focused on specificity of the sport and specificity of the position the athlete plays in his/her respective sport. The “Training to Compete” phase of LTAD is a very time intensive period; the athlete must have recognized talent and be willing to make sacrifices to continue his/her development. Training should be focused on maximizing all physical, mental, cognitive and emotional capacities of the athlete.
Specialization Recommendations for “Training to Compete”
- Model high-level competition in training. Create a team environment during training to mimic competition.
- Coaches must use an optimal periodization plan that includes volume-intensity tapers for competition, as well as peaking phases to ensure the athlete competes at supercompensation.
- Training is year-round and must be high intensity with a focus on sport specificity.
“Train to Win”
Phase 6 of LTAD is the absolute upper echelon of competition. During phase 6 the goal of training should be national championships, world championships and Olympic medals. All of the previous stages of LTAD have worked to maximize the physical literacy of the athlete, and all sport and position specific skills. Training is now a full-time occupation and nutrition, recovery and training programs must all be optimal.
Specialization Considerations for “Training to Win”
- Extremely high volume and high intensity, periodization plans need to have built in “deload” periods to avoid overtraining syndrome.
- If overtraining were to occur it would be in the “Training to Win” phase of LTAD.
- Training is focused on maximizing and maintaining all athletic capacities.
- Training to competition ratio should now be around 25:70.
Demands of High Level Training
- US Olympians began participating at an average of 12 years of age for males and 11.5 years of age for females.
- Most Olympians received a 12-13 year training period before reaching the US National Team.
- There is a trend that suggests US Olympians who won medals in the Olympics were introduced to their sport 1.6-3.6 years earlier than their teammates. These results suggest that Olympic medalists benefited from receiving more complete motor skill development at a younger age.
LTAD is a highly individual process; however there is a general format that must be followed to maximize performance in sports. Developing Olympians requires over a decade of meticulous planning and hard work. The best coaches in the world are the ones who have mastered the process of long term athlete development. Once the competitive phases of LTAD are completed the goal of the model is to steer athletes towards recreational sport, regular society and even coaching.
References:
Canadian Sport for Life. (2012). Improving Quality of Sport in Canada. Retrieved July 31st, 2012 from http://www.canadiansportforlife.ca/