Not everybody has the abilities to become a professional athlete.
Not everyone like sports but everyone understands its importance and influence in life. If sports is not for you, please consider sending this post to your friends that are coaches or sport enthusiasts.
There is a common path for physical activity and sports regarding the global development of the individual:
- health
- wellness
- self-confidence
- group belonging
- social interaction, etc.
At some point they take two different paths because sports start being more competitive, demanding results and leading to specialization, focus, commitment and hard training.
Not everybody has the abilities to become a professional athlete. Those who do have them may try doing it for a living. This is not a predictable future. Many parents enroll their children in some sports just because it's good for them. Other pick that exact sports and that exact club because they expect their children to become a professional (and rich) athlete.
How does all this work? Should children try many sports to choose their favorite? At what age? What if he/her started too late?
Every country has some kind of regulator entity for sports and a national sports program for guidance. Some are good. Some are bad. Probably most are OK. Those really into sports and results are noticed in every major event. Those more focused on physical activity for quality of life and good health are only praised by the country Health Ministry.
Long-Term Athlete Development
A good plan must consider and be able to integrate every people of any age with any goals.
This is exactly what can be found in the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) program by the Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) organization.
This is a multistage training program, designed for guiding an individual’s pathway through sport and/or physical activity from infancy through all phases of adulthood. Children, youth and adults have different needs regarding their development in sports. LTAD is divided in seven stages, according to the things athletes should do at specific ages:
Stage 1: Active Start (0-6 years)
Stage 2: FUNdamentals (girls 6-8, boys 6-9)
Stage 3: Learn to Train (girls 8-11, boys 9-12)
These first stages develop physical literacy. Without these skills, the probability of becoming an elite athlete decreases significantly.
Stage 4: Train to Train (girls 11-15, boys 12-16)
Stage 5: Train to Compete (girls 15-21, boys 16-23)
Stage 6: Train to Win (girls 18+, boys 19+)
These stages represent the competitive path for those who want to specialize in one sport and compete at the highest level.
Stage 7: Active for Life (any age participant)
This stage is characterized by less competitive and more recreational activity for quality of life.
Each stage includes the right types of exercises to stimulate the right abilities for that age.
LTAD is designed to accommodate a high number of children knowing that the majority will give up or continue to practice as a hobby (jump from stage 3 to stage 7) and the smallest part will follow the pathway of sports excellence (pass from stage 3 to stage 4 and continue sequentially) .
For coaches this is a precious resource. But it gets better. This is an abstract version that needs to be adapted to each sport.
The thing is... there are several LTAD sports models available! Alpine skiing, badminton, bowling, swimming, hockey, karate, soccer, tennis, the list goes on... Every one contains a scientifically-based comprehensive guide to develop that particular sport making it accessible for everyone.
Just pick your sport here and enter the world of LTAD.
RMach