Active Start (Chronological Ages Males & Females 0-6)

·            Focus on learning proper movement skills such as running, jumping, wheeling, twisting, kicking, throwing, and catching; combined with well-structured gymnastics and swimming programs

·            Fitness and movement skills development as FUN and part of daily life

·            Daily physical activity, not sedentary for more than 60 minutes except when sleeping

·            Some organized physical activity and exploration of risk and limits in safe environments

FUNdamentals Stage (Chronological Ages Males 6-9 & Females 6-8)

·            Focus on general overall development, FUN and participation of daily physical activity

·            Integrated mental, cognitive, and emotional development; Introduce simple rules of sport ethics

·            ABC’s of Athleticism: agility, balance, coordination, and speed

·            ABC’s of Athletics: running, jumping, wheeling, and throwing

·            No periodization, but well-structured programs

Learning to Train Stage (Chronological/Developmental Ages Males 9-12 & Females 8-11)

·            Major skill learning stage: all basic movement and sport skills should be learned before entering next stage

·            Overall physical, mental, cognitive, and emotional development; introduction to mental prep

·            Medicine ball, Swiss ball, own body strength exercise; introduce ancillary capacities

·            Single or double periodization

·            Sport specific training 3 times week; participation in other sports 3 times a week

Training to Train Stage (Chronological/Developmental Ages Males 12-16 & Females 11-15)

·            Major fitness development stage: aerobic and strength. The onset of Peak Height Velocity (PHV)

·            Sport specific skill development and integrated mental, cognitive, and emotional development

·            Develop mental preparation, introduce free weights, develop ancillary capacities

·            Frequent musculoskeletal evaluations during PHV, Single or double periodization

·            Sport specific training 6-9 times per week including complementary sports

Training to Compete Stage (Chronological/Developmental Ages Males 16-23 +/- & Females 15-21 +/-)

·            Sport/position-specific physical conditioning, tactical preparation, technical and playing skills under competitive conditions

·            Integrated mental, cognitive, and emotional development, and advanced mental preparation

·            Specialization with single, double, or triple periodization

·            Sport specific technical, tactical and fitness training 9-12 times per week

Training to Win Stage (Chronological/Developmental Ages Males 19 +/- & Females 18 +/-)

·            Focus on high performance, maintenance and improvement of physical capacities

·            Further development of technical, tactical, and playing skills

·            Modelling all possible aspects of training and performance

·            Frequent preventative breaks permitting recovery to avoid injuries, Maximize ancillary capacities

·            Sport specific technical, tactical, and fitness training 9-15 times per week

Active for Life (Enter at Any Age)

·            Focus on being physically active for life with a minimum of 60 minutes moderate daily activity or 30 minutes of intense activity for adults

·            Transfer from one sport to another or move from competitive sport to recreational activities

·            Move from highly competitive sport to lifelong competitive sport through age group competition

·            Move to sport careers or volunteering

·            Better opportunity to be Active for Life if physical literacy is achieved before the Training to Train stage

In Summary,  Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD)

·            is a philosophy and a vehicle for change.

·            is athlete-centred from a child’s first involvement in sport to the transition to lifelong physical activity or other sport related activities.

·            integrates the needs of athletes with a disability into the design and delivery of sport programs.

·            provides a framework for reviewing current practices, developing new initiatives, and standardizing programs.

·            establishes a clear development pathway from playground to podium and on to being active for life.

·            identifies the shortcomings in Canada’s sport system and provides guidelines for problem solving.

·            provides guidelines for planning for optimal performance for all stages of athlete development.

·            provides key partners with a coordinated structure and plan for change.

·            identifies and engages key stakeholders in delivering change.