Introduction
It is essential for sports facilitation among young children, and implementing a long-term athlete development strategy helps achieve the target objectives for the athletes. Different stages are crucial in facilitating LTAD within the city. Understanding these phases helps create new young athletes and ensures they progress through different life stages. However, it is essential to utilize chronological age through the developmental program. Additionally, different stages identify the developmental age.
In LTAD, phases can identify a developmental stage; for example, at the start of the growth spurt, which corresponds to a particular developmental age, primarily experienced in conjunction with chronological age (Jurbala & Stevens, 2022). Based on these facts, LTAD must be identified at a tender age, with an average and late maturity, to create training and competition schemes that are compatible with the athlete’s trainability and readiness.
LTAD Training Phases
While implementing these stages, it is crucial to understand that the number of phases changes between early and late specialization athletes. Additionally, early specialization is comprised of the athletes’ unique needs.
1. Active Start Phase
This stage involves children aged six, as it focuses on mastering the most common and essential movement skills. Children must have fun with physical activities, primarily through structured and unstructured, enjoyable play that involves various body movements (Jurbala & Stevens, 2022). Through this stage, brain functions, social skills, emotions, coordination, and imagination are developed among children involved in the athlete stage.
2. Fundamentals Stage
The second stage involves both first-stage activities and extends from ages 6 to 9 for boys and 6 to 8 for girls (Jurbala & Stevens, 2022). The steps aim to include children in numerous well-structured activities that develop their fundamental movements, primarily skills such as coordination, balance, and agility. The primary goal of this stage is to maintain a focus on fun.
3. Learn to Train
Children should start training between the ages of 9 and 12 for boys and 8 and 11 for girls, as they are mentally and emotionally ready. This stage’s primary target for talent discovery and children’s desires in sports is acquiring diverse sports skills. Various activities are recommended to minimize any adverse effects on talent search among children.
4. Train to Train
This stage of training plays a massive role among children. The ages are based on this stage and are grounded on the growth spur and onset period, mainly 11 to 16 for boys and 15 for girls. At this stage, individuals are responsive to training when they are psychologically ready. Trainees begin to focus on developing their talents for future growth and exploitation.
5. Train to Compete
Competition is the most crucial aspect of every sport. Under this stage, trainees are trained to compete with others through the spiritual preparation of their engines. Specialization is a significant aspect that should be facilitated under this stage to ensure complete devotion to talent in the future.
6. Train to Win
This stage is for elite athletes who train for international competitions with the goal of winning. All equipment required for training must be offered under this stage for both able and disabled athletes.
7. Active for Life
Athletes can enter this stage at any age since it targets keeping an individual active, whether retired or a young athlete. It is crucial to be facilitated since it eliminates numerous health challenges amongst individuals in life. At this stage, any sporting activity can be practiced without specialization.
Conclusion
Long-term athlete development is a program of great importance in a community or city-based athlete’s development. The above-designed program must be facilitated since it helps create and improve young talents in the city toward international performance in the future.
Reference
Jurbala, P., & Stevens, J. (2022). A whole new ballgame: an analysis of the context and adoption of long-term athlete development in community sport. Managing Sport and Leisure, 27(4), 305-321.