athletes, so the model will be scaled back
or forward accordingly. The main thing to
remember is not to train children too hard or
too early, as this increases their likelihood of
sustaining injuries, dropping out of the sport
and being caused emotional burnout.
If you focus the training programs
you develop for children to enhance their
fundamental motor skills, make it fun, match
the difficulty of the motor skills to their
abilities and progress their activities along
the lines of the recommended long-term
athlete development model, then you will
be giving them the best chance to reach
their peak performance in the sports they
participate in.
Long Term Athlete Development phases
LTAD phase 1: the fundamental stage
Estimated age group: boys aged 6 to 9 years
and girls aged 5 to 8 years.
LTAD phase 3: training to train stage
Estimated age group: boys aged 12 to 16
years and girls aged 11 to 15 years.
The main objectives are to develop:
• fun and play-centred activities
• physical capabilities such as fitness,
strength, balance and timing
• fundamental movement skills for the sport,
such as jumping, hopping and throwing.
The main objectives are to focus on developing:
• physical capabilities to their potential,
such as aerobic conditioning
• refined fundamental motor skills of the
sport.
For references read this article at
fitnessnetwork.com.au/resource-library
LTAD phase 2: learning to train stage
Estimated age group: boys aged 9 to 12
years and girls aged 8 to 11 years.
Kelly Sumich is the author of Coaching Children:
Sports Science Essentials and Kids Exercise
Programs Done for You. She is the founder of the
Sports Science Education Institute which offers
short certification courses in training kids and
athletes. sportsscienceeducation.com.au
The main objective is to introduce children to
the fundamental skills of the sport. In Phase
1 the focus was on developing the basics of
fundamental motor skills such as jumping,
hopping and throwing. In Phase 2 these skills
are transferred into a sporting context.
LTAD phase 4: training to compete stage
Estimated age group: boys aged 16 to 18
years and girls aged 15 to 17 years.
The main objectives are to:
• prepare children for competition by
designing training programs which help
them gain optimal fitness levels
• establish a high standard of sportspecific skills.
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