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LTAD Framework
In order for cheerleaders to develop and reach the highest level of their sport, they need to do the right things at the right time. This means training in specific ways at specific ages to maximize athletic capability and take advantage of windows of opportunity.
Luckily, there is a Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) framework that outlines what you should be focusing on at each stage of life. This framework was influenced by athlete development models from the former East Bloc countries (i.e. USSR and other eastern European countries) and has proven to be successful. It builds athleticism by first learning fundamental movement skills, then progresses to improving fitness and sport-specific skills at appropriate developmental ages.
Stages of LTAD
The LTAD framework consists of 6 stages:
- Active Start
- FUNdamentals
- Learn to Train
- Train to Train
- Train to Compete
- Train to Win
Active for Life(excluding this stage since this article focuses only on the years spent in cheerleading)
*The Learn to Train and Train to Train stages (ages 8-15 for girls and 9-16 for boys) are the most important stages of athletic preparation. During these stages, you make or break an athlete.
The first 3 stages are geared towards developing physical literacy so children gain basic movement skills that apply to any sport/activity. This provides a solid foundation for any athlete who goes on to pursue elite sports training after age 12.
On the other hand, the last 3 stages focus on providing high-level training for athletes who have specialized in a single sport and wish to compete at an elite level. Not only do these stages maximize physical development, but they also ensure the athlete becomes mentally and emotionally strong.
Stage 1 – Active Start (0-6 years old)
Objective: Learn fundamental movements and link them together in play.
Key Concepts:
- Development of general movement skills and learning how to link them together
- Exploration of risk and limits in safe environments
- Active movement environment including well-structured gymnastics and swimming programs
- Daily physical activity that is focused on having fun
- Not sedentary for more than 60 mins unless sleeping
Physical activity during this stage of life enhances development of brain function, coordination, gross motor skills, social skills, emotional development, leadership, imagination, confidence and positive self-esteem. It also builds stronger bones and muscles, increases flexibility, improves balance, develops good posture, reduces stress and improves sleep. Since age 0-6 is a critical stage of brain development, active play is even more important. It helps build important connections between the child’s brain and muscles.
Stage 2 – FUNdamentals (Girls 6-8, Boys 6-9)
Objective: Learn all fundamental movement skills and build overall movement skills.
Key Concepts:
- Development of fundamental movement skills in structured and unstructured environments for play
- Learn the ABCs of athleticism: agility, balance, coordination and speed
- Learn the ABCs of athletics: running, jumping and throwing
- Development of strength by doing bodyweight exercises
- Should provide fun, inclusive and multisport physical activity so the athlete can develop a wide range of skills, self-confidence and the desire the participate in sports
- Should follow well-structured training programs without periodization (i.e. no need to alter training for good performance at competitions since there should be no competing at this stage)
This stage of training should include repetition activities since children are action-oriented, have a short attention span, a memory that isn’t fully developed yet and have limited ability to reason. Kids enjoy being the centre of attention at this stage and their self-concept is developing through experiences with others. During this time, children start to understand the need for rules and structure, which is why it’s great to introduce these concepts through sport.
Stage 3 – Learn to Train (Girls 8-11, Boys 9-12)
Objective: Learn overall sports skills.
Key Concepts:
- Refinement of sport-specific skills now that all fundamental movement skills have been acquired
- Opportunities to attend competitions focused on skill development and retention (not winning-focused competitions)
- Athletes are introduced to mental preparation, recovery and regeneration techniques, as well as knowledge regarding warm-up, cool-down, stretching, nutrition and hydration
- Strength may be developed by using bodyweight, a medicine ball or yoga ball
- Training periodization is introduced
- Identification and development of talents takes place
- Athletes should be doing sport-specific training 3x/week, and general participation in other sports 3x/week
- By the end of this stage, athletes will either move into the “active for life” stage where they don’t train at a high level in any sport, or they move into the “Train to Train” stage where the goal is to focus on one sport and compete at an elite level later on
One of the most crucial periods for sport-specific skill development is during ages 9-12, before puberty hits and growth spurts happen. During this stage, there is a “sensitive period” where children can adapt exceptionally quick to learning new skills. It’s important to take advantage of this stage and provide good training so the skills can be carried out through adolescence and adulthood. The longer you wait, the harder it is to learn!
Stage 4 – Train to Train (Females 11-15, Males 12-16)
Objective: Build an aerobic base, develop speed and strength towards the end of the stage, and further develop and consolidate sport-specific skills.
Key Concepts:
- Athletes enter this stage once they’ve become proficient in the 4 components of athlete development: physical, technical-tactical, mental and emotional
- Athletes usually specialize in 1 sport near the end of this stage
- Progression from local competitions to provincial competitions
- Continuing to develop sport-specific skills and train using periodization techniques
- This is a major fitness development stage for aerobic, speed and strength
- Introduction to free weights, instead of only doing bodyweight training
- Fully develop recovery and regeneration habits/techniques
- Frequent musculoskeletal evaluations required due to growth spurts
- Identification and selection of an athlete’s talents
- Athlete’s should be doing sport-specific training 6-9x/week, including complementary sports (for cheerleaders, this would include ballet, hip-hop, gymnastics, running, etc.)
During the Train to Train stage, athletes strengthen their basic sport-specific skills and choose 1-2 sports to focus more heavily on. This is a sensitive period where athletes can improve their aerobic fitness, speed and strength extremely fast, so it needs to be taken advantage of by following well-structured training programs. Although competitions are now at a provincial level, the focus is not on winning, it’s on applying the skills learned during training in a competitive environment.
Stage 5 – Train to Compete (Females 15-21+/-, Males 16-23+/-)
Objective: Optimize the engine and learn to compete.
Key Concepts:
- Athletes enter this stage once they’re proficient in sport-specific Train to Train athlete development components (i.e. physical, technical-tactical, mental and emotional). All objectives of the Train to Train stage must be achieved before this stage can begin.
- Athletes are training almost full-time (year round at high intensity in a high-quality training environment), competing at a national level and being introduced to international competition
- Increased focus on sport-specific, event-specific and position-specific conditioning and technical preparation
- Specialize in 1 sport, or 2 if they are complementary sports
- Integrated mental, cognitive and emotional development
- Advanced mental preparation techniques are learned
- Single, double or triple periodization may be used for training
- Optimize recovery and regeneration programs by periodizing
- Optimize mental fitness development
- Athletes should be doing sport-specific technical, tactical and fitness training 9-12x per week
The Train to Compete stage is based on an athlete’s individual commitment, volume and intensity of training, as well as performance results. This stage cannot be entered unless all objectives have been completed from the Train to Train stage. If cheerleading followed this framework, athletes would only start competing at nationals during this stage.
Stage 6 – Train to Win (Females 18+, Males 19+)
Objective: Performance on demand.
Key Concepts:
- Athletes at this stage are world class competitors who compete at the most elite level of competition in the world (i.e. World Championships, World Cups, Olympics or top professional leagues). In cheerleading, athletes should only compete at Worlds if they are in this Train to Win phase (but we know that’s not the case).
- Highly personalized, year-round training and competition plans that are schedules to peak for major competitions using multiple periodization
- Athletes have Integrated Support Teams (ISTs) made up of physiotherapists, athletic therapists, sport psychologists, sports nutritionists, etc.
- Frequent preventative breaks to avoid injury and burnout
- Maximization of mental fitness
- Performance on demand
- Athletes should be training daily and doing sport-specific technical, tactical and fitness training 9-15x/week
- All of the athlete’s physical, technical, tactical (decision-making skills), mental, personal and lifestyle capacities are fully established and the focus of training is now on maximizing performance
During the Train to Win stage, the focus of training is solely on maximization of performance, since all other skills and aspects of athleticism have been accomplished. During this time, athletes are considered some of the best in the world at their sport and compete at elite competitions. They are able to perform sport skills anywhere at any time with perfect technique, as they have exceptional body awareness and complete control over their movement. Additionally, their mental fitness is at its best and they are following highly personalized training/competition, nutrition and recovery plans to set them up for peak performance at major competitions.
Use of LTAD in Cheerleading
By reading through each stage of the LTAD framework, it’s clear that cheerleading has a long way to go before it produces true top-notch athletes, as described in the Train to Win stage. If cheerleading ever wants to make it to the Olympics and become internationally recognized as an organized sport, it will need to change its approach to athlete development. This starts with eliminating the excessive focus on competition performance for young athletes. Instead, the concentration must be on implementing a well-structured, well-designed training program (created by athletic performance specialists or highly educated coaches) that will correctly develop an athlete’s physical, mental and emotional fitness.
Reference: Sport for Life Society (2016). Canadian Sport for Life: Long-Term Athlete Development. Sport for Life. http://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/LTAD-2.1-EN_web.pdf?x96000
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