Early specialization and year-round participation in a single sport are both strategies implemented to help speed up an athlete’s development. The reality is this “short-term” athletic development comes at a cost – significantly increased risk of injury, burnout, and quitting. The first step in finding a solution is agreeing we have a problem. Feel free […]
The youth training process should serve two primary purposes: 1) Facilitate long-term development – Start with basic training strategies that lead to consistent, incremental progress. Save advanced training methods for when the athlete has several years of training experience AND the basics stop working. 2) Maximize durability – Break the cycle of constant sport participation, […]
Long-term athletic development models describe themes of training (i.e.,emphasis on fun vs. winning), and phases of accelerated development of specific physical qualities based on stages of development. This model by Ford et al. (2011), is the most comprehensive I’ve come across, and is particularly valuable because it shows that the stages will be variable dependent […]
A lot of attention has been paid to long-term athletic development and strategies to develop elite performers. The inarguable truth is… it takes time, and a lot of work. Unfortunately, this fact has led to aggressive training and athlete development strategies being pushed on athletes at younger and younger ages, which is counter-productive. A 2013 […]
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