Long-Term Development

Long-Term Development Stages

A clear path to better sport, greater health, and higher achievement

Children, youth, and adults need to do the right things at the right time to develop in their sport or activity – whether they want to be hockey players, dancers, figure skaters, or gymnasts. Long-Term Development (LTD) describes what athletes need to be doing at specific ages and stages.

Science, research, and decades of experience all point to the same thing: kids and adults will get active, stay active, and even reach the greatest heights of sport achievement if they do the right things at the right times. This is the logic behind the Long-Term Development Framework (LTD).

The Awareness and First Involvement pre-stages engage individuals in sport and physical activity, they must be aware of what opportunities exist and when they try an activity for the first time it is critical that the experience is positive.

The Active Start, FUNdamentals, and Learn to Train stages develop physical literacy before puberty so children have the basic skills to be active for life. Physical literacy provides the foundation for those who choose to pursue elite training in one sport or activity after age 12.

The Train to Train, Train to Compete, and Train to Win stages provide elite training for those who want to specialize in one sport and compete at the highest level, maximizing the physical, mental, and emotional development of each athlete.

Active for Life stage is about staying physically active through lifelong participation in competitive or recreational sport or physical activity.

Active for Life

Individuals who have a desire to be physically active are in the Active for Life stage. A participant may choose to be Competitive for Life or Fit for Life and, if inclined, give back as a sport or physical activity leader. Competitive for Life includes those who compete in any organized sport recreation…

Learn to Train

Once a wide range of fundamental movement skills have been acquired, participants progress into the Learn to Train stage leading to understanding basic rules, tactics, and strategy in games and refinement of sport specific skills. There are opportunities to participate in multiple sports with competitions…

Train to Win

Athletes in the Train to Win stage are world class competitors who are competing at the highest level of competition in the world (e.g. Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships, World Cups or top professional leagues). These athletes have highly personalized training and competition plans and have…

FUNdamentals

In the FUNdamentals stage, participants develop fundamental movement skills in structured and unstructured environments for play.  The focus is on providing fun, inclusive, multisport, and developmentally appropriate sport and physical activity. These experiences will result in the participant developing…

Train to Compete

Athletes enter the Train to Compete stage when they are proficient in sport-specific Train to Train athlete development components (physical, technical-tactical, mental, and emotional). Athletes are training nearly full-time and competing at the national level while being introduced to international…

Active Start

From 0-6 years, boys and girls need to be engaged in daily active play. Through play and movement, they develop the fundamental movement skills and learn how to link them together. At this stage developmentally appropriate activities will help participants feel competent and comfortable participating…

Train to Train

Athletes enter the Train to Train stage when they have developed proficiency in the athlete development performance components (physical, technical-tactical, mental, and emotional). Rapid physical growth, the development of sporting capability, and commitment occurs in this stage. Athletes will generally…
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