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 competition.
Key Concepts
- Participants enter this stage based on individual commitment, volume and intensity of training, and performance results as well as having achieved all the objectives of the Train to Train stage.
- Participate in year-round, high-intensity, individual- event- and position-specific training within a high quality training environment.
- Specialize in one sport or at most two complementary sports (e.g. cycling and speed skating), though discipline/event specialization may not occur until late in the stage.
- Learn to perform skills under a variety of competitive conditions.
- Compete at a national level and develop international competition skills and abilities.
- Optimize recovery and regeneration with scheduled (periodized) time for regular recovery and developing mental fitness.
- Athletes may transfer from one sport to another sport during this stage. Transferring athletes may require remedial technical/tactical development to compete, while being capable of meeting the training demands of the stage, physical, and mental.
Resources
- Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0
- LTAD: Information for Parents
- Developing Physical Literacy – Building a New Normal for all Canadians
- A Sport Parent’s Guide to Long Term Athlete Development
- Actively Engaging Women and Girls
- Indigenous Long-Term Participant Development Pathway 1.1
