LTAD.....

Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) seems to be the rage these days. We hear about it all the time as all sports are committing thousands of dollars to implement it's key recommendations. But are they, and should they? In Timbits hockey, soccer, basketball and so forth the emphasis is on skill development, games are kept to a minimum and when games are played no one keeps score. After all the "the first goal is about having fun." But no one has ever said that practice is fun and if you were to talk to my 5 year old boy he would say that practice is boring, and all he wants to do is play games. Kids as I see them thrive in a sort of competitive environment wether it be game of chase, a race or simply a game of tag.

Interesting enough however, once youngsters leave the confines of Timbit sports it is open season. The hockey season for 7 & 8 year old kids is now a 10 month affair with many kids required to participate in both on and off ice activities. At the Blackfoot Hockey Association in Calgary, Alberta 7 year old boys who are fortunate enough to make the Novice I Team have dry land training no less than once per week. I doubt it is much different in hockey associations across the country with parents now committing upwards of $10,000 per annum to have their kids play hockey. Hockey, however does not stand alone. Things are not much different in volleyball, swimming, figure skating, soccer and many other sports with many kids devoting their full attention to a single sport 5 days a week 10-11 months a year. The result is a system that goes against the very basis of LTAD.

So back to our original question; Should sports be following the key recommendations of LTAD and if so are they . You decide. For this blogger it appears that a happy medium may be best.