LTAD (Long Term Athlete Development)

The Canadian Sport for Life Program is a training pathway based on developmental age rather than chronological age.  As athletes progress through the 7 stages of LTAD (below), they will be given a solid foundation of physical, tactical and mental skills, upon which they will build their athletic abilities, establish an active lifestyle, and develop a love for the sport of artistic swimming.

The Sport for Life Society is recognized as the global experts on the Sport for Life movement, Long-Term Athlete Development, and physical literacy development. The purpose of the Sport for Life movement is to improve the quality of sport and physical activity in Canada. Sport for Life links sport, education, recreation and health, and aligns community, provincial, and national programming. Long-Term Athlete Development is a seven-stage training, competition and recovery pathway guiding an individual’s experience in sport and physical activity from infancy through all phases of adulthood. Physical literacy is the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life. Sport for Life, with Long-Term Athlete Development and physical literacy, represents a paradigm shift in the way Canadians lead and deliver sport and physical activity.

LTAD 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 Athlete Development (LTAD) describes the things 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 Athlete Development model (LTAD).

There are seven stages within the basic LTAD model:
http://canadiansportforlife.ca/learn-about-canadian-sport-life/ltad-stages

Stage 1: Active Start (0-6 years)
Stage 2: FUNdamentals (girls 6-8, boys 6-9)
Stage 3: Learn to Train (girls 8-11, boys 9-12)
Stage 4: Train to Train (girls 11-15, boys 12-16)
Stage 5: Train to Compete (girls 15-21, boys 16-23)
Stage 6: Train to Win (girls 18+, boys 19+)
Stage 7: Active for Life (any age participant)

The vision behind Sport for Life is to reshape how we support sport and train athletes at all levels in Canada – from children to adults, from towns to cities, from provinces and regions through to the National level. In realizing this vision, we aim to keep more Canadians active for life with recreational sport and physical activity, and at the same time help Canadians in all sports win more medals internationally.