- The Warm Up
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- The Warm Up
“The brain does not recognize individual muscles; rather it recognizes patterns of movement.”
Developing a youth athlete, or the process of Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD), is where I currently spend the majority of my time. I work directly with athletes ranging from age 12-18+ in a variety of sports and curriculum building starting at age 9. I hope to revisit this topic often but there are really three places to start.
3 Foundational Principles of LTAD
Fun Matters The Most
We all get better at what we have fun doing. Adults who love their job tend to be good at their job. Practices, workouts, and games should all be FUN! This does not mean they are not challenging and demanding but the atmosphere absolutely needs to be a positive one.
The Priority Is On Development
If you have a 6’2 twelve year old he/she can often be put into a box. They could be forced to play “big man” positions, not taught how to dribble, pass, and shoot. This might allow the team to win the 8th grade championship but limit the athletes development. No matter the pace of growth young athletes need to develop all skills. Push off being forced into a roll and become a more versatile athlete. It will pay off in the long run.
Train Movements, Not Muscles
As the body grows this becomes even more important. Young athletes can grow so quickly they lose their ability to coordinate. The brain simply can’t keep up with the body. Keep the ability to squat, lunge (in all directions), push, pull and hinge. When it comes to locomotion, practice all movements in all directions at different tempos: skip, leap, run, hop, crawl, shuffle, carioca and sprint.
