Physical Literacy and Long Term Athlete Development

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

 

(This is the second article of a 4-part blog series about developing physical literacy in young athletes. The first article discussed the general concept of physical literacy. This article discusses the Long Term Athlete Development model.) 

 

What is the Long Term Athlete Development model? 

When it comes to how physical literacy relates to athletics and the training of high-performing athletes, the Long Term Athlete Development model (“LTAD”) is the gold standard.

Pioneered in Canada in the mid-90’s in order to help develop athletes for national and international competitions, LTAD was the first “athlete development” model to truly apply science to human athletic development.

With chronological age as a guide, LTAD breaks the athlete development process down into a sequence of age-appropriate stages, each stage representing a "window of opportunity" for certain aspects of the process. Physical literacy is developed in the first three stages.

Laying the groundwork for athleticism

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

 

(Part 1 of a 4-part blog series about developing physical literacy in young athletes. Links to parts 2 through 4 appear below.)

 

So what's with the late bloomer?

We’ve all seen it: 

The athlete who appeared to be merely “okay” at his sport as a child … but then blossoms into a dominant (maybe even world-class) athlete as a young adult.

Most observers would be amazed only at how this athlete had “developed” so much after puberty.

But if that's all they saw, they are missing the most important thing.

Because when it comes to developing world-class athletes, what happens before puberty is almost always more important. 

It has to do with what sports science refers to as an athlete's “physical literacy.”

Spring Tryouts and Beyond: Getting to the Next Level

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

 

How can a player get to the next level?

Every year thousands of youth hockey players try out for their next season’s teams. Virtually all are trying to “get to the next level.” In Illinois the next level might be AAA, or it might be their club’s Central States or Gold level teams. In some cases it might simply be making that first travel team.

Developing the Entire Student-Athlete

By Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

 

A school for athletes that will enhance your son's athletic performance and that also excels academically

How about a sports academy for youth athletes that offers a classical education? How about a school for athletic boys that understands and deals straight up with the fact that boys need physical activity, on a daily basis, and that getting that physical activity improves academics?

How about a school for athletic boys that understands that encouraging the development of boys in a competitive environment yields benefits that go beyond sports and academics?

Boys learn better, boys excel, in such an environment. And the benefits can last a lifetime.

So let’s get right to it. Here are my 7 top reasons to attend a sports academy like Bridgedale Academy:

The Summer Scramble to Attend Hockey Camps

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

 

Isn't there a better way?

Every summer, hundreds of hockey camps are operating all over North America. And no matter what skills your hockey-playing child needs to work on, there are camps out there for you.

There are camps for speed, camps for stick handling, camps for shooting, camps for checking, camps for “power” skating, camps for defensemen, etc. 

Many of these camps are week-long camps, and all promise positive results.

So my question is: If positive results can come from attending a 1-week hockey camp, what kind of results could you expect from 36 weeks of hockey camp?