What Exactly is LTAD? How Do Parents and Athletes Make the Correct Choices?

Reading “The Race to Nowhere in Youth Sports” (click on the top article in the Specific Topics Column to the right) brings up many issues that confront parents of young athletes.  I would suggest reading it first and then reading my thoughts here.

When I was young (many decades ago) there were only two Youth Sports for boys that existed where I lived; Little League Baseball (ages 9-12) and AAU Swimming (ages 8 > 18). Girls had the Swim Club and Baton Club (yes, Baton Twirling!!) and that was IT.

But, in those days, schools taught the Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through Junior High School. Even more important, PE was mandatory every day in JR. High and High School. Five, Six and Seven Year Olds were taught Basic Motor Skills BEFORE being introduced into Advanced Motor Skills. By the time children were in Sixth Grade, they had a large and varied “Movement Vocabulary” that made transition into Jr. High sports successful for many students who were participating in Basketball, Flag Football, Track and Field, Softball, etc. In addition, many minor sports (Volleyball, Wrestling, Gymnastics, etc.) were introduced.

The disappearance of this valuable PHYSICAL EDUCATION, in favor of playing recreational games with little or no instruction along with the elimination of daily PE instruction for Elementary Schools created a severe lack of both physical activity AND the development of Basic and Advanced Motor Skills (or Movement Skills).

Rigorous Physical Fitness programs in Jr. High and High Schools (along with Fitness Testing with comparison to the National Norms…remember the President’s Fitness Test?) were also eliminated.

This void of physical instruction and regular physical activity in the schools gave rise to many youth sports offered through various sources such as City Rec. Departments and parent groups forming Sports Leagues through associations already established like Little League, Pony League, etc.

As  “The Race to Nowhere in Youth Sports” points out “The path is a race to nowhere, and it does not lead to better athletes. It produces bitter athletes who get hurt, burnout and quit sports altogether”.

There are many reasons for these assertions and many studies and large volumes of data to prove the claims.  BUT, there are better choices for parents and young athletes who truly want to develop as athletes. LTAD, or Long Term Athlete Development, involves a step-by-step plan to best develop the “total athlete” BEFORE deciding to specialize in a particular sport AT THE RIGHT AGE.

The various paths open to parents and young, aspiring athletes for successful preparation for later sports success can be chosen with proper education on all the research data and the kind of information that I will attempt to provide with articles and research like to the two that I have added below that may be useful. You may also click on the 2nd link under Specific Topics to read a current article on Vanderbilt winning the College Baseball World Series and the LTAD their athletes prescribed to. MORE TO COME…as Stuart McMillan recommends, Analyze and Synthesize!

 

Effectiveness of early sport specialization limited in most sports, sport diversification may be better approach at young ages

:

April 23, 2013

American Medical Society for Sports Medicine

Ever-increasing requirements for success in competitive sports has created added pressure for young athletes to train with greater intensity at earlier ages. The goal to become the next Olympian or more commonly, to obtain a college scholarship, motivates many parents to encourage their children to specialize in one sport at a young age. This has resulted in an increased demand for year-round sport training programs, facilities and products. But is this approach really an effective way to generate long-term success in competitive athletics?

Ever-increasing requirements for success in competitive sports has created added pressure for young athletes to train with greater intensity at earlier ages. The goal to become the next Olympian or more commonly, to obtain a college scholarship, motivates many parents to encourage their children to specialize in one sport at a young age. This has resulted in an increased demand for year-round sport training programs, facilities and products. But is this approach really an effective way to generate long-term success in competitive athletics?

John P. DiFiori, MD, President of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, Chief of the Division of Sports Medicine and Non-Operative Orthopaedics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Team Physician for the UCLA Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, says that few who specialize in one sport at a very young age make it to elite levels. "With the exception of select sports such as gymnastics in which the elite competitors are very young, the best data we have would suggest that the odds of achieving elite levels with this method are exceedingly poor. In fact, some studies indicate that early specialization is less likely to result in success than participating in several sports as a youth, and then specializing at older ages."

Dr. DiFiori encourages youth attempt to a variety of sports and activities. He says this allows children to discover sports that they enjoy participating in, and offers them the opportunity to develop a broader array of motor skills. In addition, this may have the added benefit of limiting overuse injury and burnout.

A UCLA sports specialization study surveying 296 NCAA Division I male and female athletes, average age 19, found that 88 percent participated in an average of two to three sports as a children, and 70 percent did not specialize in one sport until after the age of 12. In a similar study of Olympians in Germany, results found that on average, the Olympians had participated in two other sports during childhood before or parallel to their main sport. Both studies support the concept of sports diversification in adolescence -- not specialization.

In his nearly 20 years serving as a team physician for the UCLA Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Dr. DiFiori appreciates the benefits of sports participation in general -- increased self-esteem, self-discipline, development of leadership qualities and social skills, and overall health and well-being. But he warns external pressure on a child to train and compete in one sport at an early age may cause more harm than good. Social isolation, lack of independence, preferential treatment, abusive relationship, burnout and injury are some of the potential negative effects.

"Physical activity contributes to a happy and healthy childhood," says Dr. DiFiori, "however, parents, coaches and children should monitor and measure their involvement level in a singular sport against the overall well-being and future success of the participant."

Dr. DiFiori presented, "Early Sports Participation: A Prescription for Success?" on Thursday, April 18, 2013, at the annual meeting of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine in San Diego, Calif.

Sports specialization, hours spent in organized sports may predict young athlete injury

October 28, 201

American Academy of Pediatrics

Athletes ages eight to 18 who spend twice as many hours per week in organized sports than in free play, and especially in a single sport, are more likely to be injured.

Athletes ages 8 to 18 who spend twice as many hours per week in organized sports than in free play, and especially in a single sport, are more likely to be injured, according to an abstract presented Monday, Oct. 28 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando.

The study, "Risks of Specialized Training and Growth for Injury in Young Athletes: A Prospective Cohort Study," found athletes who played more hours per week than their age -- for example, an 8-year-old who played more than 8 hours per week -- were more likely to be injured. In addition, athletes who spend more than twice as much time in organized sports than in free play, whatever their age or sport, are more likely to be injured and have serious overuse injuries.

The study involved more than 1,200 child and adolescent athletes who came to one of two Chicago hospitals and affiliated clinics for either a sports-related injury or a sports physical. Researchers collected information from each patient at enrollment, including the intensity and length of training, degree of sports specialization, Tanner stage (a measure of physical development), and height and weight. The same data was collected from each participant at 6-month intervals for up to three years between 2010 and 2012.

The degree of sports specialization was determined by a 6-point score based on whether or not the athlete: Trains more than 75 percent of the time in one sport; trains to improve skill; misses time with friends; has quit other sports to focus on one sport; considers one sport more important than other sports; regularly travels out of state; trains more than eight months a year or competes more than six months per year.

"The young athletes who more intensely specialized in a single sport were more likely to have an injury and a serious overuse injury," which typically keeps athletes out of play for a longer period of time, said lead study author Neeru Jayanthi, MD.

There were 837 injured participants with 859 unique injuries, and 360 uninjured participants. Injured athletes were older than uninjured athletes (14 +/- 2.2 years vs. 12.9 +/- 2.6 years), reported a higher average number of hours per week playing organized sports (11.3 +/- 6.9 hours vs. 9.4 +/-8.2 hours), and higher average hours per week in total sports activity including gym, free play and organized sports activities (19.7 hours +/- 9 hours vs. 17.6 +/- 10.3).

Injured athletes also had significantly higher sports specialization scores than uninjured athletes (3.3+/- 1.6 vs. 2.7 +/- 1.6), even after adjusting for hours per week in total sports activity and age.

"We found that kids on average play organized sports nearly twice as much as free play," said Dr. Jayanthi. "Those kids who exceed that two-to-one ratio are more likely to be injured."

"Our next goal is to research whether educating parents and kids about this ratio of time spent in sports versus free play, and providing them with more specific guidelines, will reduce overuse injuries in youth sports," said co-investigator Cynthia R. LaBella, MD, FAAP.