Long-term athletic development (LTAD) is complex, in this quick guide for coaches and parents, I am going to break down the LTAD Model. I’ll share how to start, how to progress, and—most importantly—how to set young athletes up for a lifetime of success, both in and out of the gym.
As a coach who has the opportunity to work with youth athletes for over a decade, one of the most common questions I receive from parents is, “When should my child start training or lifting weights?” The answer isn’t simple—it depends on a variety of factors to consider, including physical and mental maturity, as well as the ability to follow instructions and understand that training is a long-term process.
While it’s our role as coaches to make training enjoyable, help athletes understand the fundamentals, and highlight the benefits of strength training, it’s equally important that the athlete is ready to absorb and apply this information.
In many cases, athletes walk into the gym before reaching puberty, and that’s perfectly okay. For younger athletes, the focus should primarily be on developing basic movement patterns and overall coordination. In the next section, we’ll dive deeper into how to approach training for kids who are just beginning their athletic journey.
THE LONG TERM ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT (LTAD) MODEL
The Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model is a guide for creating the best training, competition, and recovery plans at each stage of an athlete’s development. It was adopted by Canada’s ministers of sport, who agreed to use the LTAD framework for sports and physical activity across the country, in consultation with national, provincial, and territorial sports organizations. The goal of implementing this model is to teach fundamental movement skills, like running, jumping, and throwing, while helping athletes progress safely in their development and reducing the risk of injury and burnout.
Why The Fundamental Movements Matter
The connection between the brain, spinal cord, and skeletal-muscular system during the early stages of development can have a lasting impact on an athlete’s long-term growth. As children practice movements, they activate areas of the motor cortex in the brain that are crucial for movement, which improves response times and reflexes. For example, learning to sprint involves coordinating specific movement patterns.
In the early stages, movement doesn’t need to be perfect or strict. In fact, teaching young athletes to move out of awkward or non-ideal positions can help them become more athletic overall. Activities like obstacle courses, which focus on fun rather than competition, allow kids to learn basic movement fundamentals such as squatting, hinging, carrying, pulling, and pushing. These movements, when introduced in a creative way, are also beneficial for developing strength and power.
Muscle Recruitment & Movement Efficiency
The SAID principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands) aligns seamlessly with the LTAD model and the Performance Pyramid, both of which stress gradual progression and efficient movement at each stage of development. As athletes build a solid foundation in functional movement, the SAID principle helps enhance motor unit recruitment and movement efficiency over time. By gradually increasing intensity with proper technique, athletes improve their strength and power while refining their movement patterns.
This supports the LTAD model’s focus on age-appropriate training, ensuring athletes can handle more complex movements as they mature. Improved motor unit recruitment and efficient movement transfer directly to better performance in key athletic actions like jumping, running, and changing direction. In the weight room, exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, presses, and pulls play a critical role in building strength, power, and movement efficiency, which further enhances overall performance.
Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD): The Performance Pyramid
With an understanding of how to perform the fundamental movements above, the athlete will be more likely to handle complex movements later on in their career in the training room and on the playing field. Participating in multiple sports will only accelerate this development. Having an understanding of how to systematically control their body will also decrease the risk of injury due to an increased strength to absorb force through development of strength.
Active Start (Ages 0-6)
With growing concerns about physical inactivity, childhood obesity, and their links to the development of noncommunicable diseases, there is a heightened focus on getting children involved in sports and health and fitness clubs at an earlier age than ever before.
As a result, the need for long-term approaches to youth physical development has gained significant attention. While existing research emphasizes that exercise for young people should prioritize fitness, muscle and bone strength, coordination, and control, while also addressing psychosocial well-being, the LTAD (Long-Term Athlete Development) model outlines how these elements should be implemented in a specific sequence.
The primary goal across all stages is to enhance physical fitness and minimize the risk of injury.
In the Active Start stage, however, the focus is on fostering play—a critical component that is often overlooked. This stage introduces physical literacy while nurturing a positive attitude toward sports and nutrition. While structured play through games is encouraged, it’s equally important to emphasize unstructured physical activities. By prioritizing these activities, children are more likely to develop a positive relationship with sports, which can reduce the risk of burnout later on.
Fundamentals & Movement Skills (Girls 6-9, Boys 6-10)
In the Performance Pyramid, the base layer represents the foundational movement patterns that are essential for developing speed, strength, and motor unit recruitment. At this stage, introducing simple movements in creative ways is key to keeping athletes engaged, encouraging continued participation in sports, and fostering physical literacy. This phase is typically focused on children aged 6-9 for girls and 6-10 for boys, ensuring they are exposed to a wide variety of movements to build a broad base of physical skills.
Learning to Train (Girls 9-12, Boys 10-13) and Training to Train (Girls (12-16, Boys 13-17)
The second layer focuses on functional performance, where athletes start being assessed on key performance indicators such as speed, power, strength, stamina, and agility. Once a solid foundation of movement is established, weight training is gradually incorporated. This layer emphasizes the quantitative aspects of movement, including the force and intent behind each action.
Athletes also focus on developing their biomotor abilities—strength, power, endurance, and agility—while refining their technique. This phase is crucial for athletes to build on the progress made during the foundational phase and start making significant strides in their performance.
Functional & Sport Skill-LTAD’s Training to Compete & Training to Win’ (Girls >16, Boys, >17)
At the top layer of the Performance Pyramid, functional and sport skill refers to the stage where an athlete begins to focus more specifically on the sport they are pursuing. For example, a track athlete who has already established a strong foundation in functional movement patterns and is familiar with periodic testing can progress to more advanced training methods in the weight room.
This might include more intensive plyometrics or overload techniques. During this phase, systematic variation in training, coupled with a focus on movements that closely mirror those required in the sport, will result in much higher transfer and performance gains.
Bringing it all together
The Performance Pyramid and the LTAD (Long-Term Athlete Development) model complement each other effectively, providing a clear understanding of how developing fundamental movement patterns can significantly impact and enhance sport-specific skills later in an athlete’s career.
At the same time, they help reduce the risk of injury and burnout. Both models emphasize the importance of progressive development, highlighting how a solid foundation in functional movement is essential for an athlete to reach their full potential.
The Performance Pyramid shows how each stage of development builds upon the previous one, while the LTAD model offers a more detailed roadmap, taking into account an athlete’s physical and emotional maturation over time.
Additionally, the LTAD model stresses the value of variation in training and outlines the ideal timing for specialization, which can help minimize the risk of injury throughout an athlete’s journey. By understanding how these two models work together, you can gain valuable insight into how your athlete can not only develop the physical capabilities needed to perform at their best but also foster a positive relationship with training, exercise, physical activity, and sport.
For more information on developing athletes, the IYCA Certified Athletic Development Specialist is the gold-standard certification for anyone working with athletes 6-18 years old.
The course materials were created by some of the most experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the industry, and the content is indisputably the most comprehensive of any certification related to athletic development. Learn more about the CADS certification here:
About the Author: Brady Hill
Brady’s passion for fitness began as a multisport athlete in high school and grew throughout his collegiate football career at Central College in Pella, Iowa, where he earned all-conference honors as a defensive lineman. His time on the field and in the weight room ignited a drive to help others unlock their potential, inspiring him to pursue a degree in Strength and Conditioning with a minor in Psychology. Brady also competed in Olympic lifting, earning a 7th place finish at the Junior Nationals.
After college, he furthered his education by earning a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from Northern Illinois University. Over the years, Brady has coached athletes at every level—from young students to collegiate All-Americans and future professionals. In the process, he developed a deep appreciation for working with adults, helping them build strength, improve mobility, and take control of their health.
As a co-founder of Impact, Brady is committed to creating a gym where people feel challenged, supported, and motivated to grow. He believes fitness is more than just the physical effort—it’s about showing up, embracing the grind, and becoming stronger in every aspect of life. Brady’s mission is to help others push past their limits and achieve success both inside and outside the Gym. Currently holding his CSCS and USAW certifications, Brady remains dedicated to being a continuous student in the field of strength and conditioning.