Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD)

To: PSO and NSO representatives for distribution to your members
From: Water Polo Canada LTAD Steering Committee

The LTAD Steering Committee met this past weekend in Montreal Nov 4, 5 2006.
The agenda included:

1. To review and discuss the LTAD Summit Report
2. To begin work on the Water Polo Matrix
3. To identify and recruit members for the sub-committees
4. To establish a communication plan for the LTAD process

The Summit Report has been distributed to key PSO and NSO representatives and the Steering Committee continues to encourage input from anyone who did not attend the Toronto meeting.

Each sport, as part of the LTAD process is required to develop a matrix designed to answer key sport specific questions at the various stages of the LTAD. This information will be vital to coaches working with athletes at a particular stage and it will also be of great importance to administrators, officials and parents.

Our Steering Committee identified the following components which will form the foundation of the water polo matrix.

1. Age and level of the targeted athletes
2. General objectives/goals for each stage
3. Guiding principles or philosophy
4. What skills/techniques are to be taught at that stage?
5. What tactics/strategies are to be taught at that stage?
6. Recommendations for practices
7. Facility requirements for programs at that stage
8. Growth and development issues relevant to that stage
9. Physical components – ABCs
10. Mental training considerations relevant to that stage
11. Weekly sport specific recommendations for training
12. Weekly non-sport specific recommendations for training
13. Recommendations for types, frequency of competitions
14. Recommendations on rule changes for the stage in question
15. Guidance pertaining to Training/Competition ratio for that stage
16. Planning - Periodization recommendations/relevance
17. Coaching Education relevant to the stage in question
18. Recommendations on supplementary knowledge

Each of the 6 Sub-Committees will provide input, suggestions and recommendations for the LTAD stage they are working on. Once the sub-committees have completed their work it will be up to the Steering Committee to review the material collected and to ensure that there is a logical and seamless transition between stages.

Delegates for the 6 committees are being recruited now and once the final composition of the committees is settled we will update you on the groups and their progress. We anticipate that this process will take until March 2007.

One of the most important decisions facing each sport is the decision relating to the age and category relevant to each LTAD generic stage.
Our Steering Committee is recommending that adjustments be made to the existing water polo categories based on discussions which took place at the LTAD Summit and our meeting.

This decision is fundamental to the creation of the Matrix and its relevant information.

We are asking all NSO and PSO representatives to circulate these recommendations so the community is aware of the direction that we are proposing.

No final decision has been made on this but we have a strong rationale for proposing that our organization adopt this new system (at a date yet to be determined).

Other Olympic team sports within our country (and around the world) have already adopted similar measures pertinent to their own sport.

The new categories we are recommending are:

Category LTAD Stage Age
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Atom FUNdamentals 6-9 year olds
Bantam Learn to Train 10-12 year olds
Cadet Train to Train 13-15 year olds
Youth Train to Compete 16-18 year olds
Senior Train to Win 19+
Masters Active for Life 25+
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Rationale:

1. More time for coaches to develop talent instead of chasing results
2. Easier transition for children through the categories/increased retention of players
3. Easier administration for clubs
4. Reduces the requirement for athletes families to subsidize more than one category of competition
5. New categories follow more logically the Growth and Development concerns raised by LTAD (Peak Height Velocity etc)
6. Addresses social aspect of participation more effectively
7. Programs for athletes 19-23 can be more effectively implemented, administered through University, College programs in the future.
8. Peak performance for males is 28 and females is 26 and the emphasis at each stage needs to be adjusted in light of this fact.

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If this new category proposal was adopted for example for the 2007-8 season the following birth year eligibility would be applicable.

* Atom Born in 99 and younger
* Bantam Born in 96 and younger
* Cadet Born in 93 and younger
* Youth Born in 90 and younger
* Senior Born in 89 and older

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We are appealing to all water polo enthusiasts to consider the long term benefits and strong rationale behind this proposal and to put aside any self-interest as it pertains to their own athlete(s), club or Provincial organization.

We are committed to building a much brighter vision for our sport towards 2016 and beyond and we hope you will join us.

Cheers
David Hart, George Gross, John Stockdale, Roy Gunell, Sandra Lize and Charles Cardinal