Parent's Guide to Sport for Life Long-Term Development Ages 0-16 2019

The framework (version 3.0) has these stages:

1. Awareness and First Involvement: people become aware of sport and physical activity opportunities, and their first involvement should be a positive (safe, welcoming and inclusive) experience.
2. Active Start: birth to about 6 years. Mastering basic movements and building habits of physical activity.
3. FUNdamentals: boys about 6 to 9, girls about 6 to 8. Developing fundamental movement skills while having fun.
4. Learn to Train: boys from about 9, girls from about 8, to the onset of the adolescent growth spurt. Learning a wide range of foundation sport skills.
5. Train to Train: the adolescent growth spurt, around 11 to 15 for females and 12 to 16 for males.
6. Train to Compete: for the Podium Pathway, after the adolescent growth spurt, depending on sport progress.
7. Train to Win: for athletes competing at the highest level (Olympics, Paralympics and World Championships).
8. Active for Life: lifelong participation in sport or physical activity, which is where the overwhelming majority of participants are.

Source: Sport for Life, Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019): https://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Long-Term-Development-in-Sport-and-Physical-Activity-3.0.pdf and https://sportforlife.ca/long-term-development/

The framework defines physical literacy as "the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life."

• It is a lifelong journey that begins to develop in early childhood and grows into a greater array and complexity of skills, capacities and understandings during adolescence and adulthood.
• The first three stages, Active Start, FUNdamentals and Learn to Train, are designed to give Canadians the best possible start in sport and physical activity. Children pass through these stages in large part because they are growing and developing.
• Providing a quality physical literacy experience should be the key focus of everyone delivering physical activity, from teachers and coaches to recreation leaders and administrators.
• Sport for Life has a separate document, Developing Physical Literacy 2.0, on the topic.

Source: Sport for Life, Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019): https://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Long-Term-Development-in-Sport-and-Physical-Activity-3.0.pdf

Active Start is for males and females from birth to approximately six years of age. It is where the physical literacy journey begins.

Key points from the framework:

• Make activity fun and part of the child's daily routine.
• Focus on developing locomotor, object manipulation and balance skills on land, water, ice/snow and in the air, in a variety of movements.
• Meet the 24-hour movement guidelines for young children of being active for 180 minutes a day.

The framework describes Active Start as being about mastering basic human movements and developing habits of physical activity.

Source: Sport for Life, Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019): https://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Long-Term-Development-in-Sport-and-Physical-Activity-3.0.pdf

FUNdamentals is for boys from about 6 to 9 and girls from about 6 to 8. It continues the development of physical literacy, with an emphasis on participation and having fun every day.

Key points from the framework:

• Develop fundamental movement skills, especially agility, balance, coordination and speed (the "ABCs").
• Encourage running, jumping, wheeling, throwing and catching, as well as swimming and activities on ice and snow.
• Introduce the simple rules and etiquette of sport, with a focus on fair play and respect for others.
• Provide and respect children's activity choices.
• Competition should be informal, with no record of results.
• No periodization, but well-structured programs.

Source: Sport for Life, Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019): https://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Long-Term-Development-in-Sport-and-Physical-Activity-3.0.pdf

Learn to Train is for boys from about 9 and girls from about 8, to the onset of the adolescent growth spurt. The framework describes it as a time when the brain and body are primed for skill acquisition, and it continues the development of physical literacy.

Key points:

• Build fundamental skills in a wide range of sports and activities (on the ground, in water, in the air and on ice/snow) before entering Train to Train.
• Avoid early over-specialization.
• Make sure the environment promotes and supports fun and friendship.
• Take into account individual variations in physical, psychological, cognitive, emotional and moral development.
• Introduce warm-up/cool-down, nutrition, hydration, recovery including sleep, and mental preparation such as anxiety control.
• Introduce formal local competition with an emphasis on fair play and opportunities to try different events or positions.
• Sport-specific training about three times per week plus participation in other sports or activities three times a week.

Source: Sport for Life, Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019): https://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Long-Term-Development-in-Sport-and-Physical-Activity-3.0.pdf

Train to Train is the stage of the adolescent growth spurt, around ages 11 to 15 for females and 12 to 16 for males. It coincides with the transition from childhood to adulthood and often starts in early adolescence.

The framework calls it a critical stage in the development of high performance athletes, and says it is where "the future of many athletes is determined". During this stage participants typically:

• commit to high performance and begin their journey on their sport's Podium Pathway, or
• enter Competitive for Life or Fit for Life in their sport or sports of choice, or
• drop out of sport.

It is the major fitness development stage (aerobic and strength). The onset of the adolescent growth spurt and the time of Peak Height Velocity are key markers, and growth must be tracked. For those on the Podium Pathway it is the stage for tremendous skill refinement and greater position or event specialization.

Source: Sport for Life, Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019): https://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Long-Term-Development-in-Sport-and-Physical-Activity-3.0.pdf

The framework says there are right and wrong times to specialize, and it depends on the sport. Specializing too early may limit a child's development and success at older ages; specializing too late may miss key developmental opportunities.

Except in early specialization sports (gymnastics, figure skating and diving), athletes should not over-specialize until their early teens. Before that they should take part in a wide range of sports and activities to build a high level of physical literacy and well-rounded sport skills.

The Learn to Train stage (boys from about 9, girls from about 8, to the onset of the adolescent growth spurt) says to build fundamental skills in a wide range of sports and activities and to avoid early over-specialization. Its activity summary shows the year split roughly equally across three sports. The framework also says systems and metrics should not push leaders and coaches to favour earlier and more intense specialization, particularly playing a single sport year-round.

Source: Sport for Life, Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019): https://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Long-Term-Development-in-Sport-and-Physical-Activity-3.0.pdf

The framework says different activities have different demands and pathways:

• High acrobatic sports such as gymnastics, diving and figure skating are early specialization sports that favour small bodies capable of fast rotation.
• High kinesthetic sports, where developing an early "feel" for the environment or equipment is important, such as swimming, soccer and racquet sports.
• Common (standard) sports have the typical timing of specialization, with peak performance in the late 20s or early 30s.
• Late specialization sports, where peak performance can occur in the mid-30s or later, such as golf, rowing or triathlon.
• Transfer sports are ones people do not generally take part in before late adolescence, such as bobsleigh.

Except in early specialization sports (gymnastics, figure skating and diving), the framework says athletes should not over-specialize until their early teens.

Source: Sport for Life, Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019), Organizational Factors 4 and 5: https://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Long-Term-Development-in-Sport-and-Physical-Activity-3.0.pdf

These two stages make up the Podium Pathway, which is about developing high performance athletes capable of winning at the highest levels of international competition (Olympic Games, Paralympic Games or World Championships).

• Train to Compete: generally for athletes in national development teams, la releve or NextGen squads, who have a serious chance of playing for their national squad or qualifying for World Championships. It comes after the adolescent growth spurt (depending on sport progress), and athletes are generally at the provincial, junior national or early national level, with specialized coaching in a specialized training environment. In some sports the Podium Pathway may begin at the end of the Train to Train or Learn to Train stages.
• Train to Win: reserved for athletes with a realistic chance of placing at World Championships or winning medals. The framework describes them as the best of the very best in their sport, and says not everyone on a national team falls into this category.

Source: Sport for Life, Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019): https://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Long-Term-Development-in-Sport-and-Physical-Activity-3.0.pdf

That is the most common path. The framework says the overwhelming majority of people playing just about any sport are in the Active for Life stage. Having built a solid foundation in the first three stages, they play the sport or sports of their choice for enjoyment, satisfaction or the health benefits. Some compete in organized sport, while others do not.

The framework also notes that in the Train to Train stage, participants typically either commit to high performance and begin their journey on their sport's Podium Pathway, or enter Competitive for Life or Fit for Life in their sport or sports of choice, or drop out of sport.

Source: Sport for Life, Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019): https://sportforlife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Long-Term-Development-in-Sport-and-Physical-Activity-3.0.pdf