Long Term Athletic Development

Long term athletic development or LTAD, is a model by which coaches and trainers can identify the best, most effective method of training for athletes through each age and stage of development. This model is also important for both parents and athletes to be able to identify which stage the athlete is at, and if their participation, training and development is on track.

There are two types of sports, early specialization and late specialization. Ringette (as in all team sports) falls under the category of late specialization. The Ringette model is divided in to six categories:

Active Start – 0 to 6 years

Fundamentals – 6 to 8 years

Learning to Train (Early in Stage and Late in Stage) – females 8 to 11 years/males 9 to 12 years

Training to Train (Early in Stage and Late in Stage) – females 12 to 15 years/males 13 to 16 years

Train to Compete – females 16 to 18 years/males 17 to 18 years

Learn to Win/Train to Win – females 18 – 19 years/19+ and males 19 to 20 years/20+

See the documentation from Ringette Canada here. This follows everything from Skating Skills to Ring Skills, Goalkeeper Skills and Psychological Development.