Scientific research has concluded that it takes eight to twelve years of training for a talented athlete to reach elite levels (1). This is called the ten year or 10,000 hour rule. For athletes, coaches and parents this translates as slightly more than three hours of practice daily for ten years (2). Unfortunately, parents and coaches in many sports still approach training with an attitude best characterized as the "peaking by Friday" approach (3). We now know that a long-term commitment to training is required to produce elite athletes in all sports.
A specific and well-planned training, competition and recovery regime will ensure optimum development throughout an athlete’s career.
Ultimately success comes from training and performing well over the long-term rather than winning in the short term.
·
There is no short cut to success in athletic
preparation.
·
Rushing competition will always result in
shortcomings in physical, technical, tactical and mental abilities (4)
MODELS OF
LONG-TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS OF DIFFERENT SPORTS:
In principle, sports can be classified as either early specialization or late specialization sports (5). Early specialization refers to the fact that some sports, such as gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, figure skating, diving and table tennis require early sport-specific specialization in training.
Late specialization sports, such as athletics, combative sports, cycling, racquet sports, rowing and all team sports require a generalized approach to early training. In these sports, the emphasis of training should be on the development of general, fundamental motor and technical-tactical skills. Reviewing the existing literature helped us to conclude that early specialization sports require a four-stage model, while late specialization sports require a five-stage model:
Early Specialization Model
1.Training
to Train
2.Training
To Compete
3.Training
to Win
4.Retirement
/ Retaining
Late Specialization Model
1.
FUNdamental
2.
Training to Train
3.
Training to Compete
4.
Training to Win
5.
Retirement / Retaining
Since there are only a few sports that can be categorized as early specialization sports, this document will focus on late specialization sports. Each early specialization sport should develop a sport-specific model: a generic model would lead to serious oversimplifications. The challenge for early specialization sports is either to combine the FUNdamental and Training Train Stages or to amalgamate them into a single stage, such as the Training to Train Stage. For late specialization sports, specialization prior to age ten is not recommended since it contributes to early burn out, drop out and retirement from training and competition (5)
One of the most important periods of motor development for children is between the
ages of nine to twelve (6). During this time children are developmentally ready to acquire the fundamental movement skills that are the cornerstones of all athletic development. These fundamental skills include running, throwing, and jumping, hopping and bounding, the ABC's of athletics. The introduction of the ABC's of athleticism (agility, balance, coordination, speed) during this period will lay the foundation of athletic excellence for later years.
Fundamental movement skills should be practised and mastered before sport-specific skills are introduced. The development of these skills, using a positive and fun approach, will contribute significantly to future athletic achievements. Participation in a wide range of sports is also encouraged. This emphasis on motor development will produce athletes who have a better trainability for long-term sport specific development. If the fundamental motor skill training is not developed between the ages of nine to twelve, skills cannot be recaptured at a later time (although carefully planned and implemented remedial programs can contribute to limited success). (7)
From a document titled : Sport System Building and Long-term Athlete Development in British Columbia by :Istvan Balyi Ph.D.
(1) Bloom, 1985; Ericsson et al., 1993; Ericsson and Charness, 1994
(2) Salmela, 1998
(3) Balyi and Hamilton, 1999
(4) Balyi I. (2001) Sport System Building and Long-term Athlete Development in British Columbia. Canada: SportsMed BC
(5) Harsanyi, 1985
(6) Balyi and Hamilton, 1995; Rushall; 1998; Viru et al., 1998
(7) Balyi I. (2001) Sport System Building and Long-term Athlete Development in British Columbia. Canada: SportsMed BC
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