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YOUTH PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT PATHWAY

The LTAD Network's Youth Physical Development Model provides a progressive 3-phase system to help you enhance the physical development of the young people that you work with.

Our YPD Pathway resource provides you with a detailed insight into the rationale behind our YPD model, what to deliver, as well as when and how to deliver long term athletic development in the real world. We've also curated hours of video content from subject experts on relevant topics throughout the pathway.

The Foundation and Development phases are now live, with the Performance phase to follow in 2022.

The YPD Pathway is only accessible on our VIP Membership package. This also includes full access to our Online Hub, featuring over 120 hours of video content.

Alternatively, you can access the full resource for 12-months with a one-off enrolment fee of £399.99.
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Meet the AUTHOR

James Baker

James brings a unique blend of skills and experience as an accredited S&C coach, PE teacher, sport scientist and researcher. He has been creating and implementing LTAD programmes for the 
last 15 years in a range of settings including schools, academies and national talent pathways.

Currently, James is the Head of Talent Identification & Athlete Development at Elite Sport UAE. Previously, he spent 6 years working at Aspire Academy in Qatar in a variety of roles including Senior S&C Coach, Performance Support Lead for Track & Field and Head of Talent ID & Development. Before leaving the UK, he established several school-based LTAD programmes and was awarded the UKSCA’s S&C Coach of the Year Award for Youth Sport in 2017 for this work. He was also awarded ASCA’s Senior Research Award on behalf of the Aspire Academy research team in 2020.
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WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?

1. Accelerate the development of your pathway.

It’s takes at least a couple of years to build and implement a great pathway, but even longer if you’ve never done it before and you have to figure of what is appropriate and when. We share tried and tested methods from over a decade working with young athletes in schools, clubs, national pathways and private sector programmes that will allow you to build and implement your own LTAD pathway much faster than if you are figuring it out alone. 

2. Clear objectives and outcomes with logical progressions. 

The system is set out with clear objectives and outcomes for all the key physical qualities that can be adapted to fit school sport/PE curriculum, an academy pathway or private sector programmes. Learn what training is appropriate, as well as when and how to progress it in a way that is appropriate at different stages of a young person’s athletic development journey. 

3. Consistency and enhanced experience for the athletes. 

Due to the salaries offered for youth S&C roles (schools, academies and private sector) they attract less experienced coaches and staff turnover is high. Adopting our YPD model  will allow you to provide a more consistent programme for the young people in your setting. By establishing the LTAD pathway at the department level, rather than leaving it to the individual S&C coach, less experienced coaches can fit in to an established system and learn quickly what needs to be delivered and when, through our online resources and our network of coaches to support them.  

4. Curated, expert content.

Along with the written content, we’ve curated and embedded content at relevant parts of the pathway from experts in the field of LTAD from our conferences and workshops. Allowing you to learn about various topics related to different aspects of training and sport science from some of the best coaches in the world. For example, you’ll get to learn about plyometrics with Boo Schexnayder, speed training with Dr. Mike Young, Olympic weightlifting with Paudie Roche and agility with Lee Taft. 

Youth Physical Development Pathway:

ABOUT US

LTAD NETWORK

The LTAD Network is the preeminent coach education network for fitness and performance coaches around the world. Bringing together world class, international expertise in Long-Term Athletic Development, we also recognise the importance of connecting the dots and catering to practitioners working at all levels. Not only are we focused on resources, methods and information to develop athletes, but also to upskill those within the network. It is our philosophy that coaches need coaching too, so we engage strength and conditioning leaders around the world to support the personal and professional development of our coaches.
Patrick Jones - Course author
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