1. Coaching Children and Young People
sports coach UK
Develop Your Coaching Workshop

2. Coaching Children and Young People
Workshop outcomes
By the end of the workshop, coaches should be able to:
establish safe and effective coaching environments to meet the needs of children and young people
describe the LTAD model
identify the critical periods of trainability within the LTAD model
describe the acquisition of skills as children develop
modify coaching to meet the needs of children and young people
OHT 1
Coaching Children and Young People

3. Coaching Children and Young People
Information required
Social/psychological factors
motivation, needs, ambitions, attitudes, behaviour
Physical factors
ability, fitness, stage of physical development
Skill factors
stage of motor development, information processing
OHT 2
Coaching Children and Young People

4. Principles of coaching children and young people
Make it fun
Avoid specialising too early
Put performer first
OHT 3
Coaching Children and Young People

5. Coaching Children and Young People
Principles of LTAD
Athlete-centred
Promote long-term participation
Maximise full potential
OHT 4
Coaching Children and Young People

6. LTAD model Stage 1: FUNdamentals
Key Points
6-8 (girls)/
6-9 (boys)
Performers need to sample wide range of fun and creative activities
No sport-specific specialisation
Emphasis on development of basic motor skills, not competition
Parents involved and supportive
Tasks/groups set by biological rather than chronological age
Speed, power and endurance developed using fun games
No periodization
OHT 5
Coaching Children and Young People

7. LTAD model Stage 2: Learning to Train
Key Points
8-11 (girls)/
9-12 (boys)
Performers begin to apply basic skills and fitness to preferred activities
Performers begin to reduce number of sports/activities
Emphasis on learning how to train, not on outcome, but element of competition introduced (eg 25% of training programme)
OHT 6

8. LTAD model Stage 3: Training to Train
Key Points
(girls)/
(boys)
Individualised programmes based on PHVs
Teams split into groups of early, average and late maturers
Girls and boys may begin to train separately
Regular height checks to identify key periods for maximum training benefit and avoid injuries
Regular medical monitoring and musculo-skeletal screening
Excessive, repetitive, weight-bearing aerobic work should be avoided – non-weight-bearing exercises recommended
OHT 7

9. Coaching Children and Young People
Summary of LTAD
Acknowledges different development rates
Development of individual programmes
Uses critical periods of trainability
OHT 8
Coaching Children and Young People

10. Coaching Children and Young People
Developing skill
Recognising:
ability to process information
reaction time (neural development)
body control
coordination
OHT 9
Coaching Children and Young People

11. Coaching Children and Young People
Stages of learning
Stage 1 Cognitive
Stage 2 Associative
Stage 3 Autonomous
Children just getting to grips with how limbs coordinate to perform action
Children now have to think less about movement and can shift attention to adapting movement to conditions
Children have mastered full movement – it is consistent, dynamic and fluent
Coaches should encourage performers to focus on external cues relating to outcome rather than process
Coaches should provide good, effective feedback to help children alter movements
Coaches should delay feedback to allow children to identify and correct own errors
OHT 10
Coaching Children and Young People

12. Coaching Children and Young People
Physical literacy
ABCs:
Agility, balance, coordination, speed
RJT:
Run, jump, throw
KGBs:
Kinesthesia, gliding, buoyancy, striking
CPKs:
Catching, passing, kicking, striking
OHT 11
Coaching Children and Young People