LG TERM ATHLETE DEVELPMET
Preface There are no natural born athletes. Learning is required for any children and adults to participate in any physical activity. Just as children need to be taught literacy in school, physical literacy are best taught in a structured sports environment. Working alongside other provincial associations and referencing other established sport model, BC Cheerleading Association (BCCA) has the following Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model for its athletes. LTAD is a model for development in physical activity and sport to provide a safe, enjoyable, and progressive pathway for children and adult to pursue healthy physical activity along with a pathway to excellence. The age of the athletes in each stage can vary as cheerleading can be considered is neither strictly an early or late specialization sport. Cheerleading is a sport where both male and female can start at the same time and progress well into their late twenties. There is a varied range of age groups participating together due to the competition structure which reflects the need to recognize individually varied rates of growth and maturation. You can find below a list of individuals or group of individuals who are part of the system of cheerleading in BC and the LTAD for cheerleading. Athletes - who benefit programming and coaching, at all stages of development, for all levels of interest and ability and in all cheerleading disciplines. Coaches - who design and implement training programs that respect the principles of LTAD Parents - who understand and support the importance in child development, and who must understand coaching decisions and be supportive partners in athlete progression, training and competition Clubs gym owners or scholastic educators who provide organizational structure and programs that support LTAD set out by the coaches and who support ongoing professional coaching development Provincial/Territorial Cheerleading Federations and Associations who provide resources for club development and ensure that provincial development programs, competitive structure and major events respect and support the principles of LTAD Cheer Canada - who provides national leadership and assists Provincial and Territorial offices to integrate and align all programming to respect the principles of LTAD
Cheerleading streams in British Columbia n BC, we are privileged to have a wide range of cheerleading programs and options. Anyone, of any age, can participate in cheerleading; the diversity and inclusiveness of cheerleading is what makes it a sport for everyone. Allstar Cheerleading is club-based cheerleading. These programs are not affiliated with a school and are primarily focused on competing throughout the year; although, the clubs may include a range of noncompetitive teams. n BC Allstar Cheerleading begins at age 3 and with no maximum age; parent teams, recreational teams and abilities teams are all available programs under the Allstar umbrella. Currently there are 6 major levels in Allstar Cheerleading with some variations at certain competitions. Scholastic Cheerleading refers to teams comprising only of students in their own school. This may be elementary, middle, high school or collegiate. Scholastic cheerleading may contain aspects of school spirit as well as competition. The school spirit aspect of cheerleading may involve cheering, supporting, and engaging the crowd at sport games or pep rallies. School teams also have the option to compete under the same level system as the Allstar Cheerleading community with the opportunity to compete locally, nationally or internationally. Specialty Divisions are competition opportunities outside of the team routine component of cheerleading. This applies to both Allstar and Scholastic Cheerleading. These specialty routines may be individual, duo or stunt group routines. A stunt group is comprised of 4 or 5 members while a partner stunt includes one base and one flyer. ften a competition will offer specialty divisions with each club or program eligible to enter one or multiple athletes or athletic groups with the same specialty division. These divisions provide opportunities to encourage athletes or small group of athletes to take on more individualized training if their development differs from the majority of their teammates. These specialty divisions are available all the way from the early stages of cheerleading to adult teams. ther types of cheerleading exist in BC or throughout Canada but are currently not a part of BCCA. These include traditional side line cheer and STUT.
Why does BCCA need a LTAD? 1) To provide clubs and coaches an appropriate structure for the developments of skills across physical, technical, mental, and lifestyle categories Consequences of not having the above is having athletes with unrefined or development mental and technical skills 2) To use current competition structure and time frame to provide appropriately scheduled competition and progressive challenges through an athlete s career Consequences of not having the above are not allowing athletes proper time for recovery or not participating in competitions best for the athlete s development 3) To produce better skilled and more athletic athletes who will continue in the sport to ages where they are able to reach maximum potential Consequences of not having the above are having athletes leave the sport prior to their peak and a lack of strategic development for the future generations of international athletes 4) Reinforces the coach, parent, club and provincial association s primary job - to create a sport experience that provides each young athlete with the opportunity to achieve success to their highest capabilities, and to continue a life of active living Consequences of not having the above are having a higher dropout rate as the athlete is not achieving enjoyment or success.
Eight stages in cheerleading n competitive cheerleading skills are broken down into various levels (1 through 6) and athletes are divided based on chronological age. The LTAD breaks these stages down even further based on the entry and goal of the athlete. While it is possible to start midway or move backwards, the progression of the athlete starts at the bottom, progresses until the athlete s peak performance level and should culminate with active for life. Active Start for Cheer (3-5) Athletes will be exposed body movement, team work and rhythm. This will coincide with the Tiny age group. Athletes at this age will typically be involved in cheer once a week for an hour. o building skills will be taught at this age and the focus will be on movement patterns, motions and basic tumbling. Athletes normally would learn a dance by copying a coach or leader at the front of the floor. FUdamentals for Cheer (5+) Athletes at this age will be exposed to basic cheer specific skills. Athletes may train for a longer period of time or more than once a week. These athletes would be working towards a level 1 or 2 routine. Class time would be devoted to fundamental movement skills in warm up and games, tumbling basics would be introduced and building would be taught for the first time. Athletes would start working on memorization of dance and working on performance skills. Depending on each athlete s physical development, some athletes may not be able to train all types of building positions dependent on a team composition. Training the three main building positions is not imperative but it is recommended as the athlete s physical development may make them an ideal candidate for a different position at different time in their cheerleading career. Learn to Train (7+) This category are recreational athletes or athletes who come to cheer at a later age. Training can be minimal, however, athletes looking to progress quickly should train twice a week. Classes will be structured to work towards a completed routine that includes the main components of cheerleading: building skills, tumbling skills, jumps, and dance skills. Warm up and conditioning should be tailed to include activities that works towards the perfection of level 1 and 2 tumbling skills, jump skills, and building skills through resistance training. Level 3 skills should only be introduced once level 2 skills have been demonstrated proficiently. deally cross training of building position should occur. For example a level 3 back spot should be able to base level 2 skills or a level 3 flyer should be able to base level 2 skills with a younger flyer. Depending on an athlete's physical development, some building positions may not be ideal. Jumps, dance and motions should now be trained in more advance tempo and execution. n dance this will involve levels and formation changes and movement on and counts. Jumps should now be multiple advanced jumps with a whip approach.
Mentally and emotionally athletes should be working as a team, taking direction from others in non-authoritative roles and have developed basic kinesthetic awareness. Train to train (11+) To coincide with the nternational Cheerleading Union s terminology this category also may be called Advanced Cheer. Athletes training level 3 and 4 skills should be practicing a minimum 5-6 hours a week which includes team cheerleading practice, separate tumbling training and individualized flexibility and conditioning which may be done at home. This is due to the windows of opportunity and ensuring mastery of lower level skills is achieved prior to progression. n this stage athletes should have level 3+ tumbling skills unless new to cheerleading. When an athlete is new to cheerleading at this stage individualized training plans should be set as the acquisition of new tumbling skills typically becomes physically more difficult as the athlete ages past this stage. Jumps, motions and dance continue the path of increased difficulty and pace. Preciseness and speed should be the emphasis at this level. Train to Compete (14+) To coincide with the nternational Cheerleading Union s terminology this category also may be called Elite Cheer. Athletes at this level should recognize that they are training for competitions and need to practice multiple times a week for 2-3 hours per session. These sessions should include weight training as the body should be finished with puberty where muscle gain will start to make a difference in their building skills. Tumbling and flexibility will take a toll due to muscle growth so attention will to be given to these areas to insure offset the natural loss. n this stage athletes should specialize in their building position. After an athlete has reached their maximum height they will likely have a permanent home position. Train to Win (17+) To coincide with the nternational Cheerleading Union s terminology this category also may be called Premier Cheer. At this level, athletes are training to compete nationally and internationally on club and national teams year-round. These athletes will start to take on the planning of their own training because athletes in this age group will have other life commitments such as work or higher education in addition to needing to address and physical, mental or emotional deficiencies that may hinder their performance. As cheerleaders cannot apply for funding or earn money professionally, they have to juggle their own training schedule. n order to succeed at this level, a minimum of 6-8 hours of weight, speed, and aerobic training has to be included on top of 4-6 hours of team practice a week to put together a competitive routine. For tumbling, level 5+ skills should be expected from athletes at this level unless they have not been exposed to cheerleading before. The key is to continue training the level 5+ skills and eventually develop tumbling skills above the need of a cheerleader for personal growth. For building, this is when an athlete will be training level 6 building skills and expected to have exceptional mental toughness, internal motivation and make lifestyle choices to maximize performance.
For motions, dance and jumps, athletes who had reached this stage progressively should have no problem maintaining their coordination which will allow them to allocate time to other areas that need time spent. For athletes who may not have had copious amount of cheerleading experience, (i.e. an athlete from another sport) more time may have to be spent learning movements specific to cheerleading. nternational Excellence and Podium Performance This category would be for lympic level competition. As cheerleading is progressing towards C recognition, this section will need to be re-evaluated in the future. Active for Life nce in Cheer, always a leader. This stage welcomes cheerleaders of all ages, backgrounds, and performance level. This stage provides opportunities to learn new skills, to be part of a performing group, to try new skill and even to travel internationally to compete. For those who wish to try a new aspect of cheerleading, there are opportunities for coaching, judging, volunteering and working in the sport. This stage is for anyone who has ever participated in cheerleading. t welcomes athletes at advanced ages and athletes with disability. t allows everyone and anyone to continue to have fun with cheerleading, gain fitness, and learn the fundamentals of cheerleading at a level that suits their age, interests, and ability. Athletes can come once a week for an hour each time, 3 times a week for 2 hours each time, or whatever is offered by your nearest cheerleading program. There are no restrictions what they can learn as long as we still follow the progression of skill learning safely.
LTAD Stage Female Male Cheer age grid 1 Active Start Exposure to movement 2 FUdamentals Basic skill development in group classes, focus on fun 3 Learn to train Building the Skills of Cheerleading Recreational with a focus on skill development 4 Train to Train Coming to practices 1-2 times a week aimed at becoming proficient in the skills. 5 Train to Compete Becoming a consistent Competitor Multiple practices a week aimed at the goal of competing 6 Train to Win Winning at All Levels 7 nternational Excellence and Podium Performances 8 Active for Life Life long participation - coaching, judging, club management, accounting, choreographing, technical specialist, etc. 3-5 3-5 5-7 5-8 7-10 10-14 14-21 16+ Any age 8-11 11-15 15-23 18+ Any age T Y M Y U T H J U R S E R 1 to 5r S E R 5 T E R A T A L P E 5 T E R A T AL P E 6 P E
10 key factors that affects LTAD We have chosen to write this document in the language and context of coaches and parents. We know that coaches operate in an ever changing environment, and their commitment to implementing the LTAD is critical. We recognize that many of the subjects covered in this initial document for cheerleading are the collective knowledge of different governing bodies and individual coaches. We have made a decision to launch this development strategy through stages, ensuring each topic can be fully developed through constant feedback and modification. 1. The Fundamentals Success in sport depends on the development of physical literacy. This is defined as competency in fundamental movement skills (run, jump, throw, swim), motor skills (agility, balance, coordination and speed) and basic sport skills. These three key components should be included in all cheerleading gyms to equate physicality to enjoyment. t is our goal to ensure that BCCA members incorporate the basics early in athletes cheerleading training. Children should develop physical literacy before the onset of their growth spurt. Without these basic movement skills and motor skills a child will have difficulty participating in any sport and will have fewer opportunities for athletic success and lifelong enjoyment of physical activity. BCCA recommendations Develop resources that assist coaches to plan and implement appropriate fundamental activities into their lesson. Many playground games naturally teach these skills. t is not always about drills. Fundamental movement and motor skill development needs to be a part of warm up and early season training for all athletes. Best practices should be shared between the community so all athletes can benefit from the collective knowledge. 2. Peak Height Velocity (PHV) Peak Height Velocity refers to the age when the athlete gains height the quickest. This is important in all sports as it can be an indicator on when a window of opportunity for training specific abilities are maximized. BCCA Recommendation dentify PHV by conducting regular height measurements to help identify when athletes will enter, reach and surpass their PHV. dentifying an athlete is one of these stages is not sufficient, training plans should be adapted depending on where an athlete is developmentally (not chronologically).
3. Developmental Age Developmental age refers to the degree of physical, mental, cognitive, and emotional maturity in an individual. Children enter adolescence at different ages and take different lengths of time to complete the process. This process starts at about the age of 10-11 for females and 12-13 for males and usually takes three to four years to compete. The variances in developmental age can create advantages and disadvantages for the individual athlete. n competitive cheerleading, late maturing athletes can have an advantage over early maturers because cheerleading is a sport where athletes can be highly competitive well into their late 20s. Even though the pre-pubescent body has a mechanical advantage over the adult body for the acquisition of tumbling skills required for cheerleading, the physical requirement for high level tumbling is not as demanding as that of a gymnast. Building skills requires an athlete to have more absolute strength at the higher level. BCCA recommendations Educate parents, teachers, coaches and administrators about developmental age and how to consider this as well as the cheerleading age grid in team placements and training. Show coaches how training of early and late matures can be implemented in a team situation. Find a balance between what is appropriate for the child or adolescent in regard to their physical development and their social/emotional needs. 4. Physical, Mental, Cognitive, and Emotional Development A major objective of LTAD is to instill a holistic approach to athlete development. Any training programs should consider the mental, cognitive, and emotional development of each athlete. BCCA Recommendations Coaches foster the whole growth of an athlete. As cheerleading is a team sport, an athlete should learn teamwork, trust, motivation of oneself and others. As cheerleading is also a performance sport, programs should teach an athlete mental toughness. Templates need to be developed to aid all stakeholders in advocating for developing a complete training plan instead of one that is only skill specific. BCCA s mission is to encourage members to demonstrate excellence in sportsmanship, competitiveness, teamwork, commitment and leadership while acting as positive role models and effect ambassadors in their communities. When creating athletic training plans these aspects should be considered.
5. Specialization The tumbling component of cheerleading makes it an early specialization sport because the preadolescent body is more suitable to learn complex motor skills such as tumbling. However, it is critical to maintain a progressive development of all coordination abilities because tumbling only make up one-third of cheerleading skills. There are multiple building skills in cheerleading that requires excellent hand-eye coordination and relies significantly on absolute strength. We should initiate (not specialize) our athletes early and focus on the coordination and exposure to complex motor skills but keep the strength development and hand-eye coordination training as if it's a late specialization sport so we can maximize the athletes' potential. The important balance at these early stages in one of skill development versus performance development. ur sport has seen many examples of young athletes being age group stars, but not continuing to national or international teams. Except in rare cases where athletes reach elite performance prior to adolescence, most elite female cheerleader are in their late teens and early twenties and elite male cheerleader usually peak in their mid to late twenties. BCCA Recommendations BCCA members should provide high quality cheerleading experiences that prepare athletes for a life in sport, and also excites the athlete which may help with athlete retention. Strategies need to be developed to help with athlete identification vs. athlete selection. The advantage of athlete identification is identifying strengths of certain individual athletes in earlier stages of their training for customization. When an athlete joins cheerleading at a late developmental age it is imperative that advanced motor skills development is not overlooked when teaching sport specific skills. 6. Trainability Stamina, strength, speed, skills and suppleness are key factors of training that need to be considered when planning an annual training, competition, and recovery plan for the athlete. Each of these physical capacities is trainable throughout a cheerleaders lifetime, but there are critical periods during which training produces the greatest benefit to each athlete s long-term development. Stamina (endurance) Aerobic endurance is not a primary athletic ability needed in cheerleading; however, endurance still plays an indirect role by helping with recovery between stunt sequences or tumbling passes, recovery between training sessions, dealing with jet lag, acclimatization and recovery from minor injuries. The aerobic system is always trainable and even children under 10 can benefit from endurance activities. t must be kept in mind that if a training plan over-emphasize aerobic endurance training, it can result in a loss of power and strength. Male athletes have the best capacity to increase their endurance between 8-11 and again the year after puberty. Females athletes have the best capacity to increase their endurance between 8-10 and regress after 13 which means in an ideal athletic plan female athletes will focus on their endurance training earlier.
Strength Cheerleaders need to develop both speed-strength and strength-endurance. High resistance and high intensity strength training are effective before puberty; provided by body weight, bungees, partners and other devices that do not load the skeleton with heavy weights. After puberty, the athlete can begin weight training. Strength increases naturally and dramatically 12-18 months after a male athlete reaches his final height (PHV) as strength is related to the increased size and increased hormone levels. Peak Weight Velocity (PWV), or the rapid growth of muscle mass, occurs after PHV and this has a direct impact on increasing the absolute strength capacity of a male cheerleader. n females, PWV is associated with a less dramatic increase in strength and an increase in adiposity, which often results in a decrease in relative strength. n a female athlete weight training after PWV can help mitigate the loss of relative strength. Speed Speed is always trainable, both before and after puberty. For male athletes, the first ideal period for speed training occurs between 7-9 and the second between 13-16. For female athletes, the first ideal period occurs between 6-8 years and the second between 11-13. Before puberty, speed development is likely related to nervous system development and improved coordination. After puberty, speed develops as a function of increasing muscle size and nervous system refinement. Skill Skill is always trainable. As noted above, competitive athletes are at a mechanical advantage to learn complex skills before the onset of their PHV. For all cheerleaders, fundamental movement skills should be developed first as these are the building blocks for learning cheerleading tumbling skills. By age 11 or 12, or more precisely before the onset of the growth spurt, athletes should have should be have proficient basic motor skills and the ABC s of athleticism (agility, balance, coordination and speed). During the time of rapid growth (before and after PHV), special attention should be given to skill training. As there is a sudden increase in body size, limb length, and change in body proportions there may be a deterioration in general and specific skill performance. t may be necessary to reduce training of certain skills or to return to basic skills until the rate of growth has slowed. Parents, coaches and cheerleaders should be educated about the impact of growth on training and performance and should expect a reduction in the rate of skill learning during rapid growth. Suppleness (flexibility) The best time to train suppleness for both male and females occur between 6-10. As with skills, during an athlete s rapid growth they may see a decrease in their level of flexibility. n these situations, special attention is needed when designing individual programs that maintain flexibility and reduce the risk of injury. n cheerleading, flexibility is important not only for injury protection, but also for amplitude and efficiency in technical skill performance and for aesthetic performance qualities.
7. Periodization Periodization is about combining the right activities at the right time to achieve success in the long run. A yearly plan and optimal competition calendar planning is critical. At certain stages, developing the physical capacities should take precedence over competition. At later stages, the ability to compete well becomes the focus. ptimal competition frequency and length of competitive season should be reviewed for all stages of LTAD. As cheerleading is a team sport, we will have to cater to the majority of athletes on the team and potentially design specialized lesson for select individuals. BCCA Recommendations Focus needs to be made not to train male and female athletes the same if on the same team. Targeting the correct training plan accounting for the different ages of the athletes on a team as well as genders will help maximize success. Monitor plans with a scientific eye to make decisions on future revisions to the templates. Ensure that there is a preparation period, competition period and transition period in every season with enough recovery period. Reward coaches who consistently improve athletes individually over time instead of only focusing on team wins. 8. The 10-year rule Several publications have suggested that it takes a minimum of 10 years or 10,000 hours of serious training for a talented athlete to reach elite levels. This translates into an average of more than 3 hours of training daily for 10 years. Athletic development is a long term process. The trap is the belief that early specialization is what is needed to achieve 10,000 hours. The opposite may actually true. This is due to athletes burning out too soon or losing passion for the sport prior to their peak performance. BCCA Recommendations Favour skill mastery over skill acquisition. Training should include multiple positive repetitions of the skills not through competing a routine.
9. System Alignment and ntegration LTAD is athlete-centred, coach driven, and administrator supported (Way, presentation, June, 2006). LTAD recognizes that physical education, school sports, recreational activities and competitive sport are interdependent. A lifetime enjoyment of physical activity and achieving athletic excellence are both built on a foundation of physical literacy and fitness. All elements of cheerleading should be integrated and aligned to achieve these goals. BCCA Recommendations All members of BCCA and cheer in BC - schools, universities, clubs, coaches and the provincial association - must be integrated and aligned. Each stakeholder plays a crucial role in athlete development. Continue the movement towards one set of rules. Grow ways to bring the cheerleading community together and develop positive working relationships with all types of cheerleading. 10. Continuous mprovement LTAD is based on best practice in athlete development. However, knowledge, research and the sport continue to advance. BCCA s LTAD model will respond and adapt to sport innovations that will enhance athlete development. BCCA Recommendations Monitor new developments and research including sport-specific research to explore the concepts and ideas that are currently in use. Best practices should be shared across the country. Formation of an LTAD committee to look at modifications for each stage of development. Educate the importance of LTAD and engage all partners in the process.
References The 10 s of Training and Performance: rienteering Federation https://www.orienteering.co.za/ltpd/10-s s-of-training-and-performance/ Balyi,., Way, R., orris, S., Cardinal, C. & Higgs, C. (2005). Canadian Sport for Life. Vancouver BC: Canadian Sport Centres.