Abstract
Long-term athletic development practices have been recommended for the past two decades. However, limited research exists exploring the knowledge and skills required by practitioners to optimise long-term athletic development. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, adherence, practices, and challenges of practitioners responsible for delivering long-term athletic development. A mixed methods survey was completed by 236 practitioners (e.g., sport coaches, physical education teachers) consisting of four parts; 1) demographics, 2) knowledge, 3) adherence, and 4) practices and challenges. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed by Friedman's analysis of variance and thematic analyses, respectively. Quantitative findings showed practitioners 1) recognised their responsibility for delivering long-term athletic development, 2) have a familiarity with existing developmental models, and 3) had high adherence, focused upon health and wellbeing, to delivering long-term athletic development. However, practices associated with growth and maturity, monitoring and assessment, and the systematic progression and individualisation of training had lower adherence. Qualitative analysis indicated that practitioner's perceived definitions of athleticism and long-term athletic development were inconsistent, especially according to the psychological components (i.e., confidence). Practitioners' descriptions of their long-term athletic development practices identified two higher order themes; 1) goals, in which long-term athletic development "is for life" and the importance of "an individual centered journey" highlighted as sub-themes; and 2) realities of delivering long-term athletic development, whereby variety in programme delivery, monitoring development and practical challenges were noted as key priorities. Eight practical challenges were identified including governance and priorities, resources, education, early specialization, high training volumes, staff communication, parents and youth motivation. This mixed method survey highlighted a multitude of knowledge, adherence, practices and challenges towards long-term athletic development. These novel findings can help inform policy to optimise long-term athletic development and to support the complex problem of developing a healthier, fitter and more physically active youth population.
Highlights
Youth sport pathways often have multiple goals, ranging from maximising health, fitness and physical activity [1] to creating developmental opportunities for the potential sporting superstars of tomorrow [2]
Knowledge: Responsibility for long-term athletic development. Practitioners stated they were primarily responsible for the development of health and fitness (Yes = 96.1%, Maybe = 3.0%, No = 0.9%), physical performance (Yes = 91.4%, Maybe = 7.3%, No = 1.3%), confidence and competence in a range of movements (Yes = 97.0%, Maybe = 1.3%, No = 1.7%), and reducing the relative risk of injury (Yes = 93.5%, Maybe = 6.0%, No = 0.5%)
Whilst the findings demonstrated practitioners adhered to multi-sport and -activity practices, early sports specialisation was identified as a challenge, which is consistent with a plethora of research in the area (e.g., [2,8,85])
Summary
Youth sport pathways often have multiple goals, ranging from maximising health, fitness and physical activity [1] to creating developmental opportunities for the potential sporting superstars of tomorrow [2]. A series of literature reviews on the concept of long-term athletic development [1,8] culminated in the publication of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) position statement [7]. The concept of long-term athletic development was defined as the “habitual development of athleticism over time to improve health and fitness, enhance physical performance, reduce the relative risk of injury, and develop the confidence and competence of all youth” The NSCA position statement aimed to (a) help foster a more unified and holistic approach to long-term athletic development, (b) promote the benefits of a lifetime of healthy physical activity, and (c) prevent and/or minimize sport and physical activity-related injuries for all boys and girls
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