LONG-TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT - Skate Canada

The fourth stage in Skate Canada’s LTADM is Train to
Compete. At this stage we begin to see progression to
national-level competitions and, potentially, expose
certain athletes to international opportunities. Coaches
will begin to rely on and manage the expertise of other
individuals to foster a solid support team for athletes.
The chronological ages of participants in this stage are:
L o n g - Te r m A t h l e t e D e v e l o p m e n t
865 Sheord Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1J 1H9
Phone 613.747.1007 I Toll Free 1.888.747.2372 I Fax 613.748.5718 I Toll Free Fax 1.877.211.2372
Female Male
Train to Compete 10 – 16 11 – 17
Philosophy
The Train to Compete stage emphasizes the pursuit
of excellence at the national level. Athletes with the
required abilities will also be exposed to the demands
of international competitions. Athletes will be focused
exclusively on figure skating when they reach this stage.
General Objectives
T R A I N T O C O M P E T E
• To refine and sequence basic sport skills at
competition intensity/density
• To increase and improve athletes’ repertoires of
skills in practice and to increase the success rate
of the skills executed in competition
• To foster growth of athletes in specific disciplines
in preparation for national and international
levels of competition (as applicable). At this
stage coaches, skaters and parents need to
ensure that athletes are in the discipline that
will best maximize their development and
achievement in the sport
• To develop/consolidate new artistic knowledge
through programs/choreography tailor-made
for the athlete(s) but also in other on and off-ice
activities
• To develop general and specific physical
conditioning identified through scheduled
fitness tests while further optimizing ancillary
capacities (i.e. knowledge of warm-up, cooldown,
stretching, nutrition, hydration, rest and
recovery, etc.)
35
• To further develop theoretical knowledge and
practice of fundamental mental skills. The Ideal
Performance State is developed and refined
• To increase the overall number of competitions,
while also providing opportunities for national
and/or international-type competitions for
athletes with the required abilities
• To develop the performance capacity of
the athlete/team in order to reach peak
performance at pre-determined times of the
year.
Windows of Optimal Trainability
The following physiological factors must be refined and
consolidated through specific programming and coaching
and in accordance with age and gender:
3 Skills (further develop)
3 Speed (female: 11-13; male: 13-16)
3 Suppleness (Flexibility) (further develop)
3 Stamina (onset of PHV)
3 Strength (female: immediately after PHV and
onset of menarche; male 12-18 months after
PHV)
Photo: Stephan Potopnyk
T R A I N T O C O M P E T E