LTAD and Mini Cricket

Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) and Mini Cricket

 

 The Long Term Athlete Development Model is a tool often used by coaches to identify different stages in a player’s development. It helps the coach to plan what elements should be introduced to a player’s game at different points in their career, starting with the basics at the fundamentals stage. Anybody involved in mini cricket should familiarise themselves with the principles of LTAD.

The Long Term Athlete Development Model can be thought of as a method of planning for success, it maps out what needs to be done in order to progress from the basic form of cricket to the elite form of the game. There are 5 main stages in LTAD:-  Fundamentals, Learning to Train, Training to Train, Training to Compete, Training to Win.

Significant emphasis is placed on the importance of early growth and development of young children in cricket. The LTAD model is not just about providing elite players to the sport, it is about helping individuals to achieve their full potential. It is also important to know that the model is not provided for coaches to create a generic coaching structure. Every player will develop physically, mentally and emotionally at different stages of their life. Therefore chronological age is not always a good indicator of what should be taught to a player, it is up to the coaches judgement.

Mini Cricket and the LTAD Fundamentals Stage

The LTAD model is useful for planning how a player should progress at different stages of their career. It begins with the Fundamentals stage and the very basics of cricketing technique and player development.  This is the foundation for helping a player achieve their full potential.
The Fundamenals stage in cricket is concerned with young players in the approximate age group of 6-9 (boys) and 6-8 (girls). It aims to increase the player’s athletic capabilities as well as introducing them to the basics of throwing, catching and ball hitting.

Athletic Capability?
When coaching kids cricket we often refer to the ABC’s. This stands for Agility, Balance, Coordination and Speed.

Agility is the ability to change direction and body position in an effective and quick manner. This is very important in the art of fielding and plays an important role in batting.

Balance is essential for providing a good base for catching, fielding, batting and bowling.

Coordination is concerned with groups of muscles working together to carry out a puposeful action. An example of this would be bowling, which is one of the most unnatural actions. Young players may find it difficult to execute at first but as their coordination develops it will come naturally.

Speed  is important for running between the wickets when batting, restricting runs when fielding and building momentum when bowling.

In the Fundamentals stage mini cricket should be fun and players should have a good attitude towards themselves, their peers and the sport. Coaches should learn to praise all types of efforts given by the youngsters and should not criticise them for trying.

Fundamentals

Ages 6-9 in Boys & 6-8 in Girls

From ages 6-9 in boys and 6-8 in girls, children need to participate in a variety of well-structured activities that develop basic skills. However, activities and programs need to maintain a focus on fun, and formal competition should only be minimally introduced.

Objective: Learn all fundamental movement skills and build overall motor skills.

This is a critical stage for the development of physical literacy, and it is during this time that the foundations of many advanced skills are laid down.

Skill development for children this age is best achieved through a combination of unstructured play in a safe and challenging environment; and quality instruction from knowledgeable teachers/leaders/coaches in community clubs, schools, and minor sport programs. 

       Skill development during this stage should be well-structured, positive and FUN, and should concentrate on developing the ABCs – of Agility, Balance, Coordination and Speed, plus rhythmic activities.

       Hand and foot speed can be developed especially well by boys and girls during this stage and if this window of opportunity to develop speed is missed, body speed later in life may be compromised.

       This is a great age for children to take part in a wide range of sports – and they should be encouraged to take part in land-based and water-based activities at different times of the year.

       It is important that all children including those with a disability, master fundamental movement skills before sport specific skills are introduced.

       Strength, endurance and flexibility need to be developed, but through games and fun activities rather than a training regimen.

       Learning to “read” the movements going on around them and make sound decisions during games are critical skills that should be developed at this stage. 

Things to think about:

Children this age should not specialize in a single sport. Although they may well have a preferred sport that they take part in once or twice a week, they should take part in other sports or activities at least 3 to 4 times per week. Children this age have a strong sense of what is “fair” and should be introduced to the simple rules and ethics of sports. Basic tactics and decision making can be introduced.

Using equipment that is the right size, and that fits well makes learning activities much more enjoyable.

Physical Literacy Activities

       Encourage children to engage in unstructured physical play with their friends every day, regardless of the weather.

       Continue to play catching, throwing, hitting, running and other physically demanding games with both boys and girls. If possible, enroll children in programs that offer a wide variety of different activities (multi-sport programs) or in a wide range of different activities. Try as many different activities as possible.

       Attend parent/teacher, or parent/coach meetings and advocate for quality physical education programs in the school or club – with sufficient time allocated (recommended allocation 150 minutes per week – 30 minutes per day) taught by a qualified physical educator.

       Don’t be concerned with the score. At this age many programs that include competition don’t keep score. This puts the focus of the program on learning and having fun, rather than on doing whatever it takes to win matches, games and leagues.

       Don’t believe the myth that early specialization in sports such as soccer or hockey will lead to far greater performance later in life. Developing all-round athletes at this age is far better, but remember that a few sports (such as gymnastics and figure skating) do require early specialization.

Researched from various sources.