Comparison Between Early Specialization
and Multilateral Development
Comparison Between Early Specialization and Multilateral Development
Early Specialization
•
•
•
•
•
Quick performance improvement
Best performance achieved at 1516 years because of quick
adaptation
Inconsistency of performance in
competitions
By age of 18 many athletes were
burned out and quit the sport
Multilateral Program
•
•
•
Slower performance improvements
Best performance at 18 and older,
the age of physiological and
psychological maturation
Consistency of performance in
competitions
•
Fewer injuries
•
Longer athletic life
Prone to injury because of forced
adaptation and over use.
Trainability of Youth Athletes
•Youth Training requires a specific and different approach to design
and implementation of physical preparation. Young people cannot
merely be considered mini adults. The physiological makeup of
children and adolescents is markedly different from that of mature
adults. What constitutes appropriate strength training and metabolic
conditioning for a young player is therefore determined by and is
specific to, the individual player’s stage of development.
Peak height velocity
•PHV refers to the period of growth and development when the individual’s growth
is undergoing the most rapid period of change. For this reason, PHV is used towards
informing, generally, when important developmentally significant events will occur
In order to be able to fully individualize training for every athlete.
•PHV assessment is the most widely accepted and recognised method for the
determination of maturity and onset of development.
•The practitioner looks for the association between chronological age and
the change in stretch stature (height). The basic premise is to track the age and
height of the individual over time to calculate the Age at Peak Height Velocity
(APHV).
•It is essential that we identify each athlete’s peak height velocity (PHV) to assist
with the determination of the individual’s level of readiness for various physical
training areas of emphasis along with the prescription of the corresponding
training loads (volume, intensity, duration, etc.).
*For measuring protocol see www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19034174 for details
Minimum V02 max gains pre
puberty aerobic capacity
training pre PHV
Nervous system is nearly fully developed
by approx 7 years of age. CNS contains a
great deal of plasticity, or ability to adapt
0-12 years- intro ABCs – sport specific
movements before 12 years of age.
No high intensity
anaerobic training due to
under developed glycolysis
energy system until post
PHV
No Hypertrophy gains
Until post PHV,
strength via neural
adaptations
Muscle tightness develops when bones
lengthen due to joint tightness, possible
injuries.Increase flexibility during onset of PHV.
.
Summary windows of trainability
LTAD is based on research that identifies ‘critical periods’, or ‘windows of trainability’, in the
life of a young person during which the effects of training can be maximised. This has led to
the notion that young people should be exposed to specific types of training during periods
of rapid growth and that the training type should change with the pattern of growth.
Windows of Trainability
Speed
•Younger male and female children between the ages of 7-11 need to focus on speed
development from both a neurological (nervous system and pattern development) and
muscular (full active range of motion at the hip and knee) perspective.
•It is important to train proper movement on a consistent basis so in the long run there is a
good mind to body connection. (motor programming).
•By teaching proper running mechanics you are teaching the player to be fast. You are
creating a solid motor program. (Motor programs are basically patterns of movement
developed by connecting messages from the brain to the muscles in the body with out
thinking)
•Young athletes are better served learning proper running mechanics and participating in
fun activities such as relays or obstacle courses. As the child grows and develops these
movements become automatic.
Training for speed leaves a blue print for future development.
Speed
1. Mechanics – Perform very simple mechanic drills in the warm-up (e.g. heel flicks, toe
over knee, march drill & arm action )
2. Neural Drills – relatively low intensity drills that promote rapid footwork e.g. ladders,
sticks, lines and hoops.
3. Planned Drills – Agility courses, multi directional and deceleration sprints, left & right
foot starts.
4. Reaction Drills – drills that require reacting to a stimulus before performing an
appropriate speed action e.g. mirror an opponent & high speed 1v1 drills.
1.Mechanics :
Heel flicks
March- progress into skip
Toe over knee
Arm action
Deceleration
•It is important to have the correct technique for deceleration and change of direction.
•Most ACL injuries occur as a result of stopping and changing of direction.
•It is important to teach the proper neuromuscular coordination (mind to muscle) for these
actions.
•It is important for the athlete to lower his/her hips when decelerating.
•It is important that the athlete take small steps to slow down when decelerating.
•In picture 3 the athlete is purposely dorsi-flexed (toes up) to create a
“quadriceps/hamstring” co-contraction. This causes both the hamstring muscle and the
quadriceps muscle to contract at the same time.
•If the quadriceps muscle group contracts before the hamstring muscle group there is
unwanted action of the thigh bone (femur) sliding over the shin bone (tibia). This forces a
lot of strain on the anterior cruciate ligament
Jumping
•Upon turning or landing from a jump, ground reaction forces can be up to 8x
bodyweight.
•The muscles must be able to absorb these forces so they are not all transferred
to joint structures
It is well understood by movement experts that it is easier to develop a new
motor pattern than it is to try to remodel an old, inefficient and incorrect
motor pattern which was learnt at an earlier age.
Aerobic capacity
•Children have relatively poorer aerobic capacities due to limitations in cardiovascular and
respiratory mechanisms, and lower mechanical efficiency. However, prior to PHV children
demonstrate adaptations to endurance training & aerobic capacity training can be
introduced. Aerobic training produces peripheral adaptations, such as greater capillary and
mitochondrial density, which allow muscles to exercise for prolonged periods
Numerous SSG’s and possession drills have been shown to produce aerobic
training intensities.
SSGs e.g. < 4 v 4s induce high intensities in early puberty ages, measures should
be taken to reduce the intensity.
This can be done in the following ways:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Use smaller pitches.
Do not encourage pressing
4v4 Pitch size: 16 v 24 m
Use long duration intervals (> 6min)
Emphasise creativity and skill
Use no keepers but have goals for increased defensive shape
Aerobic power training
•Loads should be progressed, with longer durations and the utilisation of more high
intensity drills. When appropriate, intensity and pressing should be emphasised so players
learn to perform techniques under pressure.
• Increasingly, larger sided games (increase pitch size) will be utilised to improve positional
and tactical awareness.
Soccer Drill
Small
Medium
Large
3-aside
12 v 20m
15 v 25 m
18 v 30 m
4-aside
16 v 24 m
20 v 30 m
24 v 36 m
3-aside possession
15 v 20 m
20 v 25 m
25 v 30 m
4-aside possession
20 v 25 m
25 v 30 m
30 v 35 m
Outside Support – 4v4- VO2max
Size
~ 30 x 30
Numbers 16- 4 Teams of 4
Equipment
Balls, cones
Form four 4-aside teams.
2 teams are positioned on the outside of the area, with 2 teams in
the playing area. Players on the outside are restricted to movement
within ½ of their side, as indicated by the flags
Teams within the centre aim to keep possession. Players can pass to
teammates or any of the outside players. Outside players maximum
of 2 touches.Emphasise: Support movement, Early decision making
Variations: Restrict touches of outside or inside players, Outside
players can pass one to another outside player before ball is played
into the centre, Man-to-man
Strength training
The following guidelines should be followed when starting a strength-training
program with young athletes.
1. Develop joint flexibility:
Most strength training exercises use the entire range of motion of major joints, especially
the knees, ankles, and hips. Good joint flexibility prevents strain and pain around the
knees, elbows and other joints. Ankle flexibility should be a concern for all players,
especially beginners. Good flexibility prevents stress injuries.
Develop ankle flexibility during prepubescence & pubescence.
2. Develop tendon strength before muscle strength:
Muscle strength always improves faster than the tendon's ability to withstand tension
& the ligament's resistance to preserve the integrity of the bones forming a joint.
Faulty use of the principle of specificity and the lack of planning a long term, progressive
program may result in the constant stress of body parts (muscles and joints) involved
solely in the chosen sport.
A lack of anatomical adaptation prior to starting a rigorous
strength program can result in injuries to the muscles and
their attachments.
Strength training
3. Develop core strength (stabilisers) before limbs (prime movers)
Your arms and legs are only as strong as the trunk of your body.
A poorly developed trunk is a weak support for your working limbs.
Your program must first strengthen your core before focusing on your
arms and legs.
Your core acts as a shock absorber for jumps, rebounds, and plyometric exercises.
The core stabilizes your body and acts as a link between arms and legs.
Weak core muscles fail, and limit your ability to perform to your highest level.
4. Train Movements, Not Individual Muscles:
Players must resist training muscles in isolation. The purpose of strength training for
football is to simulate sport skills. Football skills are multijoint movements that happen in a
certain order, called a kinetic chain.
According to the principle of specificity, your body position and limb angles should
resemble those for the sport.
When you train movements, your muscles are integrated and strengthened
to perform the football movements with more power
Summary
•Preadolescents have a considerable potential for motor learning.
•Fundamentals before sport specific skills
•Teaching basic movement mechanics for running, decelerating, jumping, landing
and changing direction should form a fundamental part of training in all young
players.
•Changes in musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems during and
after puberty have major implications for metabolic conditioning.
•There are marked differences between prepubescent and adolescent players in
terms of aerobic and anaerobic training.
•Before puberty, young athletes have very limited capacity for anaerobic training,
post puberty introduce anaerobic training gradually.
Implications for the coach
1) Think about growth stages rather than ages
2) Think how changes in physical proportions will affect performance
3) Help children understand the changes taking place in their bodies
4) Set standards of performance according to developmental age not
chronological age
5) Group children according to physical development, using height and weight
as a guide
6) Encourage skill learning for all your athletes, late developers could be very
successful later
7) Don't use exercises which place excessive force on bone growth regions
during periods of maximum growth.