Principles around Athlete Development
Hey guys,
With the introduction of our FUNdamentals Coaching Programme this year we have started having discussions with coaches across the country around the concept of Athlete Development.
After this I thought it would be relevant to showcase our principles around this concept and the idea of assessment.
Within our club we have different stages of our Athlete Development Pathway. We have our structure of classes the following way:
- FUNdamentals
- Learning to Train
- Training to Train
- Training to Compete
- Training to Win
- Retention
In other terms they look like this:
- 4-6 Programme
- 7-10 Junior Calisthenics Programme
- 11-14 Teen Programme
- Level 2 Group
- Competition Group
- Adult Programme
While there are age groups within this structure, after having this discussion with coaches I think it is important to note that age is not the only barometer of assessment or deciding what group a person should go in. Age does not define where an athlete or young child is on their journey or what stage of this pathway they are on. We all develop at different rates and we are all unique. We all also have different aims whether young or adult around physical training. Some kids want to be world champions, others want to have fun with their friends.
What I think as coaches and also parents we need to understand is that somebody should not just be assessed by their age. Age is only one aspect to look at when potentially assessing an athlete or young person.
When we are looking at a child and deciding what class they should potentially go into yes the first thing a parent might do is look for the age group that suits their child and place them into that class. That is fine and completely understandable and logical. This might be how we initially group our kids, but what is important as coaches to then look at is the athlete’s development overall.
So what do we mean by this?
Calisthenics Athlete
When we begin to look at a child and deciding what stage of the pathway they are on, or what is most suitable to their needs, we are not just looking at their physical development or age.
There are a huge amount of variables that need to be taken into consideration:
Physical
Physically are they at the right stage of development to be considered to move up into the next stage of our development pathway?
In the examples we give for our class we have our FUNdamentals Assessment Chart in our 4-6 groups and our Levels 1-3 Movement Charts in our 7-10 groups.
Can they complete these movements? If they can, does age play a part in ticking this aspect off? Not really. A six year old could tick everything off on the FUNdamentals Chart, even five potentially. Would it make sense to move them? Again, potentially depending on other aspects that are not just physical. Another example would be a twelve year old that potentially can’t tick off everything on the FUNdamentals Chart. If they can’t does it make sense to place them in our FUNdamentals Programme? Physically? Yes. Socially? No. This is why physical development is not our only gauge for assessment or athlete development.
Emotional
Emotional development. If we are trying to actually help the development of a child or young athlete then we are not just looking at physical components when it comes to our programmes.
As mentioned, a five year old may tick off every movement on our FUNdamentals chart, but socially would it benefit them to interact with an older group who are potentially physically stronger. If they are currently in a group that they have a lot of confidence in and good social interaction does it make sense to take them out of that environment where the other group are potentially more physically capable and we risk losing the confidence we have worked hard to build up. In our experience through that short sighted way of thinking we have lost kids from our own programmes.
Under the emotional heading when we are looking at athlete assessment is probably the most significant. There are a huge amount of variables under that heading that we consider when placing a child in a certain stage of our pathway.
CONFIDENCE – BUILDING OR LOSING?
Will moving them into another group or the next stage of the pathway help build their confidence up or is it risking losing confidence? This is the first question we have to look at and answer before we consider it. They may be ready physically but if the answer to this is no then there is no reason to move them because in our experience this will not keep them in the sport long-term. It destabilises them and causes them to regress emotionally, and this is the opposite of what we are trying to develop with anyone involved in our club or any athlete in our sport.
If we are not going to develop their confidence by moving them, then why do it?
I probably keep someone in a certain group for longer but that is for this reason. I am in no rush to move them up just for the sake of it. If someone has turned seven but does not want to move up yet, what am I gaining by pushing them into an entirely new group of people and creating uncertainty for them? I am not building confidence in an athlete, I am losing it. Age is not the determining factor when we move people into certain groups, the idea of building or losing confidence is one of the biggest and definitely more important than their age.
On the flip side to that, you can have someone who is technically five or six and emotionally ready to move into the next stage of development. In my opinion it is about us developing a positive relationship with each individual so that we understand whether they are emotionally ready to move into another group or not.
Cognitive
From a cognitive understanding we need to look at whether socially they would interact well with another group or not. We need to look at their social maturity and whether or not it will benefit them moving into another group. Their developmental age from a social maturity aspect can be very different to their relative age. All parents have heard or said this before about certain kids becoming teenagers before they actually are for example!
For us this is an important aspect to gauge. We need to be able to assess and understand if socially they will interact well with another group and enjoy being part of that group. Will they be able to engage in conversation with the next group and have fun with them, or will they be a bit lost? It’s a huge aspect of deciding whether or not a child should stay where they are or be moved.
This is why as part of our club it is so important that we get to know the kids and everyone involved. What do they like, what are their interests outside of the club? This transpires when they interact with other kids. We need to ensure for their sake that they won’t be lost when moving into another group.
An example could be that a child at six has a huge interest in Pokémon. However if we moved them up into a group predominantly full of 9 year olds what they are interested in and talk about could be completely different. Then they have a completely different experience of our club in that group because they can’t relate to others like they could previously. This is such an important aspect to consider. As we have already said, it is not just about physical skills.
Calisthenics Athlete
As coaches we have to ensure that all these things link together. If we can answer yes to all of the questions above only then can we actually consider moving someone up to another group. If one aspect doesn’t link up, then from our point of view it doesn’t make sense to move them.
This is all part of our long term athlete development plan. We are taking a long term view of each athlete and we have the specific aim of each person becoming physically literate and active for life. I think this can only happen if there is a structured and long term view at we how we develop each person that comes into our club and not looking short term.
As always feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions.
Jamie