Athlete Development

LTAD was developed by a group of sport scientists and adopted by the Canadian Government in 2005. It is not reserved solely to high-performance athletes but is, rather, a process that takes participants from the playground to the podium. The purpose and intention of the LTAD principles and philosophies is to provoke a culture change at all levels of physical activity and sport and in doing so:

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• Develop a healthier and more active Canadian population.

• Develop a more efficient domestic infrastructure for high-performance sports in order to achieve best-ever podium results.​

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In 2010, Water Polo Canada published its Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) document entitled, “The pursuit of excellence and an active lifestyle”. This document was developed in collaboration with Sport for Life and in accordance with Sport for Life’s LTAD Framework 1.0. This Framework consisted of a series of life stages that athletes pass through in their development within sport, rather than focusing on their chronological age, providing a basis for how Canadian athletes should develop within Canadian sports. This format is crucial in ensuring that athletes are taught the proper skills in the appropriate order and at the correct phase of their development.

 

Sport for Life has since updated the LTAD Framework, now version 3.0, to reflect Canada’s current sport environment and athlete development philosophy. One of the most significant changes that was made was to the Framework's name which was adjusted from LTAD to Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity (LTDSPA). The intention behind the change was:

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•  to include all types of sport and physical activity, whether athlete focused or not;

•  to emphasize the importance of quality sport and physical activity; and

• to make it clear that Long-Term Development in sport requires long-term development of not just athletes, but also of coaches, officials, administrators and those individuals elected to run sports. 

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In response to these Framework revisions, Water Polo Canada has developed supplementary documentation with the intention of garnering a strategic, precise and in-depth look at athlete and participant development in Canadian sport. One of the most valuable of these auxiliary documents is the Athlete Development Matrix (ADM).

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The ADM provides details regarding specific skills, capacities and characteristics that athletes should cultivate during each stage of the LTDSPA Framework, is to ensure that athletes are afforded the opportunity to reach their potential. Water Polo Canada created this ADM in order to support and guide our stakeholders in optimizing the growth and development of each Canadian water polo athlete. The five skill components are considered - life skills, physical capacity, psychological skills, tactical skills and technical skills – creating a comprehensive blueprint for Water Polo Canada’s sport stakeholders to follow.