Coach education programs in Canada and abroad have recently been framed around Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD), a seven-stage model that is based on the physical, mental, emotional, and cognitive development of children and adolescents. To date, limited empirical research on LTAD exists. The primary objective of this study was to identify whether individuals who completed a coach education course acquired an understanding of LTAD and whether they integrated this knowledge into their coaching practice. The secondary purpose was to identify information that could be used to improve the coach education program as well as the effectiveness of youth sport coaching in cross-country skiing. Results indicated the course was an effective technique for delivering the core principles of LTAD to coaches with little or no prior knowledge of the concept. As well, coaches successfully integrated the principles of LTAD into their coaching practices. These results are discussed in regard to improving the effectiveness of youth sport coaching.
CôtéJ.BrunerM.EricksonK.StrachanL.Fraser-ThomasJ., Athlete Development and Coaching, in: LyleJ.CushionC. eds., Sports Coaching: Professionalisation and Practice, Churchill Livingstone, London, 2010, 63–84.
2.
PelletierL. G.FortierM. S.VallerandR. J.BrièreN. M., Associations Among Perceived Autonomy Support, Forms of Self-Regulation, and Persistence: A Prospective Study, Motivation and Emotion, 2001, 25, 279–306.
3.
SmithR. E.SmollF. L.CurtisB., Coaching Behaviors in Little League Baseball, in: SmollF. L.SmithR. E. eds., Psychological Perspectives on Youth Sports, Hemisphere, Washington, DC, 1978, 173–201.
4.
CoatsworthJ. D.ConroyD. E., The Effects of Coach Training on Self-Esteem in Youth Swimmers: Age and Gender Effects, Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 2006, 7, 173–192.
5.
SmithR. E.SmollF. L., Self-Esteem and Children's Reactions to Youth Sport Coaching Behaviors: A Field Study of Self-Enhancement Processes, Developmental Psychology, 1990, 26, 987–993.
6.
CastelliD. M.HillmanC. H.BuckS. M.ErwinH. E., Academic Achievement in Third- and Fifth-Grade Students, Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 2007, 29, 239–252.
7.
ShephardR. J., Physical Activity and the Healthy Mind, Canadian Medical Association Journal, 1983, 128, 525–530.
NewinJ.BloomG. A.LougheadT. M., Youth Ice Hockey Coaches' Perceptions of a Team-Building Intervention Program, The Sport Psychologist, 2008, 22, 54–72.
11.
SmithR. E.SmollF. L.CummingS. P., Effects of a Motivational Climate Intervention for Coaches on Young Athletes' Sport Performance Anxiety, Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2007, 29, 39–59.
12.
SullivanP. J.GeeC., The Effects of Different Coaching Education Content on the Efficacy of Coaches, International Journal of Coaching Science, 2008, 2, 59–66.
13.
HiggsC.BalyiI.WayR.CardinalC.NorrisS.BluechardtM., Developing Physical Literacy: A Guide for Parents of Children Ages 0 to 12: A Supplement to Canadian Sport for Life, Canadian Sport Centres, Vancouver, BC, 2008.
14.
NorrisS. R., Long-Term Athlete Development Canada: Attempting System Change and Multi-Agency Cooperation, Current Sports Medicine Report, 2010, 9, 379–382.
LangM.LightR., Interpreting and Implementing a Long Term Athlete Development Model: English Swimming Coaches' Views on the (Swimming) LTAD in Practice, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 2010, 5, 389–402.
17.
BalyiI.HamiltonA., Long-Term Athlete Development: Trainability in Childhood and Adolescence. Windows of Opportunity. Optimal Trainability, National Coaching Institute British Columbia & Advanced Training and Performance Ltd, Victoria, BC, 2004.
18.
BlackD. E.HoltN. L., Athlete Development in Ski Racing: Perceptions of Coaches and Parents, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 2009, 4, 245–260.
19.
GrangeJ.GordonR., Success is Long Term: Long Term Athlete Development Related to the Journey Through Swimming, Amateur Swimming Association, Loughborough, 2004.
20.
StaffordI., Coaching for Long-Term Athlete Development: To Improve Participation and Performance in Sport, Coachwise, Leeds, UK, 2005.
21.
IsraelB. A.SchulzA. J.ParkerE. A.BeckerA. B., Review of Community-Based Research: Assessing Partnership Approaches to Improve Public Health, Annual Review of Public Health, 1998, 19, 173–202.
22.
LennieJ., Increasing the Rigour and Trustworthiness of Participatory Evaluations: Learnings from the Field, Evaluation Journal of Australasia, 2006, 6, 27–35.
23.
PapineauD.KielyM., Participatory Evaluation in a Community Organization: Fostering Stakeholder Empowerment and Utilization, Evaluation and Program Planning, 1996, 19, 79–93.
24.
GilbourneD.RichardsonD., A Practitioner-Focused Approach to the Provision of Psychological Support in Soccer: Adopting Action Research Themes and Processes, Journal of Sports Sciences, 2005, 23, 651–658.
25.
LewinK., Action Research and Minority Problems, Journal of Social Issues, 1946, 2, 34–46.
26.
McHenryS. L., Looking for a Plan of Action? Try Action Research, School Nursing, 2006, 21, 20–22.
27.
SimonsonL.BushawV., Participatory Action Research: Easier Said Than Done, The American Sociologist, 1993, 24, 27–37.
ViswanathanM.AmmermanA.EngE.GartlehnerG.LohrK. N.GriffithD.RhodesS.Samuel-HodgeC.MatyS.LuxL.WebbL.SuttonS. F.SwinsonT.JackmanA.WhitenerL., Community-Based Participatory Research: Assessing the Evidence. Summary, Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 99, Prepared by RTI–University of North Carolina Evidence-Based Practice Center, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD, 2001.
30.
SchinkeR. J.YungblutH. E.BlodgettA.PeltierD.RitchieS.Recollet-SaikonnenD., The Role of Families in Youth Sport Programming Within a Canadian Aboriginal Community, The Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2010, 3, 156–166.
31.
SweetL., Telephone Interviewing: Is it Compatible with Interpretive Phenomenological Research?, Contemporary Nurse, 2002, 12, 58–63.
32.
RubinH. J.RubinS. J., Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data, Sage, London, 1995.
33.
CreswellJ.W., Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2009.
34.
SmollF. L.CummingS. P.SmithR. E., Enhancing Coach-Parent Relationships in Youth Sport: Increasing Harmony and Minimizing Hassle, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 2011, 6, 45–46.
35.
PellegriniA. D.SmithP. K., Physical Activity Play: The Nature and Function of a Neglected Aspect of Play, Child Development, 1998, 69, 577–598.
36.
PetitpasA., Enhancing Coach-Parent Relationships in Youth Sport: Increasing Harmony and Minimizing Hassle, A Commentary, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 2011, 6, 45–46.
37.
FrisbyW.ReidC.MillarS.HoeberL., Putting ‘Participatory’ into Participatory Forms of Action Research, Journal of Sport Management, 2005, 19, 367–386.
