Long term athlete development

This module focuses on how to develop players as part of a long-term process throughout childhood and into adolescence. By considering the players’ development over time, the coach should help their players to maximise their potential by ensuring they are physically competent to play the game in the present and to create the physical foundations which will allow them to play the game in the future.

The physiological factors of growth and maturation of the players will be discussed, as well as the difference between chronological and biological age. This should give the coach a better understanding of the physiological challenges of training children. The module will also examine the long term athlete development framework that is common in many sports and it will focus on the first stages as they relate to the physical development of children in sport.

By the end of this module the coach should better understand the theory and practice of physically developing young children to play the game of rugby.