OTTAWA SOUTH UNITED SOCCER
Ranked #1 Soccer Club in Ottawa

LTPD Outline

Canada Soccer's Pathway within Ottawa South United

 

Since the introduction of the Wellness to World Cup plan from Canada Soccer, OSU Soccer has actively worked to embrace and implement the principles of Long-Term Player Development (LTPD). As a full-service club, OSU strives to provide programming which is age and stage appropriate for all participants.

What is LTPD?

LTPD is a model of athlete development that parallels what doctors and psychologists have long used to better understand human development: as a series of distinct stages, which takes us from infancy through to adulthood. A person's abilities, behavious and emotions, as well as their understanding of the world around them, varies from stage to stage.

Similarly, experts in sport science have identified seven stagesof development — each with its own physical and psychological characteristics —that form the basis for LTPD. When young soccer players are able to train and compete in an evironment that's appropriate to their stage of development, they not only perform at their best, they also have more fun.

Why LTPD?

We don't expect kids to compete in spelling bees without first teaching them their ABCs. When activities and expectations don't match with a child's developmental stage, this can set them up for failure.

The same is true when young children are thrust into a soccer environment that over-emphasizes winning at the expense of developing skills and having fun. The negative consequences can last a lifetime: Some kids develop bad habits and poor skills and can become discouraged. Many don't achieve their performance potential. Others end up leaving the sport altogether because they don't enjoy the game.

Below are a few ways in which OSU Soccer embraces the principles of LTPD within our programming

 

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