This past weekend Grand Master Chong Lee delivered the new WTF Canada Instructors Course in my city. It is inline with Sport Canada's new Long-Term Athlete Development Program developed by the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). Just wondering if any fellow Canadians have heard of or taken this course?

A few years ago in my coaching course I did at University through the Human Kinetics Depertment, I was given an overview of the general "Canadian Sport for Life" program and was told that each sport sanctioned by Sport Canada would eventually have to develop their own, sport specific, model. The idea behind LTAD is two fold. One part is ensuring that all Canadians have access to sports, being able to enter at any age and continue being active for life, the other part is ensuring that those athletes who make a commitment to elite sport competition are given the chance to do so, with the ultimate goal being the Olympic Medal Podium.

If you guys have any questions/comment or would like me to discuss it further just write back here. I just found the course very eye opening and interesting. Also, apparently in the next two years, any school operating under WTF Canada must have instructors trained in this course teaching in their school, something to think about...

--------------------------------------------------------------
NL TKD Academy "Home of the Champions"

Exerpt from "Tae Kwon Do Sport for Life"

"Tae Kwon Do Canada's LTAD Framework includes 8 stages of development. Tae kwon do's model is also distinguished by two distinct streams of participation; a performance stream aimed at achieving excellence in tae kwon do; and a recreation stream aimed at building participation and wellbeing through tae kwon do. Within each stream a participant may choose to engage in tae kwon do as a martial art or combative tae kwon do, which is referred to as "tae kwon do sport".

Active Start ages 3-5
FUNdamentals males 6-9, females 6-8
Learn to train males 10-12, females 9-11
Train to Train males 12-16, females 11-15
Train to compete males 16-18+, females, 15-17+
Learn to win males 18-21+, emales, 17-19+
Train to win males 21+, females, 19+
Active for life all ages

Why LTAD

Without a consistent approach for athlete development, participants within Tae kwon do often suffer the short comings and consequences below:

Short Comings:           & nbsp;           &nbs p;            & nbsp; 
-Adult training methods and competition programs are imposed on developing
 athletes
Consequences:
- Inconsistent or poor basic skill development that needs to be retrained later in life
SC:
Training methods and competition programs designed for male athletes are imposed on female athletes
Con:
Female athletes drop out or are under represented due to innapropraite programs
SC:
chronological rather than developmental age is used in training and competitive planning
Con:
Failure to to consistently reach optimal performance levels in international and Olympic competition
SC:
Athletes are encouraged to engage in competitive events before they are ready
Con:
Participants leave Tae Kwon Do because they do not hvefun or feel failure in competition
SC:
Inconsistent standards for belt testing expose inadequate skill levels during combatitive matches
Con:
Combative athletessustain major injuries including head trauma due to lach of adequate experience or skill level
SC:
Children compete in single elimination events that limit combative experiences
Con:
Parents are not willing to spend time and money on competirions where their children will be eliminated early. No systematic development of the next generation of successful international athletes 

--------------------------------------------------------------
NL TKD Academy "Home of the Champions"