ADM Resources

National Governing Bodies look to maximize the potential of their sport at all levels. By using the ADM’s key concepts, an NGB can look to grow the number of participants in their sport and increase their reach in the United States. The following six steps will help maximize future growth:

• Build an NGB-specific pathway and visual representation to guide members and future champions.
• Encourage increasing the volume of programs and limiting athlete cuts. Emphasize development over results.
• Support multi-sport/activity and cross-training for athletes of all ages.
• Outline and implement age appropriate training practices and duration recommendations for the specific sport, as well as periodization plans for each age level.
• Drive physical literacy development at all age levels to match age and physical ability.
• Provide quality coaching education based on national standards that encourage ADM concepts and age-appropriate teaching.

5 Ways Principles for NGBs

The parent’s role in the sport experience can be one of support and guidance for the athlete’s benefit. The following are recommendations for parents to help ensure positive sport experiences for their children:

• Understand the child’s sport pathway and recognize where they stand in terms of age and development.
• Encourage sport sampling, in which the child plays several different sports up to age 12, at minimum, to help enhance physical literacy and to be sure they find sports they enjoy.
• Encourage multi-sport/activity and cross-training to keep the child from burning out or developing overuse injuries.
• Reward the child for sport development and proficiency over performance outcomes and winning.
• Enroll child in age-appropriate activities to ensure healthy progression and skill development before advancing to a heavy volume of competition.
• Monitor the dose and duration the child is playing each week and encourage rest and recovery.
• Ask for feedback from coaches and administrators on the child’s development and maintain interest in the child’s experience over performance outcomes.
• Support and encourage the child to have fun, keeping their needs at the forefront.

Team USA Parent Youth Sport Resources

The coach’s role is to maximize the potential of their athletes, while helping the athlete or team achieve the best results possible. This power of authority can make or break an athlete’s sport experience. Quality coaches need to constantly develop their tools to help athletes grow and develop. The following recommendations can be used to achieve greater success in coaching:

• Periodize training and rest time for athletes to cut down on overuse injuries and burnout.
• Provide physical literacy (i.e. agility, balance, coordination training) at every practice at every level.
• Use developmentally appropriate drills and practice plans at all levels.
• Operate with an athlete-focused philosophy by creating fun, engaging and challenging sport experiences across all levels of development.
• Provide quality feedback and age-appropriate development benchmarks to parents and athletes.
• Focus on effort and development over outcomes to reinforce physical, technical and tactical advancements over winning.
• Maximize athlete potential and retention at all stages of development.
• Obtain certification as a coach and continue to develop coaching skills, including age-appropriate teaching skills.

Sport clubs and organizations are a key part of both the youth and adult sport experience in the United States. By using key ADM concepts, a sport club can focus on growing their athletes and teams into success stories. Below are 10 key recommendations to help maximize a sport club's impact on the athlete’s sport experience:

• Limit cuts for ages 0-12 in sport programs and focus on developing skills over competition outcomes.
• Use the NGB's sport pathway to design the club's development pathway for participation and competition offerings.
• Provide physical literacy (i.e. agility, balance, coordination training) at every practice for every level.
• Periodize training and rest time for athletes to cut down on overuse injuries and burnout.
• Encourage multi-sport/activity and cross-training to keep athletes active and developing outside of the club's program.
• Use developmentally appropriate drills and practice plans at all levels.
• Provide qualified and certified coaches at all age levels.
• Keep participation/competition costs reasonable. Find ways to increase numbers and retention rates from year to year, season to season.
• Provide quality feedback and age-appropriate development benchmarks to parents and athletes.
• Operate with an athlete-focused philosophy by creating fun, engaging and challenging sport experiences across all levels of development.

The athlete plays the most important part in their sport experience and athletic development. An athlete must learn, develop and achieve physical, mental and emotional success in their sport. The following six recommendations are designed to help athletes achieve their goals and maximize their full potential in sport.

• Develop physical literacy and sport skills every day. Use multi-sport/activity and cross-training to help develop and achieve all-around success.
• Focus on skill proficiency and game development over competition results and performance outcomes at the early stages of sport development.
• Use free-play/pick-up game opportunities to stay active and build creativity outside of structured play.
• Listen to the body and understand that rest and recovery are part of the sport development process.
• Set goals and gather feedback from coaches and administrators to help achieve those goals.
• Stay active year-round and use sport as an outlet for physical activity and exercise.