resources

Coaching Resources and Communications

Beyond NCCP courses, there are numerous coaching resources and communications for coaches of all levels.

Please visit our Policies and Procedures page.

The Canadian Sport For Life Movement published the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model. Developed by Canada’s sport leaders, the model describes what kids should be doing at specific ages and stages in their development.

Long Term Athlete Development Plan for Gymnastics

Together with Gymnastics Canada and the other provincial associations, Gymnastics BC has customized and adopted the LTAD for gymnastics.

The LTAD is a model for development in physical activity and sport to provide a safe, enjoyable and progressive pathway for children and youth to pursue healthy physical activity along with a pathway to excellence.

The age of the participant in each stage will vary with the gymnastic discipline. Generally speaking, rhythmic and women’s artistic gymnastics will have the youngest athletes, while men’s artistic, aerobic, and trampoline gymnastics will have slightly older athletes.

In all cases, there is an overlap of ages between each stage, which reflects the need to recognize individually varied rates of growth and maturation.

Eight stages

Click on the titles below for more information

LTAD Stage	Female ages	Male ages
Stage 1: Active Start	0 to 6 years	0 to 6 years
Stage 2: Fun, Fitness and Fundamental Movement Patterns	6 to 8 years	6 to 8-9 years
Stage 3: Building the Skills of Gymnastics	7 to 9 years	9 to 10 years
Stage 4: Specialization in a Gym Discipline	9 to 11 years	10 to 12 years
Stage 5: Becoming a Consistent Competitor	10-11 to 13 years	12 to 15 years
Stage 6: Winning at All Levels	13-14 to 18 years	15 to 18 years
Stage 7: International Excellence and Podium Performances	16+ years	18+ years
Stage 8: Gymnastics for Life / Active for Life	any age	any age