Training Systems
Providing a developmental blueprint for skiers and snowboarders
The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Training Systems have been designed to ensure that all athletes, coaches, and parent members of U.S. Ski & Snowboard have the best possible opportunity to fulfill their athletic dreams and talent. They are based on a long-term athlete development model (LTAD) for skiers and riders that emphasize age-appropriate training and competition.
The U.S. Ski & Snowboard training systems detail athlete development in all phases and domains. Before anything else, the following three concepts are the foundation for everything we do as clubs, coaches, athletes, and parents. Increased capacity in these areas, necessary for performance at the highest levels, builds over a long period of time.
Fundamentals: a focus on building basic skills in all areas of the sport that will lead to high performance of more specialized skills over time.
Athleticism: the application of fundamental skills through a multitude of environments and sports focusing on building higher capacity in all elements of physical fitness and health.
Passion: the fuel drives athletes to pursue the sport with joy, grit, and perseverance sustaining a lifetime of constant improvement and enjoyment.
Each sport's training system is based on a document called the training system matrix. The matrix contains the fundamental information to direct sport participation, conditioning, technique and tactics, equipment selection and maintenance, performance psychology and competition in each sport. In one page, parents, athletes, coaches, and clubs can see how programming builds through the phases to lead to an individual's full potential. Choose your sport below for the matrix and detailed information behind each box in the matrix.
Long-Term Athlete Development, is the managed developmental progression for an athlete that will both maximize their long-term potential and enjoyment in their sport.
It is individualized, based on science, and factors one's development physiologically, cognitively and socially, as well as their experience in their sport. LTAD identifies optimal training, competition and recovery programming with relation to biological development and maturation (Balyi).
With the LTAD approach, the athlete, coach, and parents are more focused on long-term gains than immediate, short-term competition successes.
Without realizing the hazards of a short-term approach, many athletes find that success early in sport does not translate to future performance because they neglected key developmental areas, or failed to maximize their opportunities at the right times in their development.
The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Training Systems outline the path to sustainable long-term performance broken down for each sport.
Resources
View AllAlthough the United States has seen great success in skiing and snowboarding at the international level, we can do better at all levels. The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Training Systems are based on scientific research to develop a systematic approach based on the concepts of biological and training age. Putting U.S. Ski & Snowboard Training Systems to work will result in smarter coaching, better competition, more enjoyment, and ultimately greater success. The outcome is a better experience for everyone involved.