Softball Canada Releases Athlete Development Matrix

Softball Canada — 20 November 2018 — Angela Ballantyne

Ottawa, Ont. – Softball Canada is proud to announce the official release of its Athlete Development Matrix (ADM). This document will act as Softball Canada’s new athlete development model. It has been developed with the help and contributions of experts from softball, adolescent growth and development and sport performance.

“The development of this guide is the result of many hours of consultation and discussion from numerous contributors, whom should all be proud of their involvement in developing this document” said Angela Ballantyne, Manager – LTPD Programs for Softball Canada. “Without their valuable contributions and teamwork, this new outlook on the development of softball athletes in Canada wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you to each and every person who took part in this process.”

The Athlete Development Matrix (ADM) is an outline of the skills and attributes of athletes progressing through each stage of development to provide the greatest probability of success to the individual as they mature – not just with athletic success but also participation for health and social benefits.

Softball Canada’s ADM is a document to help guide athletes, parents, coaches, local associations and steer softball’s National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) content. It lays out in great detail what an athlete should be able to do at each stage of their Long-Term Player Development (LTPD). Softball’s ADM ensures that athletes do not miss critical skills early in learning the game therefore leading to more successful softball development.

The ADM is a roadmap of what athletes need to learn, develop and build as they advance and become more skilled in softball.

To access Softball Canada’s ADM visit https://softball.ca/ltpd/resources and register to download this and other LTPD documents.

The ADM will be improved as the Softball community continues to identify different or new needs. This document will evolve to better serve the softball community in Canada with your feedback so please visit https://softball.ca/ltpd/feedback to tell us your thoughts.