On-line Resources

Want to Learn More?

Learn more about Long Term Player Development by downloading one of the following guides:

Long Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada

Download and review the full 88 page Softball Canada Long Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada!

Play Ball! Recommendations from Softball Canada's Competition Review

This document was created by Softball Canada's Competition Review Committee, who have recommended several changes to softball's competition structure. The document identifies problem areas and gives the rationale behind the proposed changes as they relate to Long-Term Player Development principles. There are also programming recommendations broken down for each stage of Softball Canada's LTPD model.

A Guide for Softball Parents

This Parent Guide is a brief overview of what is covered in detail within the Long-Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada document. Softball Canada realizes the vital role that parents play in many aspects of a child’s development and realizes the huge commitment you make as a parent of a softball athlete through both your time and your financial support.

Long Term Player Development Flyer

A brief outline of each of the stages of Long Term Player Development and their objectives, physical development, technical development, mental development, season structure, and recommendations.

Candian Sport4Life Guide-LTPD 2.0

This resource is an update on CS4L– Long-Term Athlete Development that, in the spirit of "Kaizen" or continuous improvement, builds on the original 2005 Canadian Sport for Life – Long-Term Athlete Development Resource Paper.

Canadian Sport For Life- Parents Guide

As parents, we recognize that sports and physical activity play an important role in our children’s healthy growth and development, but recently physical activity has suffered serious decline among Canadian children.

Softball4Life Community 2.0

CS4L recommends that recreation, education and sport clubs coordinate their efforts for the greatest welfare of the children in their programs.

Recreation Professionals Guide

The municipal recreation role develops program opportunities for personal growth, ensures programs are affordable and accessible, and addresses any local issues to improve overall quality of life.

Actively Engaging Women and Girls Guide

The purpose of this resource is to increase awareness about the experiences of women and girls, and provide recommendations to address the psycho-social factors that influence female athlete development.

Aboriginal Sport 4 Life Guide

The purpose of the Aboriginal Long-Term Participant Development Pathway is to increase the percentage of Aboriginal children who become physically literate, define a pathway for Aboriginal athletes into high performance sport and to increase the number of Aboriginal people who are active for life.

Quick View - Competition Formats

An easy to read chart developed from Softball Canada's "Long-Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada" recommended compeition formats for all ages groups.

Quick View - Playing Time Rules

An easy to read chart developed from Softball Canada's "Long-Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada" recommended playing time and number of positions played at each age level.

Quick View - Practice to Competition Ratios

An easy to read chart developed from Softball Canada's "Long-Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada" recommended ratios for practices to games for all ages groups.

Quick View - Season Length

Simply put, periodization — designing a yearly plan — is time management. It provides a detailed plan for arranging the complex array of training factors into a logical and scientifically-based schedule to produce optimal improvements in performance. It means planning the right activities with an adequate degree of difficulty and in the right sequence to reach the coach’s training and competition objectives for each player and the team.

Periodization is an essential component in optimal sports programming and player development at all levels. Planning adequately for training, competition, and recovery is the critical blueprint for success.

A Sport Parent's Guide (General)

The goal of this booklet is to help you understand the needs of young athletes and what may be done to promote their best interests in staying active and healthy. In these pages you will read about Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD), a model for development in physical activity and sport that not only provides a safe, enjoyable, and progressive pathway for children to pursue healthy physical activity, but also provides a pathway to excellence.