Revisiting USA Baseball's Long-Term Athlete Development Plan
As a boy, I dreamed of playing professional baseball. My first memories and heroes were the 1977 New York Yankees. Thurman Munson. Graig Nettles. Bucky F*c$ing Dent! Willie Randolph. Mickey Rivers. Lou Pinella. Chris Chambliss … and Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!
As a 23 year old undrafted, unsigned former college player, the dream ended.
This story can be told by many more.
The Probability of the MLB Dreams
In fact, the probability statistics show that of the approximately 483,00 U.S. high school baseball players about 7.3% (n=36,000) become NCAA players. Of course, others go onto NAIA and JUCO ball which also offers a possible pathway to the next level. In addition, some high school seniors will be drafted and sign a professional contract. Data from the 2019 MLB draft showed that there were 1,217 draft picks in that year; of which 791 of those picked were from NCAA schools (DI 686, DII 95 and DIII 10). And again, some college players (NCAA, NAIA and JUCO) (and international players) sign professional contracts as undrafted free agents.
From here, it is also a matter of climbing the minor league ladder and getting to the Big Leagues. Only about 10% (1 in 10) minor leaguers play in the MLB.
As you can start to see, the probability of the MLB dreams of young boys is quite low. However, what is less clear and defined is a pathway to successful development.
The U.S. Baseball Development System
This brings me to my interest in youth athletic development - and some considerations of the current state of the U.S. baseball development system.
Did you know …. 6 years ago in September of 2017, USA Baseball, the national governing body, released its Long-Term Athlete Development plan?
As stated in the press release by USA Baseball's Chief Development Officer Rick Riccobono, the impetus for the LTAD initiative stemmed from an audit of the amateur landscape that identified the following challenges:
Inadequate coach education
Lack of structured guidance throughout a player's childhood and adolescence
Early single-sport specialization
Year-round play
Disproportionate ratio between development and competition
Increasing costs of participation (i.e., travel teams, private facilities)
Where are we now? Unfortunately, like many National Governing Bodies (NGBs) efforts in this area it seems to merely have been a matter of producing a “glossy brochure” without much, if any, resources to carry out an implementation plan. There may have been some awareness and education provided but the implementation and subsequent accountability of ensuring the fidelity of the plan was/has been limited.
An Overview of The USA Baseball LTAD Model
Similar to other U.S. NGBs, the USA Baseball LTAD model follows the principles outlined by the USOC American Development Model based upon the work of Balyi.
To go beyond the game-type pathway in which dimensions of the field are modified according to age, the USA Baseball LTAD model addresses each of the following key components within each stage of the model summarized below:
Physical Literacy
Physical Development
Injury Prevention
Psychosocial Well-Being
Specialization
Periodization and Competition
The USA Baseball LTAD model consists of seven stages across two tracks: the Recreational track (Participation pathway) and the Advanced track (Performance pathway). The Advanced track begins at age 14-16 years; however, the reality is that many adults (coaches and parents) consider their athletes in the Advanced pathway from earlier ages with travel and/or All-Star teams and nearly year-round participation!
A summary of stages 1 to 5 (Activate to Apply or Entry through High School) is provided here. For key points within each category in each stage mentioned above, visit usabltad.com.
The 5 Stages of the USA Baseball LTAD Model
Stage 1: Activate — Entry to 7 years of age
Foster a love for the game by introducing children to the sport of baseball through styles of gameplay that promote fun, creative play, and success.
Athletes in this stage should be developing basic movement and motor skills via sport sampling.
Baseball should also be a means for developing friendships and encouraging other positive peer interaction.
Proper warm-up and cool-downs should be part of the sport experience.
Stage 2: Discover — 7–12 years of age
Basic baseball skills are being fostered and in some cases honed.
Athletic movement should become more advanced as speed, agility, balance, and general coordination all improve.
Athletes should be in an environment where they learn to be motivated to succeed, while continuing positive social development amongst teammates and competitors.
Sport sampling and informal or deliberate play continue to promote well-roundedness.
Injury awareness, including arm care, should be present for the athlete, their coach, and parents.
Stage 3: Progress — 12–14 years of age
Skill training is now becoming more specific and should include mechanical elements and awareness. Athletes should be self-motivated and will begin understanding how to self-diagnose aspects of their training and performance.
Physical development should be technique driven and age appropriate, and overall wellness should include proper arm care planning.
Competency (success or self-improvement) is important in this stage, as is a continued multi-sport approach.
While competitive play will increase, more time should still be spent training proportionately.
Stage 4: Develop — 14–16 years of age (e.g., Frosh/JV)
The athletes' physical and skill development should become increasingly individualized and should cater to their own growth, and be specific to their preferred position(s).
Safe training practices should be maintained, and rest and recovery after workouts, practices, and games remain imperative.
Fostering a positive social environment that includes opportunity for self-determination for the athlete, and open communication between the athlete, parents, and coaches will aid in success on and off the field.
In appropriate instances, specialization may occur in this stage, but multi-sport athletics are still encouraged.
Stage 5: Apply — 16–18 years of age (e.g., Varsity)
Training and practices should be working towards team and individual optimization.
Athletes should be able to use self-observation to identify mechanical and other skill deficiencies. Strength and conditioning activities should be athlete specific and should maintain an approach that ensures total body fitness, muscular strength and motor skill competency.
Athletes should maintain an individualized arm care program, especially as the amount of competition increases over time.
Single-sport specialization among advanced athletes may occur.
The promotion of positive developmental environments within teams and personal training settings remains important.
*Taken from USA Baseball LTAD plan
Some Considerations
General Athletic Development
Similar to all LTAD models, stages 1 and 2 (<12 years of age) place an emphasis on unstructured play, fundamental movement skill acquisition, and physical literacy. And quite frankly, this is where we go wrong. We rush, skipping the vital steps of teaching fundamental or foundational movement skills like hopping, skipping, jumping, squatting, lunging, push-up, etc. And furthermore, parents and coaches employ the adult model of strength & conditioning, which has a time and place for implementation as youth enter adolescence.
Think about cooking a great meal — it takes time. If you rush and leave out key ingredients or don’t allow things to simmer and stew, etc., the meal is not as tasty. Parents and coaches tend to want an “accelerated” or microwaved pathway.
Unlike 3-time All-Star John Kruk who said “I'm not an athlete, I'm a baseball player,” most coaches want general athleticism in young players.
📺 Check out this American Baseball Coaches Association webinar for a developmental approach to strength and conditioning from youth to high school and college.
So, let’s allow time to teach, coach, develop, and discover motor competency. These are, by the way, essentially required to play the game of baseball — run, throw, catch, strike (hit). Unfortunately, similar to other youth sports, youth baseball coaches can become focused on tactics — installing bunt defenses, 1st and 3rd defenses, pick-off plays, etc. — and winning - instead of honing the fundamental skills and building a solid base.
Throwing and Arm Care
Another aspect mentioned throughout the USA Baseball LTAD model is arm care. The epidemic of throwing arm injuries and Tommy John surgery has been well-documented in the past few years among MLB pitchers, and even down into the high school and middle school years! Arm care starts in stages 1 and 2 with the development of proper throwing mechanics. Again, drive by any baseball field and you will see kids warming up playing catch without supervision, instruction and feedback. It must be coached - and trained with proper dosing.
In terms of prevention, introducing strength training exercises using body weight, medicine ball and resistance tubing exercises is also appropriate at these early stages as mentioned above. In essence, we are teaching proper body mechanics through foundational movement skills of squat, lunge, pushing, pulling, and rotating. Think about how many youngsters have difficulty doing a push-up or body weight squat with correct form. The body weight squat, lunge, and jumps are foundational movements that can enhance strength of the lower body, which is the engine for throwing the baseball. A strong lower body will reduce the stress on the throwing arm and can improve throwing velocity.
Finally, coaches and parents should not only be aware of the Pitch Smart guidelines, but also adhere to them. I hear a lot of grumblings about pitch counts from youth and high school coaches. I also remember as a youngster lathering up my throwing arm with a topical, petrolatum-based analgesic (e.g., Cramergesic, BenGay, etc.) and taking an Acetaminophen to relieve the pain and allow me to attempt to throw as I rotated from the deadly triad of pitcher to catcher to shortstop. As a college sophomore, I also suffered a season-ending rotator cuff injury. And I know several high school athletes who have exited the game early due to arm problems and several adults who have trouble with push-ups and activities of daily living related to overhead movement.
In the past few years, several research studies have provided into into the lack of awareness and knowledge of pitch count recommendations, adherence to them, and consequences of increased injury. In one study, 92% of coaches reported not keeping track of pitches based on established recommendations by the American Sports Medicine Institute, whereas 56% were noncompliant with age appropriate pitch count recommendations as established by the 2006 US Baseball Medical and Safety Advisory Committee. Another study found noncompliance with Pitch Smart guidelines in tournament settings occurred in more than 90% of teams and almost half of all pitchers.
Possible Solutions
Hold a meeting for all baseball stakeholders to discuss the USA Baseball LTAD framework. Build buy-in across all stakeholders.
More than likely your program or community has the game type format model. If not, consider adopting it — tee-ball, coach pitch, player pitch with increasing field dimensions from age 8-14 years, and then onto high school baseball. If possible, the high school coach(es) can be involved in the youth program by providing coach education, serving as a director of coaching or director of player development, hosting camps and clinics, etc.
Consider offering USA Baseball-related events like Fun At Bat for beginners and Play Ball events like Pitch, Hit and Run or Jr Home Run Derby.
Modify the practice structure to remove the 3 L’s—laps, lines, and lectures.
Start practice with an integrated neuromuscular dynamic warm-up or fun activity aimed at improving fundamental movement skills. Also consider a body weight strength training circuit.
Prioritize teaching and coaching the fundamentals at younger ages —throwing and catching, fielding and hitting.
Allow multiple repetitions via station-based drills for both offensive and defensive skill development.
Allow free unstructured time during practice which might include 3 vs. 3 wiffle ball, tag, etc.
Keep in mind the cognitive abilities of the young athlete when introducing and practicing team offense and defense.
Note: Portions of this article were originally published at Volt Athletics. Reprinted with permission.
Note: I elaborate on several points from this article on the ABCA podcast episode 165.