Youth Development

Areas of focus:

• Safe, fun and social learning environment
• Develop well-rounded sailing skills and technique
• Emphasize decision-making and good judgement
• Explore new sailing challenges and disciplines
• If competing, seek local/regional competition that match skill level and motivation

Long Term Athlete Development Recommendations:

i). This is the "golden age of skill development". Young people at this developmental-age are capable of learning skills and developing technique at an accelerated pace. Instructional focus should be on learning a well-rounded skill set and sailing in both structured (drills) and unstructured environments (free-sailing). If competing, emphasize skill development over competitive success.

ii) Avoid single sport specialization. Kids are still developing their physical literacy and should be encouraged to engage in multiple sports and physical activities throughout the year.

Areas of focus:

• Seek opportunities to further develop, and eventually master, skills
• Try new sailing disciplines such as keelboats, multihulls, dinghies, windsurfers and kites
• Participate in more advanced, structured training
• Develop technical and tactical understanding
• If competing, maintain a balanced practice-to-competition ratio, such as 70:30

Long Term Athlete Development Recommendations:

i). This developmental-age is particularly important, and challenging, because most young people will go through puberty at this stage. Growth spurts may challenge kids to sail new boats or learn new positions. Physical endurance, flexibility, and strength improve, and it's recommended that kids continue to play multiple sports to improve physical development.

ii). If competing, travel demands often increase due to regional and national competitions. However, over-emphasizing travel competitions can take away from practice time and inhibit multi-sport participation. US Sailing recommends focusing on quality competition and maintaining a balanced practice-to-competition ratio.