SST Performance Labs’ Youth Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) program progresses through several stages, beginning with Fundamentals and advancing to Learn to Train and Train to Train. These stages emphasize establishing a robust foundation encompassing health, skill, and social components of physical literacy. It is within these stages that students cultivate a comprehensive athletic foundation of physical fitness.

Designed for ages 6 to 12, the program enhances foundational development and age-appropriate skill acquisition. By emphasizing basic movement, fundamental skills, and general sports abilities, we empower children to navigate various environments with confidence and control. We prioritize creating a safe learning environment where engagement in developmental activities fosters a love for play and instills a sense of healthy competition that promotes growth.

Recognizing the crucial period of sports skill development during the onset of the adolescent growth spurt, our program targets this sensitive phase for accelerated adaptation to skill learning. Through our youth development program, students progressively refine basic skills, gain tactical knowledge, hone decision-making abilities, and cultivate fundamental sports-specific skills.

Youth at this state are:

• Exploring and acquiring developmental skills and acquiring general sports skills that are the cornerstones of our youth athletic development.
• Introduced to the concept of ancillary capacities, the knowledge base of an athlete related to warm-up, cool-down, stretching, nutrition/hydration, and mental preparation.
• Physical literacy.
• Learning to cope with the physical and mental challenges of competition and develop further mental skills.
• Encouraged to focus on two sports based on their desire to participate and their sport-specific potential.

Our objective is to enable Connecticut athletes to excel in high-level physical competition and prepare them for high success levels. Our focus is on enhancing skills across diverse disciplines, with guidance from our team of specialized youth trainers. We are dedicated to educating the broader community on the importance of holistic youth development, highlighting the values of teamwork, resilience, and personal achievement alongside skill acquisition.

Our Process:

Upon submission of your assessment and class placement request, our youth program commences with a comprehensive physical assessment conducted by a qualified health professional. This assessment ensures accurate class placement and/or private training recommendations tailored to individual needs. Through this process, you will gain valuable insights into physical capabilities and receive personalized placement guidance. Parental presence is required during this assessment.