Overview
Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) is a structured approach that guides athletes from youth to senior levels by aligning training, monitoring, and support with their stage of maturation. The Output Sports system - through the Capture app and Hub dashboards - provides an ideal digital infrastructure for implementing LTAD principles.
By centralising testing, monitoring, and long-term data, Output acts as an athlete passport, allowing coaches to view an athlete’s development over months and years.
Establishing Baseline Testing From Your KPIs
When athletes first join an LTAD pathway (e.g. U14, U16, U18), it’s essential to establish baseline testing that reflects their age and developmental stage.
Coaches can design testing batteries that target key performance indicators (KPIs) most relevant to their sport. These KPIs typically include:
Height, Weight, and Body Composition (not required for U14)
Lower Limb Strength
Upper Limb Strength
Power
Reactive Strength
Speed
Example Dashboards
Below are three example team dashboards built within Output Hub to assess these KPIs across different age groups:
U14 Boys Dashboard - Simplified testing with exercises appropriate for early development (e.g. Goblet Squat for lower limb strength).
U16 Boys Dashboard - Intermediate testing with increased load and technical complexity.
U18 Boys Dashboard - Advanced testing with mature athletes (e.g. Back Squat for lower limb strength).
Example dashboards (PDFs):
By keeping KPIs consistent and scaling the testing method, coaches can create clear benchmarks while developing internal age norms within their squads.
Biological Age and Progression
Athletes mature at different rates. Therefore, biological age often provides a more accurate reflection of physical readiness than chronological age.
Output enables coaches to:
Compare athletes against both peer groups and age norms
Identify early or late developers
Make evidence-based decisions about progression rather than relying solely on age category
This approach ensures fair, data-driven decisions and supports long-term athlete retention and development.
Long-Term Tracking and Monitoring
Once baseline testing is complete, Output automatically stores results in the Hub, building a long-term record of development.
Over time, this allows coaches to:
Track progress across seasons and age groups
Visualise trends such as steady improvement, plateaus, or standout metrics
Identify when an athlete may need additional support or intervention
These long-term records form the athlete passport, giving both athlete and coach a clear, visual overview of progression across key performance domains.
Talent Identification
Output’s longitudinal data enables objective talent identification.
A U14 player demonstrating exceptional speed or reactive strength can be flagged early and tracked consistently across U16 and U18 dashboards.
This ensures that:
Talent is recognised based on consistent, multi-KPI evidence
Development is monitored over time rather than in isolated tests
Selection and progression are transparent and data-led
Key Takeaways
LTAD Principle | How Output Supports It |
Progressive Testing | Scalable KPI-based testing batteries across U14–U18 |
Biological Age Awareness | Compare athletes by maturity and developmental stage |
Long-Term Monitoring | Continuous data capture and historical performance tracking |
Talent Identification | Objective, multi-year tracking across all key performance metrics |
Summary
Output Sports provides coaches and sport scientists with an integrated LTAD framework that’s practical, scalable, and evidence-based.
By using Output’s Capture app and Hub dashboards, teams can confidently implement long-term athlete monitoring and development systems that align with modern best practice.