Sports Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sports Science - Essay Example Though it not a new theory, yet it should be recognized that majority of research is based on experience from dealing with sporting activities, which have been practiced to underpin physical education for many years. The remarkable theory about LTAD is that it brings the variety of theories practiced by different bodies under one umbrella with codified structures and systems. LTAD has 'packaged' the theories for mass understanding and has adopted more effective mechanism for applying the theories to integrate whole sports system which includes coaching, training, playing and competition. The basic principles on which LTAD is based are: It is necessary to devote 8-12 years of consistent practice in order to achieve the level of an expert in that field. Research confirms that this is true about developing any skill, such as learning to play musical instrument or playing sport. This is also referred to as '10,000 hour rule' which relates to practice of 3hours a day for ten years. This requires focused and consistent commitment, and not most players would achieve it. The objective is to encourage and enable all young people to develop confidence in their basic movement skill which are fundamental. Expose young children to wide variety of sports at an early age, which prepares them with better attitude for lifelong participation in sport, because their self-perception of their sporting ability is positive. It also better prepares them to achieve their full potential. The objective is to identify those stages during child's physical and psychological development that offer optimum opportunities to develop movement skill-agility, balance, co-ordination; basic sport skills like running, jumping, throwing and striking; which are necessary attribute for sports related activities. Missing these optimum stages can have impact on reaching their highest potential. LTAD is systematic training in childhood and adolescence which opens the window of opportunity for future success as an athlete. "A specific and well-planned practice, training, competition and recovery regime will ensure optimum development throughout an athlete's career" http://www.sportdevelopment.org.uk/html/balyi2004.html The ultimate objective to ensure sustained success which comes from training and performing well over long term rather than winning in short term. Athletic preparation is serious commitment and there is no escape from hard and consistent practice. There is no short cut to Athlete training. LTAD is a sports science which is based on training, competition, and recovery plan which is based on the developmental age which is the maturation level of the child rather than the chronological age. "The program is athlete centred, coach driven, and administration, sport science, and sponsor supported. Athletes who progress through LTAD experience training and competition in programs that consider their biological and training ages in creating periodized plans specific to their development needs" http://www.ltad.ca/content/home.asp LTAD has developed two specialization models: Early specialization model focuses on these areas; Training to train stage Training to compete stage Training to win stage Retirement/ retainment Late specialization model, focuses on these areas; Fundamental stage Learning to train stage

How were the Germans (or at least the people described in the Essay

How were the Germans (or at least the people described in the book)seduced by the Nazis and how did they rationalize their suppo - Essay Example Instead, it became â€Å"ten Germans sufficiently different from one another†¦ and sufficiently link unto one another to have been Nazis† (Mayer). His account of the sociological influences and impacts of Nazism in pre-World War II Germany in They Thought They Were Free is divided into three parts: â€Å"Ten Men†, â€Å"The Germans†, and â€Å"Their Cause and Cure†. Although the author says numerous times that the issue is one of deep complexity, these three divisions seem to offer a way of understanding how to classify the disparate parts of the issue. Mayer’s work is largely focused on his â€Å"ten Nazi friends†, who give him a large set of insights into the rise and fall of the National Socialist party in Germany. In the first twelve chapters, Mayer offers a benevolent account of Nazism’s rise. After all, it examines the reasons why the ten Nazi Germans allowed Hitler’s influence to spread throughout their small town of Kronenberg. However, the â€Å"benevolent account† is superficial in that it does not apologize for the Nazi sympathizers, but rather provides an objective look into why they accepted the authority of a dictator, rather than living in the post-World War I Germany that previous generations had suffered through. Seeking out the benefits of centralized power, the ten lower class individuals showcased in Mayer’s narrative joined the Nazi Party in order to secure a higher self-esteem, mainly through easier access to jobs and a national pride that had long ago faded. For the most part, the individual citizens who took up the Nazi cause cared very little for the exact specifics of the program advocated by Hitler and others; however, it was the fringe benefits of the system that caught their attention. The anti-Semitic stance of the government was an acceptable compromise for many who had no personal or emotional connection to their Jewish neighbors, who were being run out of the country and financially ruined by governmental seizures. This anti-Semitic environment was something that had always dealt with, and they believed it was necessary for disposing of the parliamentary system that held back social progress. The Nazis that Mayer interviews were not hypnotized or irrationally appealed to in order to surrender their liberties to a totalitarian government. The Nazis appealed to the rational self-interests of the German citizens: making political promises to the country that addressed the kinds of deeply problematic social and economic problems that had afflicted the nation for decades. By contextualizing the rise of Nazism with the Great Depression, which afflicted Germany just as it afflicted the United States, one realizes the ease with which a party of promises could gain influence quickly among the working classes. Additionally, the popular perception of Hitler was that of a great enemy to communism: the same motivation that operated on many Ameri cans during the Cold War. By examining the rationalization for Nazi power in the years leading up to World War II, one begins to see the interest that Mayer has in social movements following inspirational leaders. By taking the Nazis, who were socialists, as the enemy of communism, the German people sought self-interest, not community. This is understandable that people would seek their self-interest in an economically downtrodden country; however, what Nazism became after it attained power went far beyond the economic