Develop the athlete behind the sport.
Playing more sport does not automatically develop the whole athlete.
Many children already have busy weeks filled with school sport, club training or private coaching. The harder question is whether anyone is looking across that activity: how the child moves, which physical qualities need purposeful practice and whether another session will actually help.
STRYDE was built around that question.
We begin by understanding the child.
STRYDE is a youth athletic-development programme for ages 7–12 in Singapore.
We use Track & Field, Strength & Conditioning, Sport Climbing, Judo and Basketball as different environments in which specialist coaches can observe and develop the athlete. A recommendation reflects what the coach sees, the sport a child already plays, what the child is interested in and which class days the family can manage.
The aim is not to fill every free afternoon. Sometimes the right answer is more structured practice. Sometimes it is a different type of movement. Sometimes it is less training.
What we mean by an athletic foundation
An athletic foundation is the physical base that helps a child take part, learn and adapt across sport.
Strength and control
Producing force, holding a position and moving with control.
Speed and rhythm
Accelerating, coordinating the steps and finding an efficient running rhythm.
Balance and coordination
Organising the body across different tasks, spaces and partner situations.
Learning new movement
Listening to a cue, adapting and applying it on the next attempt.
These qualities do not develop in isolation. That is why we use several sporting environments rather than assuming that more practice in one sport will address everything.
What we want children to experience
A child should feel that they belong at STRYDE and can take on difficult challenges without being humiliated or compared unfairly.
We want them to experience:
- coaches who understand the child before recommending a programme
- specialist instruction within each discipline
- challenges that are purposeful and appropriate
- feedback they can act on; and
- ambition without the fear that they are already behind.
Parents should receive clear information too. Written observations and regular feedback make it easier to understand what the coaches are working on and why.