Athlete and Coach Pathway Development

Provide clear pathways and support for the identification and development of world’s best talent

How “Pathways” Contribute to Singapore Gymnastics’ Strategic Direction

Pathways sits between ‘Talent’ and ‘High Performance’ in the traditional thinking of elite sport. But more than that, Pathways are responsible for ensuring the links between Talent/Pathways and Pathways/High Performance which are clear, strong, and effective. If talent does not progress through the system cleanly and efficiently, then it does not matter how much effort is put into each individual component.

While the outcomes of the Pathways’ role have been clear from the start, the process has evolved as an understanding of the ecosystem in SG has been further clarified.

Over the past year, four frameworks have been completed to clarify how this will happen:

FTEM

Documents the entire pathway for each discipline

ATRAX

This is primarily related to the link between Pathways and High Performance Documents the skills and physical aspects required to progress, as well as being a database to manage and track this progress Enables analysis of our athletes’ development to identify gaps and provide support where required

High Performance Development Framework

This is primarily related to the link between Pathways and High Performance Clarifies the requirements for a High-Performance Daily Training Environment, as well as all other aspects (eg: Sport Science and Sport Medicine (SSSM) support), and any athlete needs along their pathway. Whether an athlete is at a NTC or a club, the requirements do not change

Talent Development Framework

This is primarily related to the link between Talent and Pathways Identifies the age and basic morphology of athletes to be encouraged into the appropriate technical curriculum (National Levels) so they will enter the SGDP when they are age eligible Documents the location and protocols for the identification

Pathways is a long-term process which must walk the delicate line of consistent implementation, with constant review and refinement. The frameworks listed above help SG, through Pathways, achieve its strategic directives in four key areas:

Club Engagement and support

Coach Development and education

Athletes’ inspiration and development

Constant review and refinement

The model below shows the cyclical nature of development and review in Pathways.

The achievements for the period are listed below:

Annual calendar for pathways activities was established and implemented, including camps, coach develop workshops and coaching courses for athletes and coaches identified in the pathway.

Nine coaches Professional Development sessions were developed and presented to our

National Training Centre coaches, with three of these open to the wider gymnastics’ community. Topics focused on non-technical knowledge and skills, such as managing workloads, developing resilience and working with sports medicine staff.

Several high-performance frameworks have been completed, to provide rationale and detail for a cohesive SG development plan.

Further developments of ATRAX have been made, including the addition of competition data to the existing physical and technical testing data.

A comprehensive gap analysis looking at athletes, coaches and clubs has been completed, which identifies the strengths and gaps in the pathway.

The continued operation and enhancement of the Singapore Gymnastics Development

Programme (SGDP) remains the hub of all Pathways activities.