YOUTH ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT:
Learning/teaching sporting technique is a problem solving activity. In order to solve the movement problem(if there even is one), the young athlete needs the physical/tools to solve those problems.
In the early years, young athletes can develop those tools through exploration and diversity of movement.
For example we can teach throwing by exposing the young athlete to a variety of different throws. They can throw overhand, underhand, sidearm etc...they can throw a baseball, a football, tennis ball, weighted ball etc...they can throw in a squared stance, from a knee, on one foot, from a mound, jumping in the air etc...they can throw for distance, height, a stationary target, moving target etc...they can play games that involve all the above.
Another example is sprinting.
The young athlete can sprint over flat ground, uphill, down hill, over obstacles etc...they can race or chase a partner, sprint for time, relay races etc...they can be resisted, push a sled, hold a medicine ball etc. They can run forwards, sideways, backwards, with changes of direction or any combination of the above. They can start from many different positions, back, belly, side, Knees, 1/2 kneeling etc. Arms, 1 arm, no arm, arms overhead etc...play games that involve short bursts and changes of direction.
As you can see the movement foundation young athletes can develop is largely limited by creativity. By exposing the young athlete to a certain movement a thousand different ways they develop a wide foundation of that skill.
When the time is right and the young athlete is mature enough to understand, these skills give the young athlete the tools to refine movement technique for a more sport specific purpose for example in the case of throwing maybe becoming a pitcher or a QB.
#LTAD