This article suggests how high school strength and conditioning coaches can not only prepare high school athletes for sports and fitness, but also help with the process of improving fitness and athleticism of all youth.
The purpose of this article is to make the case for implementing non-traditional sports into training programs that prepare youth for participation in traditional American sports and bridge the gap between pedagogy of physical education and strength and conditioning youth coaching.
Single-sport specialized training has led to an emerging risk of overuse injury and burnout. Here are nine things coaches and parents can do to minimize the risk of injury in youth athletes.
Personal trainersCoachesExercise ScienceSafetyyouth trainingsport specializationinjury preventionburnoutyouth training guidelinesinfographics
In recent years, youth strength training and models of athletic development have become hot topics thanks in part to a shift in youth sports from leisure activities to year-round commitments. In order for strength and conditioning professionals to help the athletes of tomorrow achieve their performance and fitness goals, it’s imperative to develop safe, effective, and balanced programming for the youth of today.
The “five Ss” of trainability and performance are critical periods of development that all youth strength and conditioning coaches should consider when creating a training program. Coaches should take advantage of each window to maximize a youth athlete’s potential and help ensure a long athletic career.
CoachesProgram designLTADyouth training guidelinesyouth athletic training
Learn about the anthropometric, kinematic, kinetic, and asymmetric variables that contribute to sprint performance, as well as how a coach can design effective speed development programs for male youth athletes.
Personal trainersCoachesExercise Sciencespeed developmentyouth trainingyouth athletessprint performanceinfographics
In the second of this two part series, this article will discuss program design with an emphasis on integrating lower limb plyometric training into soccer training to enhance power actions, as well as, consider high school athletes’ biological characteristics and long-term athletic development (LTAD).
Youth practitioners need to be aware of the competing demands on young athletes’ lives in order to help them effectively balance these demands. Wellness provides a reference point that can be used to better understand the competing demands placed on youngsters by identifying the six dimensions of wellness.
CoachesExercise ScienceProgram designwellnessstrength and conditioningyouth traininghs-coaching