Importance of in-season Training for Youth Athletes
The last six (6) years, we have had invaluable opportunities to work with hundreds of youth athletes. We see numerous athletes during the off-season, but a major decline during the in-season. This is unfortunately expected. The issue lies in the priorities during the season. We endorse academic focus, as well as management of competitive sport training.
Everyone gets very busy during the season, for both parents and kids. Promoting the importance of time management so students can prioritize training is an extremely beneficial long-lasting effect.
Youth athletes can be bombarded with school, “competition over development”, and external social pressures. Prioritizing consistency of training is vital to the continuation of physical preparatory maintenance. Our goal is to institute training as a routine, life-long, competitive, and repetitive process that is implemented for longevity of the client’s health. We aim to teach kids to train with an abundance of knowledge and proficient technique no matter where they train. Youth athletes are growing athletes! They need training that develops their coordinative, stability, balance, and muscular growth; specifically, when many on their “window of trainability.”
We encourage athletes to develop at their own pace with age-appropriate training regimes. Keeping consistent resistance training can help with movement function and injury-reduction (Faigenbaum, 2010). Soreness and sweat are never our goals when training. Beneficial physical adaptations, mobility, and reduction in muscle imbalances can assist in reducing the likelihood of injury. Keeping in mind.. Our goal is never soreness or sweat – “Any idiot can make another idiot tired” – Yuri Verkhoshansky (Father of Shock-Training/Plyometrics).
- “The Best Ability of Any Player is Their Availability”
Resources:
Faigenbaum AD, Myer GD
Resistance training among young athletes: safety, efficacy and injury prevention effects
British Journal of Sports Medicine 2010;44:56-63.
