The body of a young athlete is in a very important developmental stage, which can be taken advantage of if trained
correctly, or damaged if trained improperly. Neurological patterns for movement and balance are developed during
these years and are very hard to change thereafter.
My question for you would be, were you ever taught the proper way to run, jump or change direction? My guess is the
answer is no. You started to walk, then run and created movements natural to everyday life, not those of a competitive
athlete. Did you even know there was a proper way to run, jump or change direction? Our development as athletes is
based on skill development in a particular sport, but what is usually forgotten is the basic, fundamental motions that are all
required in some way for almost all sports - movement.
Sport-specific skills can only get an athlete so far and the same goes for the body’s ability to move. Combining proper
movement with sport-specific skills will allow the athlete to reach maximum potential – sport-specific skills will be maximized
due to the newly learned ability to quickly position the body in the proper place to execute a sport-specific move. (Example
- jump higher to get in the right position to score an awesome block or spike; respond quicker to get in the right position to
execute a crucial dig.)
The difference between a person who plays a sport and a highly competitive athlete that will make it to the next level is that
the latter athlete knows how to move and is injury free. Due to the rapid growth occurring during this stage of a young
athlete’s life, the body changes every day; because of this it is very important to continue to learn and practice
movements within your new body to help with coordination, balance and strength.
Imbalances can come easily with rapid growth and imbalances are a large contributor to injury. Proper training will
help reduce and eliminate imbalances before they become serious; a non-corrected imbalance can become a
chronic issue that the athlete has to deal with day in and day out and for the rest of our lives. Eventually the
athlete’s body will develop a compensation for the chronic imbalance, further perpetuating the problem and restricting the
individuals ability to grow as an athlete in any sport.
Proper stretching, resistance and strength training, is also important to allow the body to be strong enough to support its
new and growing self. Does this mean everyone should hit the weight room and aim to bench press twice their body
weight…..? For the majority of us, no; the body is its own best training equipment in most cases. The critical factor in
resistance training with a young athlete is not to load the spine. Something like a squat with heavy weights would be
detrimental to a growing body. The movement of a squat is important both now and in the athlete’s future, so the
mechanics and neurological patterning should be the focus, as opposed to the actual amount of weight being lifted.
Supplemental weights in non-loading situations may be helpful for strength and power development, but the point to drive
home is the underlying mechanics of each lift that will be essential now and in the young athlete’s bright future.
Why Should Athletes 12 and Under Performance Train?
All athletes should work out, but the training for an athlete in a younger age range is
very different from that of an older athlete.
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Playing a sport doesn't make you an athlete
It is what you do when no one else cares or is looking but yourself
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Individual
Performance
Training
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See the Proof
Report Cards
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I hate every minute of training, but I said DONT QUIT
Suffer now and live the rest of your life like a CHAMPION
Mohammad Ali
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