Training Youth Athletes

A common misconception about strength and conditioning training is that it should be reserved for adult athletes. Although some sports in high school have a fitness program, like football for example, there is a dearth in training focused on improving speed, agility, and movement efficiency. It is advantageous, if not imperative, that athletes begin training properly at an early age.

Strength and conditioning training can give a youth athlete a distinct competitive advantage over their peers considering that most of their peers are only practicing their sport and doing traditional conditioning (i.e. jogging). Any athlete that has focused S&C training will be more explosive, faster, better conditioned, more agile, more coordinated, and more injury resistant than their opponent. So why isn’t it more prevalent?

Resistance training for youth has been considered unhealthy because they are still growing. This untrue. It has been concluded that youth training isn’t only OK for youth, but also develops healthier adolescents if done properly and supervised by trained personnel. There is no chronological age limit that is necessary to begin training. Maturity and biological age are the biggest factors in deciding which exercises are done and how the program is designed.

Another common problem is ineffective training programs. Every sport is different and has specific demands for the athletes that take part in them. An effective training program must include an assessment of the physical demands required of the athlete. For example, to have a tennis player running six miles daily will not make them a more effective tennis player. This type of training is developing the wrong kind of muscle. A more effective training program would include lower body resistance exercises, sprints, and agility drills. Think of it this way, does this athlete need to explode in a millisecond to the ball or get there at an 8 min/mile pace?

In addition to the competitive and health advantages to S&C training for youth athletes, it is impossible to argue against instilling proper techniques and habits into athletes as early as possible. An athlete that has been trained properly and continues to train properly will have better posture as well as more efficient movements and carry these traits into other aspects of their lives, like lifitng heavy objects for example. The bottom line is that S&C training develops discipline and athleticism.

If you want your youth athlete to have a competitive advantage on the court or field, then you should consider strength and conditioning training. It is not only appropriate, but recommended.

Josh Cormier is a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Personal Trainer and the owner of North Atlantic Personal Training.  Visitwww.NorthAtlanticPT.com for more information.