In the American youth sports landscape, being competitive as soon as possible is often the goal. In addition to that, it seems that athletes are beginning to train at younger and younger ages . With that being said, as coaches, we have to remember who we are working with. Our goal shouldnāt be to focus on short term gains , but rather to take a holistic approach and focus on long term development. Here are some of our principles when it comes to youth athlete training.
4 Guiding Principles For Youth Athlete Training
How to Run a Fast 40
The 40-yard dash is the SAT of college football. Itās a basically standardized test that all high school football players must take if they hope to play in college. Itās not necessarily indicative of an athleteās ability on the field but is often a prerequisite for coaches to open the door for further evaluation. If youāre not prepared, youāre in trouble.
The Best Ways to Train Game Speed
The question then becomes, does speed training reflect the conditions that we see on the field? For most training programs, the answer is no…and thatās the problem. In a game there are numerous variables and conditions that effect when an athletes does. Too often speed training is done in a way that isolates and dilutes those elements.
As physical preparation coaches, we believe itās our job to best prepare our athletes for what they will see in a game. One way we accomplish this is by training game speed, and here are some of the way we do it.
3 Proven Ways to Increase Your Vertical
A high vertical jump is one of the most desired and coveted physical traits for any athlete. Whether performing in a game, or simply filling out a recruiting profile, how high you can jump matters.
So then, the question for athletes is, āHow can I increase my vertical?ā
The question seems simple enough at first, but when you peel back the layers, itās more complicated than that. One of the complications to that question is information. In 2019, the challenge for athletes isnāt access to information, itās access to the RIGHT information.
A quick Google search of āHow to Increase My Verticalā yields 305 million results. As you can see there is no shortage of info out there. But just like most information online these days, some of it is good and some of it is wellā¦.not.
The purpose of this blog post is to give you 3 PROVEN methods to increase your vertical jump. These are methods that we have used with many of our athletes, and ones that have yielded great success. Hopefully after this article this you will be on your way to creating your own success story.
The 4 Biggest Baseball Training Mistakes
Across all levels, baseball participation is on the rise. According to reports, detailed in The Wall Street Journal, nearly 15.9 million people participated in baseball from youth local leagues to the MLB in 2018. That same report documented a 21% increase in participation from 2014-2018.
As baseball is growing globally, may of the training and physical preparation methods are lagging behind. Improper training methods can lead to decreased performance, and even injury. Today, my goal is to go over the most common mistakes that we see baseball players make and how you can avoid them.
We Are Destroying America’s Youth Athletes (Updated)
Growing up, playing sports were some of my favorite memories. I had the most fun, made my most growth, and made some of my best friends playing sports. Playing sports itself, is an inherently pure thing…After all, it’s just a game.
As of 2018, only 38% of kids 6-12 are participating in youth sports, which is down from 45% in 2008. That decline is staggering. Many kids are now missing out on what should be, some of their best life experiences.
We clearly have a problem, and the kids are not to blame. As adults, weāve somehow screwed this up. We are systematically destroying America’s young talented athletes. And here’s how we’re doing it.
4 Nutrition Tips to Help Athletes Build Muscle
For many athletes, gaining weight is a source of pain and frustration. In many sports, size can be a limiting factor in performance, or even in seeing the field at all.
The problem is there is an over abundance of info on how to gain muscle. If you were to google āHow athletes can gain weightā 73,200,000 search results would pop up. I know, because Iāve done it. And like most things on the internet, 98% of is overcomplicated and garbage.
So today, weāre going to give you what you want. Whatās real, and what actually works.
5 Factors That Affect Your Vertical Jump
āI want to increase my verticalāā¦..Easily one of the most common pain points coaches hear from athletes. How can something as benign as how high one can jump, holds so much weight?
An impressive vertical can open up doors for athletes. It can take a below the rim basketball player, and make them a high flyer. It can make the difference between a volleyball player going DI, or to a smaller school.
But as important as a vertical can be, it is one of the most misunderstood and improperly trained aspects of sports performance. The internet is littered with so called āvertical coachesā and jump programs hawking promises such as, āIncrease your vertical 8 inches in 4 weeksā. Complete Snake oilā¦.Been on instagram lately?? ā¦Flashy Exercises with no substance or scientific basis.
So with all that being said, what exactly makes up a great vertical jump? Today we will cut through the BS and give you the factors that affect vertical jump, and what those factors mean for training.
Breaking Down the Myths of Youth Strength Training
Is my child too young to strength train?ā..this is a question that every performance coach has heard at one point in time. It’s a question that comes up often. Although Iām not a parent myself, I understand where the concern comes from.
However, concerns about damaging growth plates, “throwing off your shot” are often inaccurate. Today I want to demystify some of these concerns and myths, and help set the record straight…It’s time to let your kids be strong folks!!