Raising an Athlete: Sports Performance Training for Today's Youth

By Keith Comeforo, CSCS

One of the things I enjoy most about being a coach is the proud, excited grin on an athlete that can only come from the sweet taste of success. The joys experienced and lessons learned through sports are some of the most valuable things a person, especially a child, can encounter.

Organized athletics have become more popular and more competitive than ever. With this has come an increased desire for young (prepubescent) athletes to begin training and preparing their bodies for the rigors of sports. The most common questions I hear from parents are:

"What exactly is sports-performance training?"

"Is it safe for my child to train?"

"At what age should my child begin training?"

Sports-performance training is a concept that takes into consideration all of the components needed to perform efficiently in sports. While strength training is a key component, flexibility, agility, speed and power also require adequate attention. It is of utmost importance that when a young athlete begins to train, he or she is not simply "lifting weights." When young athletes begin performance training, they must not be treated as little adults, but taught drills and exercises designed to take into account their maturity both physically and neurologically.

When it comes to safety, young athletes must be in an environment where they are carefully supervised by educated coaches. Athletes who have satisfactorily passed a medical physical and possess the maturity to take directions from a coach can safely participate. Research indicates that exercises performed with maximal weights should be excluded to avoid repetitive injury to epiphyseal growth plates. Strength training done properly with sub-maximal weights in a supervised setting does not pose significant risks. Most documented cases of injury in young athletes in strength training occur from accidents stemming from poor supervision or from the use of a program designed for an adult.

While no professional organization offers a minimum age to begin training, ages 8 to 12 are commonly referred to as the "skill hungry years." This is when the athlete has his or her first and largest window of opportunity to build the foundations of complex athletic skills. I have coached athletes at the elite, as well as professional, levels and often find myself spending a great deal of time trying to break old and incorrect habits. Many athletes must be re-introduced to basic skills because they were not taught properly at a young age. Learning correct performance techniques will help an athlete achieve his or her full potential.

In the program design, basic skills should be presented in a fun and enjoyable manner. Young athletes need to be exposed to an environment where training is something they look forward to. Our program focuses on basic skills like skipping, galloping, running, hopping and jumping. In the course of an hour, our youth athletes spend the first part on a continuous dynamic warm-up routine, followed by movement skill training. The focus is on one of the following: acceleration technique, maximum velocity running or multidirectional drills, depending on the day. The final phase of the training session moves into basic strength and power training. In the early phases of the training, body weight exercises are utilized to assess the athlete's strengths and weaknesses as well as build a solid training base. Increased resistance is slowly introduced as time goes on and when our coaches feel that the athlete is ready.

There is no doubt that when done properly, performance training can yield great benefits for young athletes. Not only does his or her practice and game performance improve; the chance of sport-related injuries decreases. The joy of success on the field and in the gym can last a lifetime. That's a lot of those grins!

Coach Comeforo can be reached at Velocity Sports Performance, 11470 Bluegrass Parkway, Louisville, 502.267.4544 or kcomeforo@velocitysp.com