5 Band Exercises for Young Athletes to Start a Youth Strength Training Program By Dave “The Band Man” Schmitz Bodyweight training is without question the first line of training when it comes to designing a youth strength training program. Young athletes must learn how to move and control their body, and bodyweight strength training is the safest way to achieve that. However, I also find band training to be a great next step. (I know that surprises you!) Why Band Exercises for Young Athletes Should Come after Bodyweight Training It is a very safe way to train as long as.. More »

When and How to Implement Youth Stretching with Bands By Dave “The Band Man” Schmitz When should a young athlete begin stretching? That is a very debatable question that I feel would have several strong arguments for and against. Personally, I have never felt doing band stretching with athletes younger than 14 was a good thing because of how hypersensitive their nervous systems are to passive overpressure stretching. Passive overstretching of young athletes for years seem to be very noxious to the neuromuscular system and resulted in kids just putting their body through unnecessary stress that the body was not.. More »

Dr. Haley Perlus Tells How to Instill Confidence in Youth Athletes

4 Ways to Improve Your Coaching by Learning from the Best Coachable Athletes and Role Models By Pat Rigsby 20 years. This year marked the 20th year since I first entered into the coaching profession as an assistant college baseball coach and head college strength coach. It’s been a long time, but in many ways, it’s flown right by. Over that span, I’ve probably thought I knew everything during brief points, and most of the time I probably realized that I knew very little. I’ve also personally interacted with hundreds and hundreds of coaches during that span, from World Series.. More »

Skill Acquisition Should Be Tailored to Match Each Athlete’s Unique State of Brain Development in Athletes Ages 6-12 By Casey Wheel, CSCS, IYCA YF1, TPI Junior 3; Pacific Ridge Strength and Conditioning Coach When working with younger athletes, one of the most important factors for being an effective coach is to understand brain development in athletes ages 6-12. Attend any youth sport practice, with athletes ranging from ages 6-12, and you will almost always notice the following scenario: There will be typically 10-20% who are underdeveloped in regards to skill, size, and athletic ability; 10-20% who are your “star” players;.. More »

Speed and Agility Drills for Youth Athletes By Wil Fleming How do you go about selecting speed and agility drills for your athletes’ daily use and instruction? If you were like me, you would choose the ones that you like, make sure you had equal parts lateral and linear, and write them in the program. You would then probably add some progressions from simple to complex. Well, that is what I used to do. Recently, our speed and agility programming has become systemized in a similar way as our strength training. This has helped our athletes to become much better.. More »

5 Essential Points for Coaching Girls Ages 12 and Up Part 3 of a 3-Part Series (for Part 1, click here; for Part 2, click here) By Julie Hatfield, IYCA Brand Manager I have spent most of my professional career and coaching career coaching girls. I have coached and taught boys as well, and I am fascinated with the differences. I do not consider myself an expert on this, but I have figured out some things along the way regarding what to do—as well as what NOT to do. Let’s just say they each present their own challenges, but I.. More »

When Is Creatine Safe for Young Athletes? A guest post by Kamal Patel of Examine.com If there were a supplement hall of fame, creatine would make it on the first ballot. With countless well-conducted studies showing benefit for muscle and performance gains and a remarkably low rate of side effects, creatine is often the first supplement that athletes turn to after protein powders. Creatine also happens to work more reliably than pretty much any other athletic supplement out there (check out summaries of hundreds of studies on Examine.com’s creatine page). But no matter the safety profile, supplements in general tend.. More »

By Alex Slezak – M.Ed, YFS, YSAS, HSSCS There is something so untapped and enormous in the world of youth fitness that could change everything. Currently, this giant is lying dormant, waiting to be awakened, and when it does, watch out! What is the sleeping giant I’m talking about? I’m referring to our schools’ physical education programs. Think about this for just one second: Could you imagine having access to every child in one school? How about every child in a state? How about every child in the nation? That is exactly what physical education programs have: direct access to.. More »

5 Fundamental Observations on Skill Development in 10-to-13-Year-Old Athletes By Phil Hueston, NASM-PES; IYCA-YFS In Part 1 of this article series, I shared some of my observations regarding skill development in athletes (and others) aged 6 to 9, or the “Discovery” phase of the IYCA Youth Fitness spectrum. Specifically, these observations revolved around “athletic adaptation skills,” or the movement skills required to complete certain training and exercise activities with proper form repeatedly so that the intended training affect can be successfully attained. Strength and power activities require appropriate levels of joint stability (static, transitional, and dynamic), deceleration skills, and active.. More »

Focus on the Process to Get the Desired Result Part 2 of a 3-Part Series By Julie Hatfield, IYCA Brand Manager It is only natural to want instant results. After all, as fitness professionals and coaches, it is our job to get results, and the faster that happens, the more we can build credibility, strengthen our reputation, and recruit more athletes through our programs and businesses. Still, the best coaches know that results come over time through sound training and consistency. So, how do we get these results? It is what I tell my athletes I coach: If we focus.. More »

IYCA Brand Manager Julie Hatfield Shares 4 Tips for Finding Balance When Coaching Youth Athletes Part 1 of a 3-Part Series By Julie Hatfield, IYCA Brand Manager One of the most challenging things we face in the world of coaching and training is finding balance. Every coach and trainer must strike a balance between fun, skills, and conditioning. A coach’s job is endless and daunting at times. There are many challenges that we face, and no matter the athletes’ ages or skill level, it is a true art to be able to find the balance that can catapult your team.. More »

By Josh Ortegon I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert in nutrition. But I will be willing to admit that I have influence over the athletes we train, I have a “serviceable” knowledge of proper nutrition and even most important, I have great relationships with people who excel in the area of nutrition and I refer to their expertise any chance I get. Proper nutrition and diet is essential for the highs school athlete. Kids are consistently boarded with media selling them fast food, the newest supplement, sports drinks full of sugar and pseudoscience.. More »

By Christopher R. Mohr, PhD, RD Glucose is the body’s primary source of energy, fueling the brain and working muscles. The glycemic response of a food—or the measure of impact of a food on blood sugar (glucose)—determines the amount and length of energy offered from the food or meal. Key Youth Nutritional Principles Glucose gives the body energy. Glucose can come directly from glucose itself or the breakdown of other foods to ultimately provide this energy “currency.” Foods that are high in fiber, protein, and/or fat slow the glycemic response of food providing a slower and more consistent delivery of.. More »