Consensus in youth athletic development

The IOC released a position statement on youth athletic development that can be found by visitinghttp://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/13/843.full. This comprehensive statement has a lot of recommendations for youth sports and practitioners and can help serve as a foundation for those involved with youth sports.

 

While prepubescent males and females show similarities in movement, strength and fitness there is a vast difference post puberty. The implementation of a neuromuscular and strength training program is vital to improve balance, proprioception and strength as athletes go through puberty. The committee acknowledges the importance incorporating strength and conditioning into the development of youth athletes.

 

Some of the other recommendations regarding youth development is a lack of awareness and understanding of adequate nutrition by athletes and coaches. Educational material should be developed and disseminated to those that work with young athletes in an effort to educate them on what a proper diet looks like and how to get the necessary nutrients. Coaches are also encouraged to adopt a 4 C approach to coaching consisting of competence, confidence, connection and character. This should serve as the framework for coaches to develop relationships with their athletes and the adoption and implementation of long term, realistic outcomes. Coaches following this can decrease the chance of psychological overload, or burnout, by making sure that they keep the long term health (physical and mental) and wellbeing of the athlete in mind.

 

As discussed in previous blog posts, there is a concern for overuse injury in single sport, specialized athletes that should be taken in to consideration when working with young athletes. The decision to choose to play one sport is a personal one and efforts should be made to discuss the pros and cons of that decision. Athletes, parents and coaches should understand that playing a single sport is not a guarantee for future success, since so few athletes hit the elite level, and that other sports allow for the development of new motor patterns and tissue adaptation. They can still participate in their main sport with skill acquisition while playing other sports or completing a strength and conditioning program.

 

Athletic development is a complex process with intrinsic and extrinsic factors that interact with each other and the athlete. The goal for the IOC is to “develop healthy, capable and resilient young athletes, while attaining widespread, inclusive, sustainable, and enjoyable participation and success for all levels of individual athletic achievement.” As athletic trainers we are in the perfect position to assist young athletes in making good decisions regarding participation by practicing evidence based medicine. We can develop educational materials for athletes, coaches, parents and administrators, discuss the benefits of strength and neuromuscular training programs and how to appropriately overload and recover for success. Our understanding of youth sports helps to ensure that they are able to engage in safe, long term participation in the sport they love.

 

Long term athletic development

There is some buzz in the athletic performance and strength and conditioning industry regarding 'long term athletic development', but what exactly is that?

The main process behind LTAD is the realization that youth athletes have a lot of years to play sports, grow physically, socially, and emotionally and develop skills at each stage in their athletic career. A lot of current programs, for all ages, promise quick results, fast gains and reaching your peak in a short period of time. LTAD involves taking a step back, looking at the athlete as a whole and developing a process to make them a better athlete globally.

In order to achieve ongoing results, you first have to know the athlete. What their goals are, what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are, how they move, how they perform exercises and what is the process in which to create global improvement. This global improvement is not geared toward one sport. Playing a single sport does develop motor skills, coordination and specific movements for that sport, but it can also limit total development of the athlete and stunt their potential. An athlete that only plays soccer can be predisposed to hip injuries and never develop any throwing skills or quick start and stop skills that could improve their game and make them better athletes.

LTAD is the foundation used to make athletes better athletes. It involves a systematic program to introduce exercises, progress those exercises and tie those exercises into a sport. Many programs focus on only one facet of a program and neglect the other pieces. There are speed schools, agility classes, core classes and strength programs for athletes of all ages, but few places take all of those components and put them together in a larger framework to create well rounded athletes: that is LTAD. It is understanding that athletes need a combination of strength, power, speed, reaction, acceleration, deceleration, agility, endurance and recovery and then creating a program that systematically addresses each component in an organized manner to deliver consistent results over time. Does this mean that a youth player will experience significant growth in 6 weeks? No. It means that the youth player will develop a foundation for ongoing engagement and learning that will lead to improvement and growth this year, next year, the year after that and so on.

The best way to have healthy, happy athletes is to expose them to different sports and challenge their ability to improve in a consistent manner over time.

Coaching and accountability

There was an article that was published today in Precision Nutrition that discussed why people struggle to attain the look they want.

Even though people are educated, eat well,  and exercise, they are not always able to achieve their fitness goals.

Part of the problem is the fact that people are not accountable to anyone, and therefore, are not working hard enough to achieve them. Something happens to derail them, and these common setbacks make it harder for them to realize their ideal version of themselves.

Achieving the body you have always wanted is very hard; it requires commitment, determination, hard work, clean eating and adequate recovery. If you are finding it hard to achieve your goals, then it may be time to try to recruit others to your cause.

Find a workout buddy. Having to meet someone at the gym who has similar goals to your own can increase your chances of following through on a workout.

Hire a coach. There are plenty of options for this one: personal trainer/small groups/online or virtual coaching. The main thing is that someone else is overseeing your plan and checking in with you to check on your compliance.

Partner. The nutritional aspect of your plan is often the hardest, and it is harder when you are busy, have a family to worry about and struggle to make food. Talking to your partner about your goals and getting their support can be a huge weight off your shoulders. That person is there with you every day keeping you on track, and may even join you in your adoption of a healthy lifestyle.

Reaching your goals is possible, but it takes hard work and proper coaching. Working with others can help you get there, and stay there.

Youth strength training

             When should young athletes start to strength train? Is it safe? These questions are asked of us all the time and it can be a challenge to convince parents of the safety of training since they have grown up believing that it can inhibit growth or affect the growth plates.

            It is safe for young athletes to start a resistance training program prior to puberty without risk of inhibiting growth or sustaining an injury. The American Academy of Pediatrics has published a policy statement outlining their position. The greatest risk of injury in young participants is poor coaching, and I would add unrealistic expectations.

            While a lot of us do not work directly with young athletes, we do see injuries and compensations that have originated from when they were younger. The goal of resistance training with young athletes should focus on the development of neuromuscular control, coordination, balance and movement. With this population, it is vital to lay a foundation that they can build off of as they grow and develop over the years. Programs should start with body weight exercises to develop movement and kinesthetic awareness and progress over time to include the introduction of typical strength training exercises once they have demonstrated movement proficiency. 

            Instruction should focus on teaching basic movements such as squats, lunges, lateral lunges, planks, pushups, pull-ups or rows, landing mechanics, and deceleration and change of direction drills. These key movements form the base of their sporting movements, as well as their future strength and conditioning protocols.

            Every athlete is different and has different needs, so they will progress at a different rate. Working with them to maximize their movement quality and efficiency will pay dividends for them later on. 

What do you do when you work with young athletes? What do you start doing with them? What recommendations do you give to parents of young athletes?

Resources:

American Academy of Pediatrics. Strength Training by Children and Adolescents. Policy Statement. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/121/4/835.full

IYCA. Kids Fitness Programs, should they really lift weights? http://iyca.org/kids-fitness-programs-should-kids-really-lift-weights/?inf_contact_key=5741d93b459a43e2580d5eda2335479261206ebaa7255ec5b8e680dff0b0c96f

Learn and Practice

I think that one of the keys to success is to learn and practice.

Investing time to learn more about a topic, skill, or job will almost always have a high return. By expanding your knowledge and critically thinking about what you learn will improve your understanding and enable you to improve. 

Learning gives one the understanding to improve. Practice creates and makes that skill better. Without understanding what your practice is for, it is hard to know if it is being correctly. Applying that practice with a purpose is what sharpens skills. 

Whenever you read a book, attend a course or see a practical it will improve your learning. Taking that new information and applying it to your practice in order to enhance what you already do makes you better. By constantly learning and practicing these new things you become better and better and your performance improves. 

Coaching is managing

           Do you notice that the successful coaches are the ones that get their players to develop their skills, execute them at the right time and come together as a team when it matters?

            Managing is very similar to coaching and a lot of managers could learn a thing or two from observing how successful coaches interact with their players.

            In order to field a good team the coach has to know what each player’s strengths, weaknesses, and limitations are in order to determine how they can be effectively used on the field. The same is true of mangers trying to establish a winning team in the office. They need to know each one of the team members and what they bring to the table. Then, they need to determine how each person can effectively contribute to make projects a success.

            Players practice in order to get better. The coach guides the practice, determines what is being addressed that day, what needs help, where to spend extra time and how to ensure that the players are being developed in a way that contributes to the overall team. A good manager will train their staff. Working with the staff members to acquire new skills, or sharpen existing skills, helps each person improve. The better the overall quality of the staff, the better the team.

            When it’s game time, the coach knows that this is an opportunity to see how effective he has been in coaching his team and how well they execute. They will look to see how the team comes together and what the skills look like that they have been working on. If there is something wrong with the game plan they make adjustments to correct it. Managers do the same thing. By observing their staff in action they can see how well they have understood the objectives and work to solve problems. If it looks like there is a problem, they can then make the necessary changes and recheck to see how it looks.

Poor coaches, just like poor managers, pace up and down, yell, holler and scream, blame the other team or the officials for not being fair and berate team members for not playing well. Good coaches sit and observe. The want to know how well the team is coming together, what is working well, what needs improvement and where to put their energy in the next practice to get better for the next competition. They do not shout or blame others; they take responsibility for themselves and the team. If there is a bad call then they voice their concern respectfully. The same is true of managers, if they are not providing constructive feedback, then how can the team improve? Instead, give clear, precise feedback about what needs to be done right now in order to be successful.

In order to get the most from each member of your staff, think of yourself as a coach. It is your job to determine what skills are needed for the position, develop training programs to improve those skills, monitor how well the staff displays those skills and make any adjustments. The better a manager gets at doing this the more productive the staff will be.

Coaching

When I think of myself as a coach and what I hope to achieve, it involves the development of my clients. I find out what our starting point is and then we set goals of what we hope to achieve. Then I lay out a framework that will allow us to meet those goals.

I use the same concept for teams and individuals. I create a plan that will maximize our ability to reach our goals. Along the way we reassess our position to see how well our plan is working to meet our objectives and make any necessary changes.

In order for myself and my clients to be successful we have to continually improve. We need to be stronger, more efficient and better week in and week out. Ideally, this improvement is linear over time, but there are times when things are easy and times when it is hard. Pushing through the hard times encourages mental toughness and inner strength and serves as a learning experience that will improve our overall understanding.

I work to educate clients about the choices they make and how those choices affect the realization of their goals and how to understand the impact of their decisions. I do not believe in dieting, or exercise days, but in a lifestyle. By creating and adopting a lifestyle it is easier to maintain focus and realize full potential.

It is vitally important to develop others, to allow them to grow and learn new skills. These new skills will improve self esteem and self confidence in every realm of their life. There will be mistakes along the way, but by learning from mistakes we can ensure that our development continues along the right path.

As a coach I get great satisfaction when people I work with improve their life and reach new peaks. Encouraging and fostering the development of clients will lead to their long term success in health and life.

Exercise selection

With so many exercises to choose from, how does one determine what the best fit will be? The first thing to determine is what your goals are and what you want to accomplish. This will guide the creation of the workout to achieve specific results. Next, we need to determine if there are any injuries or weak links that may need special attention. If someone is recovering from a knee injury and has limited motion for squatting then we have to choose other exercises.

Normally, I like to structure workouts around compound movements that work large muscles. This is very effective from a strength development standpoint, as well as a caloric expenditure standpoint, so it is helpful for gaining strength and burning calories. I then divide the exercises into different movements and choose a particular exercise to fit that movement. This is based on the individual needs of the client in order to create the most effective and efficient workout.
The movements I typically choose are squats, lunges, hamstrings, horizontal pressing, horizontal pulling, vertical pressing and vertical pulling. This framework allows for a number of different exercises without changing the overall structure or flow of the workout.

Squats
back squats, front squats, kettelbell squats, kettelbell swings, single leg squats
Lunges
barbell lunges, dumbbell lunges, alternating lunges, walking lunges, lunge jumps, rear foot elevated (Bulgarian) lunges
Hamstring
straight leg deadlift, Romanian deadlift, single leg deadlift, stability ball curl, Russian hamstring
Horizontal press
bench press, dumbbell bench press, incline bench press, dumbbell incline bench press, machine chest press, pushups
Horizontal pull
bent over row, cable row, one arm dumbbell row, standing cable row, machine row, Tbar row
Vertical push
push press, standing overhead press, standing overhead dumbbell press, single arm dumbbell press, rotational overhead press, seated overhead press, handstand pushups
Vertical pull
Lat pulldown, close grip lat pulldown, pull up, chin up, high row

Depending on individual circumstances and goals there are specific exercises that are implemented to support weak areas, target individual muscles, improve stability of joints

These can include lateral raises, scaption (45 degree raise), I,Y,T,W exercises, side leg raises, single leg lateral step ups, bicep curls, lying overhead tricep extensions and the like

This general guideline allows for numerous workouts and multiple organizational platforms that can be customized to each individual's unique goals and limitations.