The importance of performance training for youth athletes.
When is a young athlete ready for start performance training?
There are two questions I ask every parent to determine if their child is ready for our junior performance program.
Can they stay engaged in a 45 minute program?
Do they want to do it?
If the answer is YES to both these questions, then they’re ready!
Why is performance training important for young athletes?
The importance of performance training in adolescence has been proven by multiple research studies and is supported by all leading sports organisations. Even when a child is not engaged in organised sport, undertaking performance training can have a lasting positive impact on their long-term health and well-being.
Performance training in youth aged 6-18 years improves muscular strength, power, running speed, endurance, flexibility and general motor performance. This means not only are children running faster, jumping higher and performing better on court, but they are more resistant to sports related injuries by up to 66%.
From a health perspective, aerobic and resistance training increases bone mineral density, decreases depressive symptoms, improves blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improves self-confidence.
What sort of exercises does the program include?
Our Ball360 Junior Performance program focusses on the foundations of athletic performance.
Will young athletes get ‘bulky’ from performance training?
Research has shown that the improvements seen amongst youth athletes following a performance training program are due to neuromuscular adaptations instead of muscular. Youth athletes do not possess the hormones required to increase muscle mass (hypertrophy) but instead increase and strengthen the neural pathways needed to perform a skill/movement. After the onset of puberty, hypertrophy can occur but is controlled by our training program.
I don’t know if we have time in our schedule
If your child is already training and playing multiple games/sports per week then they are at an increased risk of injury. If they play so many games you aren’t sure if there is room for performance training, we highly recommend you decrease your child’s commitments or make room for the program to give your child the best chance of athletic success and health.
References.
Systematic review of the health benefits of physical activity and fitness in school-aged children and youth | International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity | Springer Nature Link
(PDF) Resistance Training in Youth: Laying the Foundation for Injury Prevention and Physical Literacy
