Right now, there seems to be a large number of trainers out there who are taking on clients as young as 6 – 10 years old.

You may be thinking that I have a problem with that.

But, I don’t…

…At least not in principal.

I am sensitive to the fact that many young athletes are being asked to compete in endless numbers of games within a given season, these days.

That seems to have become the standard in our society with respect to youth sports participation.

Downgraded elements have become:

• Fun
  
• Development of self-efficacy
  
• Development of general skill
  
• Development of athletic ability

Highlighted elements have become:

• Competition
  
• Destruction of self-efficacy
  
• Over-concentration on specific skill
  
• Over-concentration on specific ability

I spoke about this topic with Nicholas Roy just yesterday.

Nicholas is a very talented young trainer in Quebec, Canada. He attended my Youth Development Principals seminar last year in Montreal and tells me that his career has skyrocketed in terms of understanding and application ever since.

He is in the process of becoming IYCA Level 1 certified as a Youth Conditioning Specialist.

He did run into a slight problem last week, however.

Nicholas was asked to present a seminar on global youth development to a group of figure skating coaches – and it was apparently not well received.

The notion that these coaches should be spending less time on the specific skill nuances associated with complex figure skating techniques and more time on global aspects of development was seemingly not a favorable message.

And I’ve heard the arguments, by the way.

But figure skating is one of the sports that requires an athlete to develop early, so specific skill development must be introduced at a young age.

True.

But so many other variables have to be considered:

• Fewer than 1% of all figure skaters ever ascend to a level of national or international success. In that, coaches of all sports must become better at objectively identifying talent – and this true of all sports.
  
• Even in isolated circumstances of ‘elite’ ability, a globalized developmental scenario must be followed. A young athletes eventual skill level and injury avoidance capacity is based on their systemic development.
  
• Over-patterning the same relative movements again and again will lead to structural and mechanical dysfunctions and compensatory patterns – in short… injuries.

I mention this last point because much of the adjunct training that young athletes are exposed to serves little more than to contribute to this over-patterning issue.

The off-ice training programs of young figure skaters often involves participation in ‘jump classes’.

It seems that the repetitive pounding young figure skaters get on the ice isn’t enough.

The additional training that young baseball players are asked to do often comes in the form of hitting and pitching lessons.

I guess because they don’t encounter enough of that during their 60+ game schedules.

So no, in principal, I am not against the fact that some young athletes and there parents are seeking out the services of trainers in order to augment there child’s sport participation.

I am however, entirely against the fact that many times, the parents and trainers use this adjunct training time in a misguided way.

It is not about enhancing the child’s ability on the ice, field or court; it’s about providing non-specific stimulus that serves to develop the child athletically.

Within the next 12 – 18 months, the IYCA will be opening our first of many facilities around the world.

And we have spent a great deal of time in research and practical application of creating a system of development for all young athletes that is progressive, safe and quite frankly, works.

I could do what a lot of other elite trainers do.

Create a system and try to entice you to purchase it.

That’s not what this newsletter is all about, though.

It’s about me sharing information and ideas so that young athletes are better cared for.

So…

Here’s what you should be doing with young athletes every training session or practice – and it does not matter if you are a coach or a trainer.

These are exercises and games that require balance and stability.

These are exercises and games that require movement and fluidity.

These are exercises and games that require the introduction of external objects

Next week, I will talk to you about ‘Outcome-Based Training’ and how your coaching style is probably confusing the crap out of your young athletes.

‘Till then,

Brian