Building strong athletes from the ground up through movement, assessment, and mindset.
As a youth athlete starts their fitness journey it is crucial for a well-rounded package that is built and developed over time by laying the foundation for all future movement and skills in their respected sport. The six pillars of building these areas consist of:
With a holistic approach of understanding the athlete, the starting point is with a movement assessment and identification of strengths and weaknesses to target those areas…
using specific tests to evaluate movement patterns and provide documentation of their baseline performance metrics. Bringing awareness to goal setting and collaborating with the athletes to set realistic and achievable goals, tailoring their training plans based on individual assessments.
To address fundamental movement patterns, there is an emphasis on training basic locomotion (walking, running, jumping) to develop stability within the supporting structures of joints.
Keeping in mind progressive skill development of a gradual introduction from basic movement competencies to intermediate and advanced movement patterns. The important key is to master the basic skills before progressing.
Age-related strength training with an introduction to body-weight exercises and reinforcing everyday movement patterns, while incorporating resistance and low weight selection as appropriate that will have a major impact…
and enhance the ability to develop their athletic performance. Increasing strength correlates to sprinting faster, giving them the ability to produce more force and power into the ground.
Activities designed to improve hand-eye and foot-eye coordination to increase the ability to process information and use it to guide these movements.
In combination with the use of modalities to provide sport-specific tailoring of coordination exercises or drills to align with the athlete’s respective sport but to also encourage creativity in movement through games and challenges.
Learning to understand movement in space where drills focus on body positioning and movement in relation to others. Activities that will promote awareness of surroundings during play but…
also the inclusion of games that require quick-decision making and spatial judgement, in addition to using small-sided games to enhance spatial awareness in a competitive context.
Front side sprinting mechanics are an important key to any athletes develop for long-term success, with focus on proper knee drive, arm swing mechanics and foot strike position.
When your body is properly stacked and aligned, it increases their sprinting efficiency, while also reducing the chances of injury. Your greatest ability is your availability. Back side sprinting mechanics are focused with attention to detail on hip extension and the recovery phase of sprinting that will help maximize force and power production, which will set them up to generate elite level speed. The use of feedback and video analysis for improvement allows for progressive development that is key for long-term success as they grow for success.
