Category — Youth Athletes

Today I have a great guest blog by Netherlands based rehab clinician and sports performance specialist, Chi Chiu.

Chi talks about some great information regarding the preparation of pre-adolescent athletes.  Chi gives some great practical applications regaring strength training and aerobic capacity for this young group as well as the importance of taking into consideration an athletes biological age, not just their chronological age.

Enjoy!

Patrick
patrick@optimumsportsperformance.com

—

The astrology of soccer (about training pre-adolescents)

Any event with mass media exposure like the World Cup soccer will lead to mass sign-ups of fathers claiming their kid will turn pro one day. They want the best training money can buy, preparing them for their rightful place on the world stage. And that’s a good thing, if nothing else then sport should inspire! It’s your job to create the optimal environment for maximal development. To create a star however, means you have to respect the stars. If this kid is born in December, his chances to become a pro just went down fourfold in comparison with his age peers, born in January. That sounds pretty much like astrology to me. Your job, change fate!

Statistics

Dutch soccer conditioning expert Raymond Verheijen has found remarkable correlations. By checking the birth months of soccer professionals, he found that 43 percent was born in January, February and March. The rest of the soccer pros are born in the second (27%), third (20%) and last (10%) quarter. That’s an interesting correlation, because the month of birth should have no effect on talent. It doesn’t end here, because sports have an inherent risk of injuries, so kids born in the first quarter have a chance of 25 percent. The following quarters however show a dramatic upward trend of 40, 50 and 65 percent increased risk. Is it all astrology or is it physiology?

Cut-off dates

While watching a youth game, you’ll notice a difference in size of the players. Although they are in the same league and have the same age, the length difference can be up to 4 inch. It’s the result of a cut-off date January 1st. Even if you have the same age in years, the first quarter players can have a head start up to 11 months. First quarter players are larger, faster and less prone to injuries as a result of physical contact. They are more in possession of the ball and therefore easily noticed by scouts. So, it probably is not astrology, but can a strength and conditioning coach battle fate?

Energy

Pre-adolescents at the age of 6 to 11 can grow an inch a quarter and that requires a lot of energy. Intensive training swallows that energy and the statistics shows that it has a significant impact on the growth development. The energy debt leads to a fall on the growth curve to half an inch per quarter. During the summer rest, a growth surge is noticeable, an EPOC of growth if you will. It does not always compensate for the debt and some of the kids will stay behind the curve. This will leave them prone to injury. Before we see whether you can work around it, we have to answer the question whether training pre-adolescents is useful at all.

Fit by themselves

Before puberty sets in, there seems to be no difference in performance between girls and boys from the same age. Children are active and fit and will remain fit until the girls reach the age of 14 and boys turn 18. Besides this natural fitness, we see little or no results due to training. I’ve seen many mothers melting and many fathers screaming, at the sight of their little champion at age 5, kneeling down in the field to pluck a flower during an all-important match. Is lack of results due to lack of discipline (they are kids, you know), or is it hormone driven?

Getting results

To increase the aerobic capacity of children, you need to get the intensity up. As a general rule of thumb, you have to train around the anaerobic threshold to get a good aerobic gain (Katch V 1978, MacDougal JD 1977). This threshold lies around 75% HRmax for adults and for children a bit higher in the 85% HRmax range (Rotstein 1986). After a decent warm-up, you can progress to interval training with all-out sprints and with resting. It seems to have the largest effect on the VO2max for children as well (Baquet G 2003, McManus AM 2005). Do however keep the temperature in check, because children have less glands and therefore less effective thermoregulation. Two or three times interval training a week is ideal, more won’t increase the effect.

Strength training is also useful and several studies show that a frequency of two times a week, with an intensity of 70% RM in 1 to 2 sets will lead to good results. No hypertrophy is to be expected at that age. A nice circuit with 6 to 8 exercises that can be finished in 20 to 30 minutes would be commendable (Faigenbaum AD 2005, Vehrs PR 2005).

Health

Clearly exercise will induce a health benefit and the most active kids, whose fat were measured at age 12, were slimmer at age 14 and had three times less visceral fat than the most sedentary kids (Riddoch CJ 2009). Strength training has of course a positive effect on strength, but also on bone density. It also has a positive effect on their self-esteem (Faigenbaum 2005). If a kid falls behind the growth curve, it is probably wise to bring down the volume. Don’t be afraid to cut the team in half. Kids that were born in the first half year train three times a week, while the other half gets to train once or maybe twice a week. Although I implemented it for only a year, I’ve noticed positive results because of it. More fun, more self-esteem, less peer pressure and less injuries.

Putting it all together

Watch the length and the growth development of the children. Make sure that they exercise healthy and have fun at what they do. Keep them flexible and introduce other forms of trainings besides soccer. Although pre-adolescents gain less with training than adults, it can be useful. As a safe and sound guideline you can use:

Aerobic: twice a week, 85% HRmax interval for 30 minutes
Resistance: twice a week, 70% RM, 1-2 sets, 6-8 exercises

You can do strength training with weights, but also with body weight exercises during soccer practice. Although there are clear benefits to strength training, explaining goals to young children is not useful. The big difference between kids and adults is that an adult needs to know why he has to do something, while for kids it must be fun or new. Basic moves like lunges and squats are excellent, but you have to adjust them. For the young kids you can introduce frog leaping (explosive squats) while they have to circumvent storks (agility work). Or let them be storks and let them hop after the frogs (single leg squats) or let them take big strides (walking lunges). You can introduce weights as bars of gold or food they need to transport. So, hold your speeches and get crea(c)tive!

Conclusion

Having the same age in years does not mean that they have the same age metabolically. The difference of eleven months between kids of the same age, can make a huge difference. Although the science is not completely in yet, growth curves and birth months are practical indicators for appropriate training, volumes and scouting. It will add to your chances to get the most out of their potential. No astrology required, just basic science, a lot of love and common sense.

References

Baquet G (2003), van Praagh E, Berthoin S. Endurance training and aerobic fitness in young people. Sports Med. 2003;33(15):1127-43. Review.

Bernhardt DT (2001), Gomez J, Johnson MD, Martin TJ, Rowland TW, Small E, LeBlanc C, Malina R, Krein C, Young JC, Reed FE, Anderson SJ, Anderson SJ, Griesemer BA, Bar-Or O; Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Strength training by children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2001 Jun;107(6):1470-2.

Blimkie CJ (1993) Resistance training during preadolescence. Issues and controversies. Sports Med. 1993 Jun;15(6):389-407. Review.

Faigenbaum AD (2005), Bellucci M, Bernieri A, Bakker B, Hoorens K. Acute effects of different warm-up protocols on fitness performance in children. J Strength Cond Res. 2005
May;19(2):376-81.

Katch V (1978), Weltman A, Sady S, Freedson P. Validity of the relative percent concept for equating training intensity. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1978 Oct 20;39(4):219-27.

Kraemer WJ (1988). Endocrine responses to resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1988 Oct;20(5 Suppl):S152-7. Review.

MacDougall JD (1977), Ward GR, Sale DG, Sutton JR. Biochemical adaptation of human skeletal muscle to heavy resistance training and immobilization. J Appl Physiol. 1977
Oct;43(4):700-3.

McManus AM (2005), Cheng CH, Leung MP, Yung TC, Macfarlane DJ. Improving aerobic power in primary school boys: a comparison of continuous and interval training. Int J Sports
Med. 2005 Nov;26(9):781-6.

Ozmun JC (1994), Mikesky AE, Surburg PR. Neuromuscular adaptations following prepubescent strength training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1994 Apr;26(4):510-4.

Payne VG (1993), Morrow JR Jr. Exercise and VO2 max in children: a meta-analysis. Res Q Exerc Sport. 1993 Sep;64(3):305-13.

Riddoch CJ (2009), Leary SD, Ness AR, Blair SN, Deere K, Mattocks C, Griffiths A, Davey Smith G, Tilling K. Prospective associations between objective measures of physical activity and fat mass in 12-14 year old children: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). BMJ. 2009 Nov 26;339:b4544./td>

Rotstein A (1986), Dotan R, Bar-Or O, Tenenbaum G. Effect of training on anaerobic threshold, maximal aerobic power and anaerobic performance of preadolescent boys. Int J Sports Med. 1986 Oct;7(5):281-6.

Vehrs PR (2005) Strength training in children and teens: implementing safe, effective and fun programs. ACSM Health & Fitness Journal. 2005:13-8

Verheijen R (2008) Het periodiseren van voetballen. ISBN 978-90-77217-20-7

Weltman A (1986), Janney C, Rians CB, Strand K, Berg B, Tippitt S, Wise J, Cahill BR, Katch FI. The effects of hydraulic resistance strength training in pre-pubertal males. Med Sci Sports
Exerc. 1986 Dec;18(6):629-38

Bio

Chi L. Chiu (39), M.S. is a rehab clinician, personal trainer, vitality coach, educator and presenter. He is the founder and director of Chivo physiotherapy, Chivo vitality coaching and Chivo education, a continuous professional development (CPD) center, specialized in courses medical fitness and lifestyle management. All his courses are accredited by the Dutch associations of physiotherapy, dietitians and personal trainers. He holds a degree in nutrition and one in health sciences and is currently working on his master (last one!) in psychology. He loves learning and spends 50 days a year on seminars, courses, conventions, etc. His approach is always holistic, which means he will include nutritional, physical and psychological interventions when appropriate. He is a consultant for sports coaches on a variety of topics and is assistant coach in little league for fun. He is not a typical strength coach, but his ‘I don’t like sports, I like results’ philosophy, keeps him close to elite level sports, where failure is not an option. He does not maintain a blog, but he posts regularly on his facebook page and welcomes you to join.

I was recently interviewed by my friend and colleague Zack Lush on the topic of arm care for high school baseball players.  I talked mainly about soft tissue therapy and recovery strategies.  While there is a question or two that are specific to baseball, most of what is in the interview can be applied to high school athletes in any sport.

Hope you enjoy it!

Patrick
patrick@optimumsportsperformance.com

While the benefits of an appropriate resistance training program for high school athletes are well documented, two common excuses made for not implementing a training program is that there is not enough time to add it into the already busy practice schedule, or the school/club does not have a weightroom to train in (IE, lack of equipment).

A simple solution to remedy both of these problems is to incorporate a strength and power training program right there on the practice field!  A program like this requires little equipment, and can be performed as part of the normal practice, in order to not waste time having athletes go from the gym to the field, or to have to ask the athletes to show up at a different time of the day in order to get their resistance training in (IE, lift in the morning before class and practice in the evening after class).

A recently published study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research looked the potential benefits a program like this would have on a high level under-14 soccer team.  The program was conducted for 12-weeks in the preason phase of training, during which the experimental group performed a strength and power workout on the field twice a week along with (on the same day as) their normal twice-weekly soccer training practice.  The control group only performed the twice-weekly soccer practices.

The athletes were measured both pre- and post-training in the following tests:

• Maximum Vertical Jump
• Ball-shooting speed (measured with a radar gun)
• 30m sprint
• Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Run
• Vo2max

The training program was a 12-week program broken down into three phases:

• Week 1-4 = General Adaptation
• Week 5-8 = Strength
• Week 9-12 = Power

The general adaptation phase consisted of higher repetitions per set, and was performed in a circuit fashion with short rest intervals.  The strength phase had the athletes performing lower repetitions and the rest intervals were increased to meet the demands of the higher intensity load.  The power phase consisted of plyometric activities as well as power cleans and high pulls, in order to stimulate the stretch reflex and improve the athletes’ ability to develop force rapidly.

The equipment used was minimal:

• Medicine balls from 1-3kg
• Commercial weight bags with a weight of 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, and 25kg (I am guessing these are like sandbags, but I am not entirely sure about that)
• 30cm mini hurdles

Upon completion of the 12-week program, those in the strength and power training group saw significant improvements in vertical jump, ball-shooting speed, Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance run, and they improved upon their 30m sprint time compared to the non-training group.

Conclusions and Practical Applications

The athletes in this study were between the ages of 13 and 14 (they had no prior resistance training background), and were playing at the highest level of soccer competition for their age group in Hong Kong.  One thing noted in the paper that I found interesting was that it stated, “The season lasts for 28-weeks, during which the formal match was played once a week…During the preseason, they performed soccer training twice a week, with each session lasting for approximately 2-hours.”

That’s it!  They play one game per week.  Only ONE!  In the preseason they only practice twice a week!  Compare that to our youth programs over here where athletes practice several times a week, and then attend a tournament on Saturday’s were they may play anywhere from 3 to 5 matches throughout the day.  Obviously the concept of developing athletes is a much higher priority in this program than it is in the United States, where beating the kids into the ground has become more of a common occurrence.

But I digress….back to the paper….

This paper just goes to show you how simple it can be to implement a strength and power training program with your athletes.  Obviously they used soccer in this study, but this would work for any sport really – lacrosse, basketball, baseball, etc.  The researchers in this study used minimal equipment, but focused quality movement and exercise technique (which was emphasized in the paper itself), and set up a program that had phases of training, which built upon the previous phases, leading up to the competitive season.

This study added the strength and power training program on top of the normal soccer training, which is a bit different than a previous paper I talked about, where the athletes in the training group actually replaced part of their soccer training with an on field power training program.

Either way you set it up, the results seem to come out the same – when athletes are trained properly, they tend to perform better.  The training should not only focus on sports-specific skills, but also on developing aspects of strength and power with a properly designed training program.  The program does not have to be elaborate, and does not require large time commitments or high priced equipment.

Don’t make excuses!

Patrick

patrick@optimumsportsperformance.com

Reference

Wong P, Karim C, Wisloff U. Effects of 12-week On-Field Combined Strength and Power Training on Physical Performance Among U-14 Young Soccer Players. J Strength Cond Res 24(3):644-652. 2010.

Young athletes practice long and hard to try and improve their sports skills. Coaches and parents will typically encourage long practices as, “practice makes perfect.”  Often, the emphasis on practicing a specific skill or task is done so at the risk of not focusing on other things that may additionally help the athlete improve their athleticism and abilities.  For example, incorporating appropriate strength and power training into the practice (which should be addressed during the offseason as well as the inseason).

Since we don’t have winter and snow here in Phoenix, it is not uncommon to drive down the street and see some of the club and high school teams practicing on the various fields this time of year.  Observing these practices is an interesting peek into the mind of the coach.  A typical practice usually looks like this:

• A relatively non-specific warm up (jog two laps around the field)
• A bunch of basic sports dills
• Finally some sort of scrimmage or drill that simulates game-like circumstances

In my opinion, the recipe could be better.  Unfortunately, the cook, I mean coach, usually doesn’t understand how to blend the spices together to make a great tasting meal.

One of the most important things that can be emphasized in youth sports practice is dropping the non-specific warm up (the 2-lap plop around the field) and starting to use a more movement based warm up (consisting of various exercises and mobility tasks) to not only enhance the overall movement capacity and awareness of the young athletes, but to serve as a segue into some basic plyometric drills to help teach them how to appropriately absorb and apply force.  I talked a little bit about this in my article on the importance of deceleration training, “We can’t stop.  It’s too dangerous.  We’ve got to slow down first!”

A current study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research evaluated the influence a short-term plyometric training program - included within a normal 90-min soccer practice - would have on inseason youth soccer athletes.

The athletes (13yrs old) were placed into one of two groups

• A control group who performed the normal 90-min soccer practice, twice a week, for the entire 8-week program.
• A training group who substitute the first 20-25min of their normal soccer practice with a variety of plyometric drills, twice a week, for the entire 8-week program

The athletes were tested before and after the 8-week period using 6-tests to evaluate explosive actions

1. 10-meter sprint
2. Agility test
3. Squat jump
4. Countermovement jump
5. Jump contact test
6. Multiple 5-bound test

The training group performed a periodized plyometric program, which was carried out following the warm up.  The program consisted of:

• Ankle hops
• Vertical and lateral hurdle hops
• Horizontal and lateral bounding
• Skipping
• Footwork (speed ladder)

All exercises were performed on the field, and each session was composed of 4-different exercises for 2-4 sets x 6-12 repetitions.  Because the athletes had no prior training in plyometrics, the 4-main points were stressed:

1. Correct posture (IE, spine erect, shoulders back) and body alignment (IE, chest over knees) throughout the jump
2. Jumping straight up for vertical jumps, with no excessive side-to-side or forward/backward movement
3. Soft landings including toe-to-heel rocking and bent knees
4. Instant recoil preparation for the next jump

Following the 8-week training program the plyometric training group saw decreases in both 10-meter time and agility test time (meaning they got faster!), significant improvements in countermovement jump height (7.9%) and, while not statistically significant, the plyometric training group improved their multiple 5-bound test by 4% and their jump height after rebound in the jump contact test by 10.9%. 

The control group showed no significant improvements in any of the explosive power tests and their performance left much to be desired.  Their squat jump and countermovement jump height actually decreased by 4.5% and 3.8% respectively, over the 8-week training period and their agility test time actually INCREASED significantly by 2.8% (meaning they got SLOWER!) following the 8-week training program.

Practical Application

This study is helpful for sports coaches in that it can allow them to draw up practices that are not only time effective, but focus on a variety of essential factors which will aide in developing youth athletes.

The nice thing about this study is that it takes away the excuse, “There isn’t enough time.”  Ninety minutes is the typical amount of time allotted for youth sports practices, and with proper planning the coach should be able to devote the first 30-minutes to a sufficient warm up consisting of basic movement preparation exercises and followed by a safe and progressive plyometric and agility training program.

I do however urge coaches to learn as much as possible before implementing this sort of training program with their youth athletes.  The program in this study was periodized in a manner that allowed the athletes to adapt to slight increases in plyometric volume and intensity over the 8-week period.  The athletes did not just go out and start jumping around.  Each session was rated for intensity on a 1-5 scale and each session built its volume on that of the previous sessions so that the young athletes could properly adapt to the stresses that were placed on them.  Additionally, the coach should have a thorough understanding of how to teach jumping and agility activities safely, so that proper technique is re-enforced, as “Practice makes permanent.  Only perfect practice makes perfect!”

If possible, attempt to contact a qualified strength and conditioning specialist to consult with your team or work with your team on the development of a safe and effective training program.

Remember, coaching youth athletes is about setting them up for success in the future.  I know one junior high lacrosse coach in town that is using some of the agility drills I have worked on with him as part of the teams practice (following the warm up).  These young athletes will surely be a step-ahead of others in their age group when they move onto the next level.

Patrick

patrick@optimumsportsperformance.com

Reference

Meylan C, Malatesta D. Effects of In-Season Plyometric Training Within Soccer Practice On Explosive Actions Of Young Players. J Strength Cond Res 2009;23(9):2605-2613.

Every high school sports coach wants athletes in their program.  Not just bodies to occupy space on the field, but actual athletes.

You know, the kids with the special talent to be able to walk out and just pick up a sport or particular skill.  The kids who are naturally fast, agile and strong.  The kids who can PLAY!

Growing up in Ohio, I have come to love and appreciate high school football (I firmly believe that some of those teams could potentially beat the Browns right now!).  So naturally, I have been following the football state championship here in Arizona.  No doubt these teams have athletes, with many of them having committed to various Division 1 universities next year.

As I watch these teams play, I often wonder if the coach is doing anything to encourage his athletes to take part in other sports when it is not football season.  I was fortunate enough in high school to have coaches who encouraged us to play other sports when we were not in our specific season.  However, I get the feeling that many coaches these days are very selfish about their players.

“If it isn’t football season, I want you just lifting and getting ready for next year.”

Obviously, this is the wrong approach to take, as playing a variety of sports creates better athletes at this age.  If you look at the background of professional athletes, you will surely find that many of them excelled at several different sports in high school (and often even in college).  They developed multiple skills and abilities and in doing so, those skills and abilities translated into them being more well rounded athletes.

Looking back at some of the great guest articles that friends and colleagues have submitted to my blog this past month, it is exciting to note how all of these coaches get it. They understand long-term athletic development and they understand that athletes need to develop many abilities (general skills) if they ever want to thrive in the competitive world of collegiate or professional sports.  If you missed some of those articles, you can find them under the “Youth Athletes” category tag on our home page.

So, getting back to high school football.  I wonder if the teams that are in it right now - the teams that are in it at the end of the season – have coaches who encourage their athletes to play other sports when football is not in season?

After all, if you “want athletes” on your team, you have to create a healthy environment for them to develop and grow.  Learning and participating in other sports like basketball, lacrosse, baseball and track and field, will raise the overall abilities of your athletes and allow them to develop to a higher potential.  Don’t squander their athleticism by making them specialize in one sport to soon.

Patrick
patrick@optimumsportsperformance.com