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
- 10-meter sprint
- Agility test
- Squat jump
- Countermovement jump
- Jump contact test
- 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:
- Correct posture (IE, spine erect, shoulders back) and body alignment (IE, chest over knees) throughout the jump
- Jumping straight up for vertical jumps, with no excessive side-to-side or forward/backward movement
- Soft landings including toe-to-heel rocking and bent knees
- 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 astep-ahead of others in their age group when they move onto the next level.
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.