Archive for “Youth Fitness Business” Category

Giving Your Young Athletes Ownership

Posted on: August 30th, 2012 by IYCA No Comments

 

 

Giving Young Athletes Ownership Over Their Fitness Programs

 

By Dave Gleason

 

At times we speak about giving kids ownership over their fitness programs. Self efficacy, self confidence and a vested interest in long term health and wellness are all associated benefits of giving a little control back to the young athletes we coach.

 

With all of the documented and experiential proof of these advantageous rewards, why do we not allow for coaching in this manner on a more consistent basis? Once more, should we be digging deeper into the possibilities we could examine with our young athletes?

 

Many coaches may feel uncomfortable with giving up ultimate control of the sessions they run. Giving up control is not the point. The perspective must be that the session we run are theirs…not ours. The kids we serve are the owners of their sessions.

 

Yes, for the most part, we orchestrate the parameters and boundaries they are allowed to explore movement within. That said, coaches must trust in the fact that the opportunity to explore, discover and learn human movement patterns far outweighs the perceived advantage of the most technical of programs.

 

As stated, there are several reasons why we should allow for more engagement and decision making from our young athletes. Recently, I took this to the extreme, leaving positive lessons learned by myself, my staff and most importantly by the young athletes we serve.

 

If cultivating a physical culture in children is important…if physical literacy is lacking in today’s youth and we are charged with positively impacting lives…

 

Then consider this:

 

I gave full control of our 10-13 year old classes for one week…to the 10-13 year old young athletes!

 

We all know how difficult it can be to maintain focus and effort levels during the end of the school year, especially for our younger athletes.

 

So here is what we did.

 

Within the parameters of our programming templates our young athletes where asked to name the categories of movements and or activities we operate our classes within. Next they chose appropriate exercises, movements, activities or games within each category.

 

The individuals in each class were allowed to help each reach answers that were correct in category name and appropriate in activity selection.

 

The result was an astonishing realization that our young athletes were learning. They are learning how to structure an exercise plan – a life long lesson. Tissue quality, active range of motion, muscle activation, general preparation, systemic strength and game play were all nomenclatures they not only knew – they understood.

 

My staff and I would ask them, for example, what “systemic strength” means to them and the answers were miraculous and dead accurate.

 

“It means working the whole body coach. The entire system”.

 

“It means not to strengthen just one part of our body but to get all the moving parts working together”.

 

When asked what activities they would suggest for each respective element of training my staff and I were once again amazed.

 

Not only did they produce suggestions that were befitting the chosen category, some of our young champions remarked correctly that some of the activities could potentially be used for more than one category. Brilliant.

 

This was a lesson to us that if we truly want to empower our kids, we need to coach as such. Not just on special occasions or during times when traditional programming does not suffice…all the time.

 

Every session, every moment young athletes has in your program should be memorable, remarkable and exciting.

 

Start with giving them the ownership they deserve.

 

Keep changing lives!

 

 

Youth Fitness Resources From The IYCA

Posted on: August 28th, 2012 by IYCA No Comments

 

 

Youth Fitness Resources

 

By Wil Fleming

 

I get a lot of questions regarding what IYCA product other coaches should buy. To my inbox, in person, and on facebook the question is always “I am thinking of buying Product X, and also product Y if you had to rank them what would it be?”

 

Continuing education is one of my favorite things to spend money on. I know that there is a big return coming on the money spent on products that help me improve as a coach. So in truth, any information gleaned from a text or DVD is valuable for me, but if I had to rank them here is how it goes.

 

Youth Fitness Specialist Level 1

 

This product really is what sets the IYCA apart. There is no more complete text about youth fitness and training athletes from ages 6-18. This text defined for me what youth athletes need when it comes to training. It underwent a recent update and has been improved even more from the original.

 

http://youth-fitness-specialist.com/

 

IYCA High School Strength and Conditioning Coach Certification

 

This was the first product I was ever involved in creating and is the most practical text I have ever read about training high school athletes. There are dozens of done-for-you high school training programs. If they don’t fit the bill for your training situation, there is a huge text book giving you the tools to replace movements with ideal choices. The fact that it was written by Mike Robertson, Eric Cressey, and Toby Brooks makes it even better. Normal texts talk a lot about theory but this one really does tell you how to apply theory to make great high school athletes.

 

http://iyca.org/highschool/

 

The IYCA Youth Speed and Agility Specialist

 

Written by Dave Jack, Latif Thomas, and Toby Brooks there is not a better text about speed and agility available anywhere. It is required reading for all interns with me, and for all the coaches that work in my facility. The section on lateral speed alone is worth the investment. That being said I have never read a more practical de-construction of the mechanics of acceleration and high speed running than what is provided in this text.

 

http://youthspeedspecialist.com/

 

IYCA Kettlebell/Olympic Lifts/Resistance Band Instructor Courses

 

I grouped these together because there is always a weak point in coaches arsenal that needs to be improved. The IYCA has provided 3 manuals that can help you eliminate those points to become a better coach. There are no better kettlebell instructors than Jason C. Brown and Pamela MacElree at teaching kettlebells in an easy to process way. When it comes to resistance band training, no one surpasses Dave Schmitz in his knowledge, I have seen him train elite football teams with only resistance bands, creating some of the fastest and most explosive athletes I have been around. The Olympic Lifts course is designed by me, and in my honest evaluation, it is the only product that comes from someone with an elite Olympic lifting background that uses the lifts primarily to train young athletes and not competitive Olympic lifters. Each of these products can help make you a better coach in a chosen weak point.

 

http://iyca.org/kettlebell/

 

http://iyca.org/olympic-lifts/

 

http://iyca.org/bands/

 

 

There are plenty of other awesome products from the IYCA. The Youth Fitness Specialist Level 2 and Level 3 products can only elevate your knowledge, and are the most thorough texts I have ever seen on a given subject matter.

 

 

Beat the Heat To Keep Fit

Posted on: July 9th, 2012 by IYCA 3 Comments

 

 

exercising in the heat for young athletes tips

Exercising In The Heat Can Be Beneficial

 

By Phil Hueston

 

Ok. So it’s hot. Really hot. But you still want to get your exercise in. Is it safe? You’re asking “How do I know when to go out and play in the summer sun (and heat)? How do I know when I should stay inside and exercise in the AC? Or should I bag it all and just hit the pool?”

 

There are risks and benefits to exercising in the heat. More risks than benefits, I’m afraid, but we’ll talk about both.

 

First, the benefits.

 

Benefit #1 - No snow. Ok, just kidding. The first benefit of exercising is in heat that you will definitely break a sweat. This is really only a benefit if you intend to sweat, of course! Sweating is good for the body in several ways. 1.) It is a very efficient way to remove toxins from the body. Sweating helps clean the toxins out of your body, helping to somewhat lighten the load on the kidneys, liver and other “clean-up” organs. 2.) Sweating is said to be moderately beneficial to cardiovascular health. When we begin to sweat, our heart and lungs work a bit harder to take in and distribute the oxygen needed to cool blood and keep organs and other body components cool. This contributes to improved cardiovascular strength and efficiency. 3.) Sweating can make you more beautiful (or handsome.) Sort of. See #1 – sweating clears toxins. The pores of the skin are often clogged with toxins, so when you sweat, you clear them out and let them “breathe.”

 

Benefit #2 - Improved stress levels and management. Exercise helps manage stress under just about any circumstances (except, of course, gladiator competitions and being chased by a tiger – very stressful.) Benefit #1 may contribute to the increased stress management when exercising in the heat. Sweating more is said to trigger endorphin release sooner during and after exercise. No conclusive proof of higher endorphins in the heat yet, but there IS something to be said for how great you feel after a good sweat and challenging exercising in the heat.

 

Benefit #3 - Muscles tend to warm up faster. It just makes sense – higher temperatures lead to more blood flow faster. Since that’s a large component of how muscles warm up, heat helps.

 

Benefit #4 - Enhanced fat loss. While the majority of weight lost through sweating is water weight, heat helps in fat loss, too. Higher temperatures help heat the body. This makes fat more “fluid,” for lack of a better term. Essentially, it becomes more easily transported in the blood, making it available for use as a fuel.

 

Benefit #5 - This benefit is a bit more specific in nature. Apparently, training in high temperatures can improve athletic performance at lower temperatures. According to a University of Oregon study, the results of which were published in the October 2010 issue of The Journal of Applied Physiology¸

 

“Heat acclimation improves the body’s ability to control body temperature, improves sweating and increases blood flow through the skin, and expands blood volume allowing the heart to pump to more blood to muscles, organs and the skin as needed.” – Science Daily, October 25, 2010.

 

The study was conducted on cyclists and found that their performance improved by 7 percent after only 10 heat acclimation exposures. Doesn’t sound like much until you think about what a 7% reduction would mean for Lance Armstrong’s fastest Tour de France time. In 2002, Armstrong finished in 82 hours, 5 minutes. A 7% improvement in that time would make it 76 hours, 21 minutes. 7% indeed.

 

So heat offers some unique benefits relative to exercise and the results you can expect. However, there are risks. So before you go hopping on the bike or grabbing your barbells, let’s make sure you know what they are.

 

Risk #1 – Increased Cardiovascular load. In the heat, your body tissues increase in temperature, often beyond the normal range for average temperature exercise. In response, blood is sent to the skin to cool the body. Add to this the fact that sweat doesn’t readily evaporate (how we cool off) and the job is tougher. This leaves less blood available to travel to muscles. That makes the heart work harder, stressing it.

 

Risk #2 - Heat Cramps. Less blood to muscles means higher risk of cramping. Heat cramps are painful muscle contractions, most often occurring in the calves, quadriceps and abdominal muscles. While the skin and body temperature may feel normal, the muscles themselves may be firm to the touch or even somewhat swollen.

 

Risk #3 – Heat Exhaustion. In this dangerous situation, your body temperature may rise to 104 degrees. It may be accompanied by nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness, weakness, fainting, and cold, clammy skin. If no action is taken to alleviate it, heat exhaustion can lead to heatstroke.

 

Risk #4 - Heatstroke. Your body temperature reaches more than 104 degrees. This is a life-threatening situation and must be addressed immediately. Without immediate attention you risk organ failure, brain damage or even death. While the skin may be hot, your body may stop sweating, preventing cooling from happening. Confusion and irritability may ensue. Seek medical help NOW!

 

Beware the warning signs. Know the warning signs of heat-related illness or conditions. Muscle cramps, nausea or vomiting, weakness, headache, dizziness and confusion are all signs that it is time to stop, cool down and re-assess the exercise session based on the risks.

 

How to get the benefits without needless risks. You can enjoy the benefits of hot temperature exercise while minimizing the risks.

 

Remember these guidelines for exercising in the heat:

 

1. Know the temperature - Be aware of weather forecasts and temperature expectations. Generally, temps or heat indices over 100 are signs that you should take extra caution when exercising. Reduce the intensity of your session or use a shorter duration during these situations.

 

2. Get adjusted and acclimated - Increase the intensity of your exercise over time, say 1 to 3 weeks. If you’ve been working out indoors or in climate controlled areas, start with a few short (20-30 minute) session in the higher temperatures and work up from there.

 

3. Know your limits - High heat is not the time to “jump back in” at full effort if you’ve been slacking off or exercising at low to moderate intensity. Also, stick with what you know while adjusting to the heat. Familiar exercise types allow you to recognize your limits – which will be tested in warm temperatures faster than in moderate ones.

 

4. Hit the fluids – HARD - Drink more fluids than you think you need. Don’t wait until you are thirsty. By then it’s too late – dehydration is beginning. For sessions longer than an hour, sports drinks may be a better choice because of the sodium, chloride and potassium they can replace. Choose drinks with lower sugar contents. Avoid alcoholic beverages during hot weather activity.

 

5. Avoid the mid-day sun - Morning or evening are best. Even better – a brisk swim.

 

6. Dress right - You may think your solar sweatshirt and the hot weather are a great way to drop a few pounds, but it’s really a recipe for heat related illness, even heart attacks and strokes. Light, loose fitting clothes in light colors are best. Think about a hat – especially those of you (me too) who are bald, shave our heads or have thinning hair.

 

7. Have an alternate plan - Go climb or run some stairs in an air-conditioned building. Exercise indoors in the air-conditioning. It’s okay, the weather will cool off and you’ll be outside again soon.

 

8. Know your risks - Be aware of any medical conditions that might be made worse through heat exposure. If you aren’t sure, speak with your doctor before beginning an exercise program in hot weather.

 

9. Sunscreen, baby - Because sunburned skin doesn’t cool off as well as healthy skin.

 

So the temperature has climbed into the high whatevers. Don’t let that stop you from “getting after it.” Just get smart about it and you’ll be able to benefit from exercising in the heat and your hot weather workouts while avoiding the potential dangers.

 

 

Evaluating Yourself As A Coach

Posted on: June 13th, 2012 by IYCA 3 Comments

 

 

Become The Best Coach You Can Be

youth coach evaluation

By Wil Fleming

 

There are a lot of great coaches in the world, and this newsletter reaches plenty of them. To become an even better coach evaluation is really important.

I think that coaching breaks down into four categories and seeing where you are an expert or could need some work is a helpful tool to become a better a coach.

 

  1. Anatomy and Kinesiology 

    This category is first as it is likely the first thing we learned in school that actually pertained to our development as coaches. For coaches that changed careers or don’t have a classic background in this area, this is typically the weakest. Coaches that are strong in this area, can do wonders in assessment, analyzing movements, and innovating new ideas.

     

    This is by far my weakest area and something that I strive to get better in everyday. Brushing up on anatomy, kinesiology, and biomechanics through reading is my primary way to get better in this area.

     

  2. Program design 

    Designing great programs can really make your athletes better. Putting the wrong exercises in the program can make your athletes unprepared for their competitions, or even get them injured. Incorrect rep schemes and volume can leave your athletes under or over trained. The right program can give each athlete a chance at giving their best effort when it counts.

     

    I think that I am fairly strong in this area, but could definitely use improvement. The easiest way to improve in this area is to observe and interact with coaches that are preparing athletes on a daily basis and glean what you can from their programming secrets.

     

  3. Practical Coaching 

    Practical coaching is what I have named the actual coaching on the floor. Seeing movements and cleaning them up to get the best patterns possible. Being a problem solver on the floor coaching the technique at every step.

     

    In my perspective, this is where I am strongest. I am able to identify issues in movements and make the modifications on the floor or to the technique that are necessary. Again watching good coaches in action is a great way to improve in this area, as is completing the movements yourself. Working through your own technical problems is a great way to get a feel for what you need to coach.

     

  4. Impact 

    Impact is all of the non-programming stuff. Are you making the environment fun? Are you setting the athletes up for life-long success by associating positive emotions with training?

     

    Also one of my strong suits, but probably the area in which I worry about the most. I want to make sure that the athletes love the experience and are excited to train. To improve in this area there are no secrets, it is always making sure that your energy is higher than the athletes’ energy and focusing on bringing them up with you through their training session.

     

Don’t be afraid to evaluate, and don’t be afraid to focus in on your weak points. You as a coach and your athletes will get better because of it.

 

Change Lives,

 

Wil

 

 

Your Youth Fitness Business Operating System

Posted on: June 11th, 2012 by IYCA No Comments

 

 

Youth Fitness Business Systems

youth fitness business operating systems

 

By Pat Rigsby

 

To run a youth fitness business that functions at a very high level you need the following Business Operating System components in place:

 

An Overall Business Growth Plan – Most fitness businesses approach growth very arbitrarily. They randomly try to do things and don’t really have a plan. It’s very much like the difference between designing a program based on a client’s assessment and goals versus just giving them random workouts.

 

It might work out ok – but the odds of it doing as well as the planned approach aren’t very good.

 

This plan should include:
Knowing who you want to serve
How you intend to reach those people and get them to become clients
A Marketing Calendar to put this into action

 

Specific Business Targets - You need to have targets for the number of leads that you need each month, the closing percentage for those leads actually becoming clients, specific revenue targets and specific profit targets at minimum. There are any number of other target metrics that you can (and should) track, but those are the basics.

 

Trackable Lead Generation System - For you to grow a successful and sustainable business you need to have several lead generation strategies that you can consistently execute and track for effectiveness. You need to be able to know that:
You’re getting enough quality leads per month.
Where those leads are coming from.
The cost of getting those leads, both from a money perspective and a time perspective
This way you can focus on what’s working and improve or replace what is not.

 

Trackable Lead Conversion System – You must know how effective you are at turning prospects into clients. You should know which prospects are higher quality (convert better and stay longer) and which aren’t.

 

Client Value Maximization System - You can call this what you want, but you must have a systematic way to:
Retain clients
Maximize their value to your business
Provide them the most complete solution for their goals possible
Most fitness professionals do not have this System in place and leave up to half of their potential revenue on the table.

 

Business Operations Systems - The systems for what go on ‘behind the scenes’ in your business, from how you answer the phone or respond to emails to how you clean your facility. A business might get away without these when it’s a one person operation, but they’re critical if you have a staff or want to.

 

Finance Systems - You must have systems to address:
Automated billing
Bookkeeping
Accounting
Taxes & Payroll (if you have staff)
Financial systems routinely either get overlooked by fitness business owners or are handled in a way that eventually costs the business a lot of revenue. Remember, it’s not what you make, it’s what you keep.

 

Hiring & Staff Training Systems - Almost every business owner aspires to have staff, whether it’s adding more trainers or coaches or it’s hiring someone to handle some of the administrative tasks that go into running the business.

 

If your going to have staff, then you need to have systems in place to hire the right people and develop them to do the job that you need done at the highest level possible.

 

Hopefully this gives you some more clear insight into the components of the Business Operating System you need to have in place to run your business at the highest possible level.

 

Obviously, there is far more to it than what I can address in an email, but these components should be present in your Youth Fitness Business. If not, you should immediately start working to build each of these systems.

 

They’re that important.

 

If you’d like to discuss how we can help you with your Business Operating System and in providing you all of those components, click on the link below and let me know. That’s exactly what Athletic Revolution was built to do:

 

Help great coaches build great businesses.

 

You can learn more about Athletic Revolution here:

 

Youth Fitness Business http://www.myathleticrevolution.com/more/

 

Also – with Athletic Revolution you can maintain your own brand while leveraging the best business systems in the industry. A true WIN/ WIN.

 

http://www.myathleticrevolution.com/more/

 

One Shell At A Time

Posted on: June 7th, 2012 by IYCA No Comments

 

 

Coaching Young Athletes: One Shell At A Time

 

young athletes

 

By Dave Gleason

 

When we are educating prospective parent members about the value of long term athletic development we often use very poignant and effective analogies. This is paramount in guiding parents to a better understanding and, at times, a paradigm shift as to the optimal way to train their child(ren).

 

Once more, it is imperative that our parents as well as our athletes comprehend the inherent risk of early specialization in sport… and the 6 week “bigger, stronger, faster” quick fix.

 

A common analogy that has proved advantageous to these efforts is that of our educational system.

 

We can quickly draw a parallel between the progressive and cumulative effect of our school systems while explaining that learning physical skill sets is no different. We speak to building a solid foundation before specializing in any one subject. We offer the example of not excluding other subject matter because a child has an affinity or increased aptitude in one particular subject.

 

“If Trevor was brilliant in the subject of math in 1st grade we certainly would not skip to 7th grade algebra”.

 

As coaches we need to take heed as to how we observe our young athletes from a standpoint of skill acquisition and movement economy. More importantly we must pay close attention to each athletes well being from a humanistic perspective.

 

I offer this analogy to think about how you may become a better coach and mentor to the young athletes in your program.

 

One shell at a time.

 

When walking the beaches of the south shore in Massachusetts I have often collected sea shells. Far too easy to pick up the shell that catches my eye because of its outstanding shape, size or varied colors. The thousands of shells I have walked passed without a second thought.

 

Half buried.

 

Pale in color compared to the shells.

 

Jagged and unpleasing to look at.

 

How many shells were bypassed that were in fact the most unique and wonderful shells on the beach?

 

What have I missed as an observer and collector of shells?

 

What have we missed as coaches?

 

What kids have we looked past to see the athlete who is the “better” athlete?

 

What child needed to be picked up so we could see the true value of them?

 

As Athletic Revolution franchisees we are all on a greater mission to change the way young athletes are coached.

 

This is why we will continue to set ourselves apart from from others in our industry. THIS is why will we change lives…one athlete at a time.

 

Keep up the great work!

 

 

Blueprint to Building Your Ideal Youth Fitness Business Video

Posted on: May 26th, 2012 by IYCA No Comments

 

 

youth fitness business iyca

Youth Fitness Business Building Success

 

Do you wake up each day excited to go to work?

 

I’m sure you are passionate about helping your clients or athletes achieve their goals but are you doing EXACTLY what you want to be doing?

 

Well, if your answer isn’t an enthusiastic YES, then I have something special for you.

 

IYCA Expert Dave Gleason did a presentation where he shares the exact plan he used to dump an unfulfilling career as an In Home Trainer to open his dream facility and build an ultra-successful business serving the hottest market in the industry: Youth Fitness & Sports Performance.

 

http://youth-fitness-specialist.com/

 

In this Free Video you will discover the secrets to never having to work with another single client you don’t love again while building the business or career of your dreams!

 

I wish most fitness pros would enjoy what they do half as much as Dave enjoys what he does… and in this video he’s going to share exactly how he turned his passion into a thriving youth fitness business.

 

Remember why you got into this industry and start loving your career again. Here is a blueprint to how Dave made that happen for him and how you can do it too.

 

Turn your fitness passion into profits starting with this video ->

 

http://youth-fitness-specialist.com/

 

Dedicated to Your Success,

 

Pat

 

P.S. – Check out Dave Gleason’s youth fitness business presentation where he shares his story on how he went from an In Home Trainer who didn’t really enjoy what he was doing to building one of the top youth fitness businesstraining facilities in the U.S. while loving every minute of it.

 

http://youth-fitness-specialist.com/

 

 

Becoming A Better Youth Fitness Coach

Posted on: May 23rd, 2012 by IYCA 1 Comment

 

 

Youth Fitness Coaching Tips From Dave Jack

Youth fitness Coach IYCA

 

By Pat Rigsby

 

It gets tough to access the credibility of coaches in this internet age. Many people that call themselves ‘coaches’ who haven’t actually coached anyone and there are many giving fitness advice that really shouldn’t.

 

So who do you trust?

 

That’s where the IYCA is here to help.

 

We constantly research and make sure to listen to coaches that are in-the-trenches getting great results. We know there is a lot of noise out there on the internet, so when we actually find quality information from a top-notch coach, we like to pass that info on.

 

I wanted to share a video with you from one of the best youth fitness coaches I know – IYCA Expert Dave Jack.

 

If you’ve never seen Dave present – it’s one of the most inspiring things you’ll ever see. The best part is, he not only talks the talk, he walks the walk.

 

Here is the link to the video -> http://youth-fitness- specialist.com

 

I know it’s a bold statement, but this one presentation will make you a better youth fitness coach.

 

Dave’s passion is contagious and this video will help you continue your mission on changing your client’s lives.

 

So, forget all of the internet ‘guru’ hype out there of pseudo coaches trying to sell you the next SECRET and checkout this powerful (and free) video and discover what a real elite coach does to become an even better coach.

 

Get the video here -> http://youth-fitness-specialist.com

 

Dedicated to Your Success,

Pat

PS – If you want to raise your level of coaching, I highly recommend you check this free video out by IYCA Youth Fitness Expert Dave Jack – http://youth fitness-specialist.com
pecialist.com

Outcome Based Coaching In A Nutshell

Posted on: April 30th, 2012 by IYCA 3 Comments

 

 

Young Athletes Coaching Style In A Nutshell

 

By Dave Gleason

 

The primary coaching style we want to use with our youngest athletes is called outcome based coaching. This style of coaching puts more emphasis on the outcome of the activity or exercise you have asked for from from your athletes.

 

Outcome based coaching utilizes very little cueing or technique modifications if any. Our 6-9 year old athletes can suffer from goal confusion, leading to frustration and a less than average experience. As athletic revolution franchisees our goal must be to provide an exciting, memorable and remarkable experience – EVERY TIME.

 

A communicative coaching style such as outcome based coaching is exactly what a young person needs to ensure the indoctrination of a healthy physical culture. At some point in life every athletic career ends. Our role is to provide an opportunity for their ability to move and exercise to continue long into their adult lives…no matter their current level of sporting success.

 

In addition, it is imperative that a young athlete discovers movement patterns on their own as much as possible. The central nervous system is considered more plastic for a young athlete. That is, a young athlete’s CNS is very sponge like or magnet like. Internal and external stimulus is more readily assimilated, learned from and transferred to movement patterns. This aspect of neural development is a crucial component of the natural development of a child. Let your young athletes “Discover” movement patterns on their own.

 

Here are some practical concepts to think about as you engage in outcome based coaching:

 

Be careful what you ask for. If you cue your athletes to skip across the length of your facility and what a few of them perform is a high skip in a zig pattern…they are STILL giving you what you asked for. Encourage their creativity followed by layering one or two appropriate boundaries with simple cueing. In this example ask the entire group to skip in a straight line on the next try.

 

Be a reflective coach. During and after your sessions reflect on the effectiveness of your coaching cues. Take note of what was successful and what you and your coaches need to improve on. Communicating more effectively with your young athletes will only result in more fun for them..and you!

 

Praise and praise often. When a child gives you their interpretation of what you asked of them praise them for it. If modifications or boundaries need to be communicated use simple cuing. For instance, a lunge walk with a pronounced forward lean at the hips can be corrected by saying “heads up, eyes up, or reach for the sky”.

 

Use names. Calling and praising a child by name will add tremendous value to the relationship building process and significantly increase the enjoyment your young athletes experience while in your care. In short, it makes it personal.

 

Take these concepts and coach your young athletes with your heart first, head second.

 

Keep changing lives!

 

 

4 Levels of Youth Sports Training Business

Posted on: March 26th, 2012 by IYCA 5 Comments

 

 

Youth Sports Training Business Success

Youth sports training business success

 

By Ryan Ketchum

 


Training youth athletes can be hard.
It might be one of the most enjoyable experiences in all of coaching, but it can be difficult to gain traction in your community if you have no previous relationships with coaches or sports organizations. The toughest part, much like any other aspect of business, is getting started. Once you have a little momentum behind you all it takes is consistency to grow your youth sports training business at an incredible rate.

 

For some reason it has taken me a few years to figure out just how easy and simple building your youth sports performance business can be if you follow the right steps.

 

Over the past several months I have implemented this system into our business with great success. It is almost scary how easy it is to follow and how quickly it can have an effect on your bottom line.

 

The greatest part of this system is that it doesn’t require you to be great at marketing or selling. I modified this system so that any coach can sell with the experience of their coaching and the results that come because of their great coaching. All you have to do to make this work is be consistent and dependable.

 

The first level of building an incredible youth sports training performance business is leveraging your network to build relationships with coaches, parents and leaders of youth sports organizations. You should focus on an area that you already have traction in and put all of your energy into it. If you aren’t sure where you might have traction I suggest you focus on middle school or younger athletes and female athletes. Stay away from football unless you are established or have some great connections. Building relationships is easier than most people think, but it requires you to step out of your comfort zone. For a little while you have to take a back seat to being the expert and ask for advice. Call up coaches, parents and organizational leaders and ask their advice on what they see a need for in their sports training. Take them to lunch, grab coffee and don’t step on their toes!

 

Once you have established a relationship and secretly found out what the biggest need in that sports community is (that is why you asked for advice earlier) you can offer a solution. The next step is offering a free clinic to help the coach or organization’s athletes better prepare for their sport. This clinic should be catered to meet the needs that were unveiled by those in your network.

 

To make this clinic extra successful you should have as much done for you material as possible. Write the emails for the coach, set up times that are convenient for the entire team, create the fliers and deliver the copies, etc. The easier you can make it on the coach or those in charge the more likely it is that you will get access to a lot of athletes.

 

When selling this free clinic idea to a coach you must explain how it will help them. How is this going to make their life easier and their athletes better? How can they use this in their practices and training?

 

Once you have established a date and set up the clinic your only job is to show up and be ready to wow the parents, coaches and athletes with your knowledge and coaching ability. Connect with the kids, make it fun and give them what they want. If you can show immediate results and improvement with the kids speed, agility or strength you will have won them over.

 

At the end of this free clinic it is time to move onto the third level. We must speak the language that coaches and parents are used to hearing, we have to do the unspeakable when talking about long term athletic development, we must offer a short term sport specific and skill specific academy!!!!

 

You might be wondering why we would offer a short term program if we have already won these athletes and their parents over?

 

The reason you offer a 6-8 week program to start is because that is what they are conditioned to believe will produce the best results. Create an offering that will help get them prepared for the season or improve a specific skill. The goal for the 6-8 week program is to educate them on the long term athletic development model and continue to build a relationship with the athletes and those in charge.

 

You can offer this program on site at the team’s location or at your own location. Many times it is easier to take the athletes off site to your location. We have got the athletes in our funnel now and we should do our best to move them into our long term training programs.

 

This 6-8 week program should be low cost, with a specific purpose. Our goal here is not to make a lot of money, but rather to gain the confidence of the athletes and the community. It is a great way to “slow cook” your leads and earn their trust. This works particularly well if you are new in the sports performance community.

 

Towards the end of the 6-8 week program you will now attempt to move these athletes on to level 4. This is your long term development program, your core offerings and strength and conditioning program. After 6-8 weeks of education and a phenomenal experience it should be an easy sell to get them into your programs so that they can continue their athletic development with you.

 

The key to transitioning these athletes from the short term to long term program is understanding their needs at the time of the conversion. If they are going in season it would be silly to recommend a three time per week training program, however you could offer a one-time per week program to ensure they maintain their results and continue to make progress so that come playoff time they are in the best condition. If they are going into an off season you will want to make the most appealing offer, which is a complete off season solution for them.

 

To recap here are the 4 levels of youth sports training business success:

Build and develop relationships

 

Set up FREE Clinics

 

Convert into low cost short term programs with specific training focus

 

Convert into long term development program

 

If you follow these simple steps you will have no problem becoming the go-to resource for athletic development and youth sports performance training in your community.

 

 

youth sports training business success

 

Youth Training: Give Your Programs a Boost

Posted on: February 21st, 2012 by IYCA No Comments

 

 

Youth Training Program Boosting Tips

 

youth training

By Ryan Ketchum

 

Every so often you need to give your Youth Training programs a little boost.  The numbers might be slowly declining, it seems like you cannot generate interest from parents or athletes and you don’t know where to go.   Today I am going to give you three ways to give your youth training programs a boost of new athletes for the coming spring seasons.

 

1. Attend sport registrations- I was sitting at the doctor’s office the other day and picked up the local paper to pass the time waiting for them to see me and I noticed a huge opportunity that we could have missed out on.  In the Sports section we have an activities section in which local sports leagues post their registrations and other events, in that day’s listings were two youth baseball league registrations.

 

I could have breezed through this without much thought, but immediately the thought came back to one of our Athletic Revolution marketing strategies.   One of the easiest ways to get more athletes is to be present at events they attend.  The registration is an event that will promise to have every parent and athlete that wants to play in each league in attendance.
These families obviously spend a little money on their kids’ sports and they want them to be the best athletes possible, no matter their age.  Our business can be in front of hundreds of parents with an incredible offer to get them ready for the season.

 

2. Reactivate all of your previous winter sport athletes- With the winter sports season coming to a close in late February and early March now is the time to start compiling your list of inactive athletes who participate in winter sports.  Create your list and make notes of when their season may end.

 

Within the notes for each athlete you will want to note if they make the playoffs, the season ends as scheduled or if you know they are injured.    You can send a handwritten note to those that make the playoffs congratulating them and letting them know you can’t wait to see them in the offseason.

 

Dear Athlete,
I am very proud of all you have accomplished this season!   Congratulations on helping your team make the playoffs and best of luck in all of your upcoming games.  I will be routing for you the entire way to the championship.    I can’t wait to see you as soon as the season ends to start your training for next year!

 

Signature

Signature

If the athlete is injured or missed the playoffs a simple phone call will work wonders.
Youth Training

These simple follow ups and contacts with your previous athletes are a step above and beyond what any of your competition is doing and will show them how much you care.  It is up to you to reach out and invite them back in to your programs.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming your previous athletes will return automatically.  Be proactive and set up some calls!

 

3. Hold a preseason academy- In Athletic Revolution we call one of our short term programs academies.  One of the best ways to get new athletes in is to start them in a program that involves a short time commitment, helps them get ready for their upcoming season (the one thing that is on their mind at this moment), and can be sport, age, gender and skill specific.

 

With spring right around the corner now is the time to set up your 4-6 week training programs for baseball, softball, tennis, golf or any other spring sports that you would like to work with.  The great thing about these programs is that you can upsell your current athletes into them for more specific training and you can get new athletes in door for your programs.

 

To market these programs you should look at your networking list first.  Find any coaches or parents that you have a relationship with and ask for their help in putting you in contact with the coaches, athletes and their parents.   Starting off with a free 1 hour clinic for them is a great way to get them to buy into your new program.

 

You can also use your leads from the event registrations (hint, hint) to fill these academies.

Once you have the athletes in the academy you will be able to continue to develop a relationship with them and their parents so that you can be their trusted athletic development resource.

The key to making any of these ideas successful is having a great youth training program that gets the results you promise, creating a system for developing your leads, and having the discipline to follow up consistently to develop relationships.

 

Make sure that anytime your program needs a boost you look for places that have a captive audience, seek out athletes in which you have already formed a relationship, and cater to the current needs of the athletes.

 

 

Coaching a Large Group of Young Athletes in a Small Space

Posted on: December 28th, 2011 by IYCA 7 Comments

Young Athletes Programming in a Small Space

young athletes
By Dave Gleason
At Athletic Revolution South Shore we have 2500 sq feet in total.

Our usable space is approximately 1600 sq feet with an open

turf area of only 1300 sq ft. We max out our session at 16-18

athletes per session. As the kids get older and can cover more

ground quicker – it is imperative to prepare our programming

with this in mind.

 

Here are a few strategies that have worked extremely well for us as we program for our young athletes 6-18 years old.

Staff - As skilled coaches we can certainly run large groups very

effectively. However, beyond merely executing a great session

we need to remind ourselves of the immense gravity of connecting

with our athletes. Once more it becomes increasingly more difficult

to observe all of your athletes to make recommendations, set

cues, regress or progress the movement. We have a minimum

of 2 staff on the floor at all times.
Cascading – We will have the athletes form 2-4 lines (especially

the Exploration because we try to avoid lines for our Discovery

classes) to perform the activity. When they reach the far end

of the turf they turn to the left and continue back to the start.

This can work very well for ambulating active range of motion

and general preparatory exercise.
Rows - For movements such as accelerations, skip loops and

bear crawls we form two rows, one behind the other. When

the first row reaches half way, the next row begins.
Circle up – Our Exploration classes are now accustomed to

engaging in MFR and active range of motion activities as our

classes begin. With a class of 16 kids they will form one large,

or small circles. Discovery athletes always enjoy circles…they

know it means something fun is coming!
Spread em’ out – Another very effective way to observe your
young athletes is to have them spread out so you can view each and

every one of them during the activity. We use spot markers

(agility discs) for our Discovery classes to add some continuity

to where they are. Be cognizant of the child trying to hide

behind another athlete or in the corner.

Split the room - Lay out cones down the center of the turf area.

Half the athletes at one end of the turf and half at the other.

You can instruct them to stop at the center line, turn around at

the center line and return to the start, or even pass each in the

middle during some activity (great for spatial awareness and

kinesthetic differentiation).

 

As you create your programs, contemplate how the activities and

movements you have chosen fit into these mechanisms of

organizing your young athletes. It will provide the context for fantastic

classes and remarkable results!

5 Steps To Getting In With Coaches

Posted on: December 15th, 2011 by IYCA No Comments

 

Coaches for high schools and teams need specialists…

coaches
by Ryan Ketchum
 
The biggest obstacle that arises with youth fitness and sports performance coaches and business owners seems to be figuring out a way to gain the approval and access to high school or team coaches. Honestly, 99% of you are probably doing it the wrong way. If you laid out your plan of attack (this is exactly how it will be taken by the coach) for working with the team or the coach’s athletes I would bet that for almost all of you it is being done the wrong way, ineffectively and you are running into a lot of dead ends and bruised relationships.
 
The problem with most of coaches and business owners is placing too large of an emphasis on getting the coach to let you work with the athletes right away or trying to get paid to train the team. I hate to break it to you but unless you are well known in your community for training high level and well respected athletes, have a pervious relationship with the coach or can sell a ketchup popsicle to a lady in a white dress you are not going to have any success in getting your foot in the door.

Here is your five step process to working with teams and getting coaches to give you your seal of approval:

Disclaimer: This is not a get paid quick or only work a few hours a day plan. This will require patience, effort and some ground work. If that isn’t something you are willing to do I encourage you to stop reading now as it will be a waste of your time.
 
Step 1: The first thing that you should do is look at your current athletes and your networking list. I know it seems obvious, but most people try to skip this step. Make a list of all the coaches that you already know, people that might know coaches you want to work with and a list of all your current athlete coaches.
 
The list of your current athlete coaches are the easiest to get in touch with, so start there!


Step 2: Set aside some time each day to make phone calls. Do not email, do not send letters and brochures, and certainly don’t send marketing material to the coaches.
 
One this phone call your main goal is to start building a relationship with the coach and get him or her to let their guard down a bit. The call to your current athletes’ coaches should be focused on finding out what the coach feels the individual athlete needs to improve on and what type of training they think will help the athlete succeed in their upcoming season or get better in the off season.
 
I know what you are thinking…. These coaches don’t know what they are talking about and probably will give me terrible training advice.
 
You are probably right! However you need to let them tell you what they think and start to build the relationship. If you ask them what they think they will feel as if they are giving advice and feel like the expert. This is important to get them to let you into the inner circle of coaches that you so desperately want to be involved in.
 
Step 3: Once you have the advice given by the coach you will ask if they have to meet so you can talk training and find out more about what they are doing and what trends they see in these athletes. Take them to coffee or lunch, invite to a training session, simply find a way to get in front of them.
 
During your conversations you will work hard to ask the right questions to find out what they are good at in their training and what they are lacking in providing to their athletes. The goal is to find an area that you have a lot of expertise in and that will add value to having you work with their athletes.
 
Step 4: After you have built up the relationship and you have found your “in” (the area that you are strong in and the coach is lacking) you will leverage your skill set!
 
Offer to come in during one of their workouts to help with a short 60-90 minute clinic on the area of you have the most traction in for their athletes.
 
This might be Olympic Lifting, Resistance Band Speed Training, Agility Training, or any other number of areas. Invite the other coaches to come to the training session so that you can help them with coaching cues and teach them how to get the most out of their athletes when you aren’t around.
 
You will do all of this for FREE!
 
The keys to this being successful are free, you will do all of this for FREE!
 
The keys to this being successful are free, you go to them, and finding an activity or skill set that you are very strong in and the coaches are weak in.
 
Step 5: Deliver an amazing clinic for the athletes and let the coach know right before you start that you would like to invite any of the players that would like to attend to a 6 week training program for the skill set you are teaching. Let them know it will be highly discounted and you just want to have the chance to help out the athletes further. You can also offer a trial or other program if you feel that is a better fit.
 
You must ask for the coach’s permission before doing this or you will burn the bridge you worked hard to build.
 
Once you get the kids in the door follow up with the coach let them know each athlete’s progress and keep them in the loop.
 
Bonus Step: If you really want to take your business to the next level you will call the coach 3 days after you perform the clinic and ask how the athletes and other coaches are doing with the new skills and coaching cues that they learned.
 
When you get a positive response you should ask the coach to put you in contact with other coaches in the same school or organization so that you can do the same thing. This will allow you to work through an entire school’s athletic department with relative ease and have access to hundreds of athletes.
 
This process will work with cold calling coaches as well, but the initial contact becomes a little tougher. Make it easy on yourself and go with low hanging fruit!
Give this system a try and let us know how it works.

Sell ‘em what they want, give them what they need!

Posted on: November 6th, 2011 by IYCA No Comments

 

 

by Ryan Ketchum

 

The more and more business coaching that I do for IYCA members, mastermind members, and franchisees the more I realize that our training philosophies and mindset sometimes get in the way of us running a great business.   I am prepared to be tarred and feathered, put in the stockades and any other form of medieval punishment that the loyal IYCA readers are going to put me through for delivering the message that I am about to write. 

 

Before you jump to conclusions and go into a tizzy about long term athletic development and building a training foundation I want you to read the entire message.  That is my challenge to you…

 

Before I really get into the idea of selling the customer what they want I have to start by saying that I am on your side.

 

Youth fitness and athletic development should be implemented with the long term development of the athlete in mind.   I am not claiming that you should run your programs any differently than this nor am I urging you to lie, cheat and steal from parents.

 

Take a deep breath and open up your mind for a bit because I am going to feel you in on a little secret that might change your youth fitness business forever!

 

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Testimonials That Will BUILD Your Youth Fitness Business

Posted on: August 21st, 2011 by IYCA 1 Comment

 

Young Athletes

As fitness professionals that coach young athletes we all desire those golden testimonials that will hit a marketing home run for us. The comments that we lust after are in conjunction with the very physical attributes we portray on our websites, in our brochures and as a part of any printed collateral marketing material we produce.

 

Understanding the power of social proof and or 3rd party credibility and utilizing it for press releases and even paid for advertising (hopefully not so much) will get most youth fitness coaches puffed up like a tick. This is for good reason.

 

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The Happy Youth Fitness Specialist: Part 2

Posted on: July 22nd, 2011 by IYCA 1 Comment

Youth Fitness Specialist And Happines Part 2… 

As Elena and I pondered the sources from which happiness flowed we wondered if there was another catalyst to its fulfillment, a life of solidarity.  Whether fully engaged in a labor of love or committed to a purpose greater than yourself, can you truly be the best version of yourself, by yourself?  Without being challenged, inspired and supported by a like minded peer group, how do we ever know whether we are progressing or regressing?  Further, what is a life of pleasure without others to share, enjoy and explore it with. 

 

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Youth Fitness Specialist key to Happiness: Part 1

Posted on: July 19th, 2011 by IYCA 1 Comment

Youth Fitness Specialist Article by Bobby Cuppucio

Last night in London, I believe I shared a simultaneous epiphany with Steve Jack, Elena and Michol Dalcourt.  We were discussing well… the secret of happiness.  Wine and the city make for an interesting conversation to say the least.  What does make people happy?  Or, more anecdotally, why are so many people not happy?  According to Dr. Martin Seligman,  in the decades that he has been a psychologist, he has discovered that there are three levels of happiness

 

They are:

 

  1. A life of pleasure
  2. A life of engagement
  3. A life of purpose

 

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Young Athletes & Changing A Generation

Posted on: May 1st, 2011 by IYCA 14 Comments

How can we ‘convince’ young people to become more fit?

 

Is ‘convince’ even the right word?

 

You know, it’s interesting… I’ve been carrying the ‘Youth Fitness’ torch for so long, it seems that my opinions on what we REALLY need to do for and with young athletes tends to counter what we see in mainstream media and even governmental policy.

 

Watch this video and tell me what you think –

 

 

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Youth Fitness: Summer Camps Success

Posted on: March 30th, 2011 by IYCA 3 Comments

Use as a template for the Youth Fitness Summer Camps you’re hosting this year:

 

 

News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact – YOUR NAME

 

NAME OF BUSINESS Hosts Summer Speed Program for Local Young Athletes Training System Consider One of the Best in the World

 

DATE – Young athletes in the NAME YOUR LOCATION area will receive a very special treat this summer.

 

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