Hybrid Movements For Young Athletes     By Dave Gleason   Creating fun, imaginative and challenging activities for 6-9, and 10-13 year old can be a difficult task.  Keeping in mind that 6-9 year old athletes are still discovering movement and 10-13 year old athletes are exploring movement will help.  Combining 2 or [...] read more

Long Term Training… Point #2 – M.O.L.D: The Key to Long-Term training and Athletic Performance   Taken straight from the IYCA’s Youth Fitness Specialist – Level 1 certification material, this acronym should be the calling card for every single professional and/or volunteer working with young athletes:   M = Movement Must Dominate   Every aspects [...] read more

It’s great to watch a video or DVD and see what a quality training session is supposed to look like.   I always enjoy having exercise photographs at my fingertips with a visual representation of what each rep should look like along the way.   I also adore being able to read key information about [...] read more

‘Rare’ is another way of saying ‘scarcity’.   Uncommon.   But scarcity also means a ‘shortage of supply’.   And while I can absolutely assure you that there are no shortages in the supply of ‘Complete Athlete Development’ systems available, I can also positively promise that its rareness is something you simply must consider.   [...] read more

Programming for young athletes Here’s where I left off yesterday…   Moreover, I’d be willing to bet that 90% or better of the 13 year olds who walk into your facility would ‘fail’ this standard assessment:   They’re growing and lack mobility They growing and lack coordination They sit all day and have inappropriate hip [...] read more

Young Athletes Coordination Series In this 3-part article, I will discuss the role and significance of ‘Coordination Training’ as it relates to both preadolescent and high school athletes:   The myths and falsehoods associated with young athletes Coordination Training are plenty.  I’ll outline the ‘Top 3’ here:   Coordination is a singular element that is [...] read more

Kids Fitness I’ve just released a very special video of one of my favorite presenters in the world of sport and  kids fitness training, Lee Taft.   http://iyca.org/dvds/lee   It’s from the 2010 IYCA International Summit, where Lee started off his presentation by playing Simon Says for kids fitness with the entire audience – all [...] read more

    Kids Coaching Triumphs Justin was overweight, shy, awkward and without a shred of athletic ability.   But he had a ton of passion.   Loved baseball.   And I mean loved everything about the game.   You could see the delight in his eyes and practically feel the joy in his smile when [...] read more

    Young Athletes Long Term Athletic Success The key ingredient to working with pre-adolescent and early adolescent young athletes is providing global stimulation from a movement perspective. Younger athletes must experience and eventually perfect a variety of motor skills in order to ensure both future athletic success and injury prevention. Developing basic coordination through [...] read more

    Fitness For Kids Long Term Success Remember one of the critical pillars of the IYCA -   Don’t Train…. Teach!!   Here’s a look at our unique Fitness For Kids development system:   Discovery (Ages 6 – 9) – Creating A Champion   The purpose of this phase is to introduce participants to [...] read more

    Young Athlete Inspires His Coach… This story is going to change your day.   It may even change your perspective permanently.   I’m going to tell you about Tom – the young athlete who changed my life.   Exactly 7 years, 3 months and 5 days into my career as an Athletic Development [...] read more

    Okay, so I admit to being overwhelmed.   When I sent yesterday’s email out asking for people to offer their thoughts on the matter of Kids Fitness Program and ‘training kids under twelve’, I wasn’t expecting such a huge outpouring of passionate responses.   My blog is loaded with comments.   I received [...] read more

Drills.   Drills for young athletes.   How do you create them?   Now that’s a question I get asked virtually everyday.   Here are three great ones to use with your young athletes – especially if you work with kids between the ages of 6 – 12.     (1) Line Jumps   Have [...] read more