Have you ever used brain drills for athletes to help them warm up? In this blog I will start sharing Brain Drills for Athletes, starting with Drill 1.

We all know that a proper warmup is vital in raising the body’s temperature. This ensures an athlete is ready to perform at a high level during practice or before a game. But what about the brain? Should we warm it up too?

100% YES. Brain drills for athletes can be game-changing.

The nervous system must be primed and muscles ready to fire on command. As I evolved, as a trainer, I began looking at incorporating drills to warm up the brain before training sessions. I have found the drills mentioned below to be very helpful when starting a training session.

Not only do these drills fire up the synapses in the brain, they also help the athlete focus at a whole new level. When I watch them perform the drills I can see their eyes track the tennis balls or the HECOstix.

Not only are these drills beneficial for hand-eye coordination, tracking, concentration and a neural stimulus it adds a new element of fun. Fun in the beginning of a training session is a great way to start out a session. If your athletes come to training dragging their feet have them use these drills to wake up their nervous system.

In this blog I’ll share one drill to get you started, but stay tuned for more.

Drill 1:

To begin, have your athletes grab two yellow tennis balls. Have them hold out their hand supinated with a tennis ball in each hand. Then have them toss the tennis balls upward.  As the tennis balls descend, have your athletes cross their hands and then catch both tennis balls, one in each hand.

Have them pronate their hands for a different stimulus. Athletes should hold a tennis ball in each hand. Have them drop the tennis balls. As the tennis balls descend toward the floor have them cross their hands and catch the tennis balls before they hit the ground.

Author: Doug Heslip

Doug Heslip is the owner of Heslip Elite Sports Performance Training in Negaunee, MI and the creator of Seek & Destroy – Elite Running Back Drills a video product for football coaches. He works with young athletes in a variety of sports and teaches football coaches how to incorporate speed & agility training into their sessions.

For more information on developing athletes, the IYCA Certified Athletic Development Specialist is the gold-standard certification for anyone working with athletes 6-18 years old.

Use Code HESLIP15 at checkout to receive 15% all of the IYCA resources.

The course materials were created by some of the most experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the industry, and the content is indisputably the most comprehensive of any certification related to athletic development. Learn more about the CADS certification here:

How To Train Athletes Who Never Have an Off-Season Part IV is a build on the previous blogs- How To Train Athletes Who Are Never Truly Off-season Part III: Add volume with micro-dosing and movement snacks, Training Athletes Who Never Have an Off-Season-Part II and Training Athletes Who Never Have An Off-Season.

Part IV: Use visualization to improve muscle, strength or power outside the gym without physical strain.

“The strength and conditioning was too hard last night. I was sore during the badminton practice this morning”, the athlete told me on the phone.

From 2002 to 2007 I worked with the Danish National Badminton Team. Most of the players where Top 30 or higher in the world in their respective categories. They all practiced badminton 10+ hours per week 11 month’s per year. Simultaneously they wanted to improve physically to keep up with their Asian competitors. The phone call highlighted the second of two major challenges that athletes who are never truly off-season faces with respect to regular strength and conditioning:

1. The available time for a sufficient number of regular, developmental strength and conditioning sessions is limited.
2. The ability to perform developmental strength and conditioning is limited because the athlete is either recovering from a recent sport practice or they have to be ready for the next sport practice.

The second challenges leads to the question: Can athletes improve physically without physical loading? If so, how?

The answer is yes.

The solution is mental rehearsal (“a practice or trial performance of a play or other work for later public performance”)

Mental Rehearsal

Mental rehearsal supports improvements in (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

 Rehabilitation
 Exercise technique
 Strength or power
 Sport performance
 Psychological measures including self-confidence, motivation, concentration, pain
tolerance and effort

Mental rehearsal techniques include motor imagery and self-talk. (9)

Focus the mental rehearsal on

 Key physical tests the athlete will be exposed to, for example a vertical jump.
 Key elements of sport performance

The next posts dives deeper into motor imagery, self-talk and practical application of the two
techniques.

Take advantage of our Educational Resources- Get 15% off your entire cart by using code KJENSEN15 at iyca.org/store

Author: Karsten Jensen

Karsten Jensen, MSc Exercise Physiology, a renowned figure in the field, has been assisting world-class and Olympic athletes from 27 different sports since 1993.

His track record includes athletes who have clinched Olympic medals, European and World Championships, and ATP Tournaments. Karsten is the pioneer of The Flexible Periodization Method, a comprehensive system of periodization that allows for adaptability and customization based on individual athletes’ needs and goals. He works closely with busy coaches, offering his expertise to optimize their periodization and program design

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References:
1. Silbernagel MS, Short SE, Ross Stewart LC. Athlete’s Use of Exercise Imagery during
Weight Training. J Strength Cond Res. 21(4):1077-1081.2007
2. Ives JC, Shelley GA. Psychophysics in Functional Strength and Power Training: Review
and Implementation Framework. J Strength Cond Res. 17(1):177-186.2003
3. Lebon F, Collet C, Guillot A. Benefits of Motor Imagery Training on Muscle Strength. J
Strength Cond Res. 24(6):1680-1687.2010
4. Sarafrazi S, Abdulah RTB, Amiri-Khorasani M. Kinematic Analysis of Hip and Knee
Angles During Landing after Imagery in Female Athletes. J Strength Cond Res.
26(9):2356-2363.2012
5. Tod DA, Thatcher R, McGuigan M, Thatcher J. Effects of Instructional and Motivational
Self-Talk on the Vertical Jump. J Strength Cond Res. 23(1): 196-202.2009
6. Tod DA, Iredale KF, McGuigan MR, Strange DEO, Gill N. “Pysching Up” Enhances
Force Production during the Bench Press Exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 19(3): 599-
603. 2005
7. Snyder BJ, Fry WR. Effect of Verbal Instruction on Muscle Activity during Bench Press
Exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 26(9): 2394-2400. 2012
8. Tenenbaum G, Bar-Eli M, Hoffman JR, Jablonovski R, Sade S, Shirit D. The Effect of
Cognitive and Somatic Psyching Up Techniques on Isokinetic Leg Strength
Performance. J Strength Cond Res. 9(1):3-7. 1995.
9. Cusimano K, Freeman P, Pawaar J, Moran J (2023) The Effects of PsychingUp on
Maximal Force Production: A Systematic Review.

Confidence is such a lonely word. If you don’t have it you feel unwanted, and you are looking for ways to escape the negativity that was directly or indirectly sent your way. At the youth level this is compounded due to lack of life experiences. My Confidence Commandments will help.

A lack of confidence can create big holes in the energy bucket. These holes puncture your outlook, skill-sets and competitive edge. You can’t see through the fog.

Youth athletes sometimes don’t have life experiences to draw from to overcome negativity or a coach who doesn’t believe in them. Adversity is part of the game. Having a great coach or mentor can certainly help you navigate the rapids ahead. Below are my 10 confidence commandments.

10 CONFIDENCE COMMANDMENTS

(1) Sleep on it.

Take a few nights to digest the issue at hand and develop a strategy to
overcome the mental hurdle.

(2) Never talk negatively about yourself.

Your thoughts become your actions. Positive self-talk is the first step to confidence.

(3) Cut ties when needed.

There is nothing wrong cutting ties with energy sucking people. Move on from them. Find
like-minded people that support you.

(4) Keep Goals Front-Facing

Place notes with goals written on them all over your house. They serve as constant
reminders to keep you focused and motivated.

(5) One rung of the ladder at a time.

It takes a lot of steps to move up and only one misstep to fall all the way down. Don’t try to hit 20 home runs with just one at bat.

(6) Be prepared.

Do your homework. Build a strong foundation. You’ll be better prepared to handle setbacks that will happen.

(7) Invest in yourself.

It doesn’t have to be expensive. Take a day off. One day that is all yours. Take a sauna. Get a message. Read a book.

(8) Celebrate your victories.

Do a power pose. I would suggest doing a power pose every morning when you wake up. Call an energy giving friend and share your good fortune.

(9) Praise others.

Your emotional support to others will establish you as a pillar for others to trust.

(10) Be true to yourself.

Don’t be a fraud to fit in. This is a confidence buster. A close circle of sincere friends will outwit adversity when it comes around.

We all have to dig deep at times. We will all be challenged. Our confidence will be shaken. It happens to every single human being. Developing strategies beforehand and during confidence shakes will help minimize the time you spend with your confidence shake.

Your response to a confidence shake will have a domino effect for the positive or the negative. Don’t rush or be impulsive to escape a confidence shake. Time is on your side. Time is a great gift. Use it to think things through before you act. Patience is a great confidence builder. I didn’t mention patience until now, because I wanted you to read this article through. Bust the shakes with patience.

Author: Doug Heslip

Doug Heslip is the owner of Heslip Elite Sports Performance Training in Negaunee, MI and the creator of Seek & Destroy – Elite Running Back Drills a video product for football coaches. He works with young athletes in a variety of sports and teaches football coaches how to incorporate speed & agility training into their sessions.

For more information on developing athletes, the IYCA Certified Athletic Development Specialist is the gold-standard certification for anyone working with athletes 6-18 years old.

Use Code HESLIP15 at checkout to receive 15% all of the IYCA resources.

The course materials were created by some of the most experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the industry, and the content is indisputably the most comprehensive of any certification related to athletic development. Learn more about the CADS certification here:

Coaching girls effectively involves the willingness to create a positive, supportive environment while simultaneously understanding the needs of the individual and the different dynamics they are experiencing.  In this blog I will review 3 tips for being the coach that is the catalyst for greatness in our female athletes.

Tip 1: Give Them a Say

Observing 100’s of coaches (maybe 1000’s) over the last 20+ years, as well as being a female who has been coached most of my life (if not by sport coaches, business coaches and other lanes of coaching) it’s been apparent that those who create the most exceptional experiences are those who are encourage females to find their own voices.

What do I mean by this?

Give girls the opportunity to lead in practices and games. Give them the autonomy to choose ‘this or that’. Helping them develop decision-making skills on and off the surface of play. There are many examples, but when we do this, it has a ripple effect into their daily lives.

It is important at every level.

Tip 2: Create Positive Team Culture

Although this is a no-brainer for most coaches, especially here at the International Youth Conditioning Association unfortunately, many coaches do not intentionally focus on this. Even if you aren’t building culture intentionally, your culture is still forming.

Encouraging collaboration, support and relationships is a formula for cultivating successes in our female athletes.

Girls often thrive in environments where comradery and teamwork are emphasized. They thrive in cultures that are inclusive and can see who they are as a whole person, not just a girl that’s good at sport or can run fast.

Tip 3: Focus on Progress over Perfection

We live in a society where perfectionism and as a result, procrastination, is ever-present . I won’t go down this rabbit-hole, but it can be toxic to a team of athletes.

As a long-time business coach & consultant, perfectionism and fear of ‘not being good enough’, are high on the list of reasons why capable and qualified women don’t take action. All that to say, many girls experience a very similar journey in athletics.

As coaches, when we can emphasize growth, learning and development we can release the pressure-valve that girls experience in the game and beyond.

Will we ever completely eliminate that perception of perfection that many girls have? Probably not. But, when we can help reframe their thoughts around “perfectionism” we will set them up for greater success later in life.

Part of this, is aligning our words with our actions in this space. This is one of the biggest ‘hiccups’ I see with coaches, especially in the heat of the moment of games and game-play.

As coaches, we must be aware of our words and our actions. When we say things like “good job”, then simultaneously roll our eyes and throw our arms in the air, we are sending a mixed message to our female athletes.

They pick up on this FAST.

If you say it’s ‘okay to make mistakes’ then ‘lose your cool’ when they do, it will quickly confirm what they already believe- they have to be perfect to get your praise.

Summary

To summarize, in general, girls need to feel good to play good. When they have coaches that care about them, are approachable and inclusive, the possibilities are endless!

Stay tuned to my next blog where I explore more tips on coaching girls. You can also check my last blog out: Coaching Female Athletes-The Art & Science

If you are looking to expand your knowledge in this space we (at the IYCA) have partnered with the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sports to provide you with FREE Access to CoachingHER.

Coaching HER is a coaching resource that helps sport coaches of girls challenge the status quo and the taken-for-granted assumptions of what it means to coach girls.

Coaching HER tackles central and unaddressed issues which negatively impact girls’ and women’s performance, self-perceptions, sport choices, and experiences: coaches’ unconscious gender biases and stereotypes.

Julie Hatfield-Still

Brand Executive for the IYCA.

Julie is an Entrepreneur, CEO, Coach and Author. She is the President & Founder of the Non-Profit Beyond The Game Alliance. In addition to her work as a business consultant and coach of coaches, leaders and entrepreneurs. Julie is a Speed Development Specialist and Inner-Game Coach in the college, high school and youth levels.

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A common question we get is How To Train Athletes Who Are Never Truly Off-season? Here is  Part III of this series. The Answer: add volume with micro-dosing and movement snacks. Karsten will dig deeper into this concept in this blog.

Reference Part II and Part I of this series if you haven’t yet read them.

I became familiar with micro-dosing in the 1980s. Norwegian coaches instructed their youth cross-country skiers to do dips on a school fence during recess.

Later, some of the badminton players I worked with told me they saw Chinese players who practiced their defensive movements with tennis racquets while watching their teammates play.

My best direct experience with micro-dosing was with a professional table tennis player who was a bronze medalist in Athens in 2004.

His table tennis practice exceeded 10 hours per week, 11 months of the year. Additionally, he participated in team matches or individual tournaments once or twice in most weeks. He maintained the strength and endurance of key stabilizers and antagonists with 5-10 minute sessions at the end of his table tennis practices throughout the 11- month season.

Even if they are not short of time, many athletes want to practice as much and as often as possible. Micro-dosing is a powerful tool, especially when there is no additional room or energy for full-scale strength and conditioning practices. It’s a logical and efficient approach that can be harnessed to its full potential.

What is Micro-Dosing?

The dictionary defines a micro-dose as “a very small amount of a drug used to test or benefit from its physiological action while minimizing undesirable side effects.”

Thus, micro-dosing is fundamentally about planning and executing the minimal volume of training that improves or maintains a specific capacity, for example, hamstring strength, while minimizing fatigue.

Coaches can space the minimal training dose into shorter, more frequent sessions. Such a structure is considered a distributed practice. (1)

Three steps to plan micro-dosing in a distributed practice format:

1-Identify movements or muscle groups for micro-sessions:

The sport-specific stabilizers and antagonists are the prime candidates for micro-sessions in training athletes who are never truly off-season. (See Part II in this series)

2-Identify times during the day or week for micro-sessions:

There are no strict guidelines for the time range that constitutes a micro-dosing.

Look for 3-10 minute time-pockets. Look at time pockets where the micro-session can be stacked upon another activity so that the micro-dose does not add another item to the athlete’s to-do list.

Examples:

• The warm-up for sports practices
• At the end of sports practices of games
• Any waiting time during the day

Somewhat similar to micro-dosing is “Movement snacks” which take many forms: (1) For example, carrying a backpack on the back promotes scapula protraction. This posture is often associated with shoulder injury. In contrast, carrying a bag on the front of the body promotes scapula retraction.

3-Suggest specific programs:

A micro-session is an entire session in miniature. Thus, it has a warm-up, a main part, and a cool-down.

Eccentric quasi-isometric contractions with a relatively low load work well as a micro-session:

The athlete holds a chosen position to isometric failure and maximally resists the subsequent eccentric phase. (2)

The isometric contraction acts as a warm-up. Subsequently, the eccentric phase challenges the athlete.

For example, the athlete starts in a half squat, with approximately 90 degrees of flexion in the knee joint. As the athlete fatigues, they maximally resist the eccentric contraction into the full squat.

When prescribed at long muscle lengths, EQIs increase muscle thickness, fascicle length, tendon stiffness and elasticity health and improve flexibility. (2)

Take advantage of our Educational Resources- Get 15% off your entire cart by using code KJENSEN15 at iyca.org/store

Author: Karsten Jensen

Karsten Jensen, MSc Exercise Physiology, a renowned figure in the field, has been assisting world-class and Olympic athletes from 27 different sports since 1993.

His track record includes athletes who have clinched Olympic medals, European and World Championships, and ATP Tournaments. Karsten is the pioneer of The Flexible Periodization Method, a comprehensive system of periodization that allows for adaptability and customization based on individual athletes’ needs and goals. He works closely with busy coaches, offering his expertise to optimize their periodization and program design

Website
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LinkedIn

Instagram
References
1. Afonso J, Nakamura FY, Baptista I, Rendeiro-Pinho G, Brito J, Figueiredo P (2022)
Microdosing: Old Wine in a New Bottle? Current State of Affairs and Future Avenues.
International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. 17, 1649-1652.
https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2022-0291
2. Oranchuk DJ, Storey AG, Nelson AR and Cronin JB (2019) Scientific Basis for Eccentric
Quasi-Isometric Resistance Training: A Narrative Review. Journal of Strength And
Conditioning Research. 33(10):2846-2859. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003291

Training Athletes Who Never Have an Off-Season-Part II is a follow up to my initial post Training Athletes Who Never Have An Off-Season.

In that post I emphasized that a precise type 1 goal is the crucial first step in creating an effective program for athletes who are never truly off-season. This sets the foundation for a well-informed and prepared training regime.

In addition to a precise type 1 goal, four additional program design strategies help train athletes who have minimal time and energy for S&C:

1. In the off-season, strength and conditioning prepares the athlete for sports practice. In-
   season, strength and conditioning supplements the sports practice.
2. Create optimal synergy between the warm-up and the main practice.
3. Add volume with micro-dosing and all-day movement.
4. Use visualization to improve muscle, strength or power outside the gym without physical
   strain.

This post discusses the first strategy: In the off-season, strength and conditioning prepare the athlete for sports practice, while in-season strength and conditioning supplement the sports practice.

What is the difference between programs that prepare the athlete for the sports practice vs. those that supplement the sports practice?

Preparing the Athlete for Sports Practice

Programs that prepare the athlete for the sport practice target the movements, muscle groups and energy systems required to improve the athlete’s ability to practice and compete. The program is created based on a needs analysis of the specific sport. (1)

Programs that prepare the athlete for sports practice follows the basic rules of program design. The session begins with multi-joint movements and finishes with single-joint movements.

Supplementing the Sports Practice

Sports practice tends to develop the agonists of the specific movements at the expense of the antagonists and stabilizers.

For example, badminton practice tends to disproportionately develop the quadriceps muscles at the expense of the hamstring muscles. (2)

Because of that, athletes who engage in high-volume sports practices need more antagonists and stabilizers training in their S&C program. They also require fewer Olympic lifts, squats, and bench presses. It is invaluable to consider the following questions as part of the exercise selection process.

These questions encourage thoughtful consideration in the training approach:

• What exercises can the athlete exclude from the strength and conditioning program (and still improve their ability to practice and compete)?
• If the athlete should perform just one exercise, which should it be?

Sports practice develops agonists compared to stabilizers and antagonists. Therefore, the answer to the above questions points to stabilizers and antagonists. Sports practice can also be designed—as discussed in Part I of this series—to affect the three energy systems significantly.

Therefore, S&C periods with high sports training volumes can exclude energy systems training.

Injury Prevention vs. Performance Enhancement

Expect this question, Where are the performance-enhancing exercises? from athletes or parents if you suggest a conditioning program focusing on antagonists and stabilizers.

Here is how you can answer that question:

• Strengthening antagonists directly affects maximal movement velocity. (3) Think of the antagonists like the brakes on a car. The stronger the brakes, the longer you can keep accelerating your body, arm, or leg before you engage them (the brakes).
• In some cases, stretching antagonists improve movement velocity and power, for example, expressed as a vertical jump. (4)

Do athletes improve their sports performance if they are out with injuries?

The answer is no. Therefore, one of the most performance-enhancing things an athlete can do is stay injury-free month after month, season after season. This reassures the importance of safety in their training.

References
1. https://yestostrength.com/fpm-move-better.html.
2. Ømosegaard B. Arbejdskravsanalyse. Fysisk Træning for badmintonspillere. S
26. Forlaget Tind. 1990
3. Jarics, Ropret R, Kukolj M, Ilic DB. Role of Agonist and antagonist muscle strength in the
performance of rapid movements. Eur J Appl Physiol. 47: 247-255. 1981
4. Sandberg, J.B., D.R. Wagner, J.M. Willardson, and G.A. Smith. “Acute Effects of
Antagonist Stretching on Jump Height, Torque and Electromyography of Agonist
Musculature.” J Strength Cond Res 26(5):1249-1256. 2012

Take advantage of our Educational Resources- Get 15% off your entire cart by using code KJENSEN15 at iyca.org/store

Author: Karsten Jensen

Karsten Jensen, MSc Exercise Physiology, a renowned figure in the field, has been assisting world-class and Olympic athletes from 27 different sports since 1993.

His track record includes athletes who have clinched Olympic medals, European and World Championships, and ATP Tournaments. Karsten is the pioneer of The Flexible Periodization Method, a comprehensive system of periodization that allows for adaptability and customization based on individual athletes’ needs and goals. He works closely with busy coaches, offering his expertise to optimize their periodization and program design

Website
Facebook

LinkedIn

Instagram

Monitoring and Improving Speed Training in Youth Soccer will serve as a guide to maximize your soccer athletes’ speed effectively.

Speed training is an essential component of any comprehensive soccer training program. It improves a player’s ability to make fast moves on the field while also helping to prevent injuries.

Understanding how to monitor and improve speed training can help soccer coaches and parents develop their athletes. This post will go deeper into how to analyze speed improvements, set training targets, and gradually raise the intensity and complexity of speed workouts.

The Importance of Speed in Soccer

Before we get into the intricacies of speed training, we need to understand why speed is so vital in soccer.

Speed is more than just how quickly a player can run. It comes down to how quickly they can respond to events, change directions, and control the ball under pressure.

It’s all about acceleration, deceleration, and agility. All of these qualities of speed can provide a player a substantial edge on the field.

Assessing Speed Improvements

The first step in every training program is to set a baseline. This allows us to track progress and modify the training program as needed. Speed training often include timing athletes during sprints and agility drills.

There are various methods for measuring speed in soccer players. The most typical approach is using a stopwatch to time players while they sprint a certain distance, such as 20 or 40 yards.

More modern solutions may use electronic timing devices or even motion capture technology.

Regardless of the method employed, measurements must be taken consistently. This entails testing under same conditions (e.g., same time of day, same surface, same footwear) and using the same approach each time.

Resource Recommendation: Use my code BBRANNIGAN15 to Get 15% Off the IYCA’s Speed Testing Mastery Course

Setting Training Goals

Once we’ve established a baseline, we can create realistic and achievable training objectives. These objectives should be specified, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

For example, a SMART goal for a youth soccer player may be: “Increase 40-yard sprint time from 5.5 seconds to 5.2 seconds in the next 8 weeks.” This goal is explicit (to increase 40-yard sprint time from 5.5 seconds to 5.2 seconds), measurable (a 0.3 second improvement is achievable with sufficient training), relevant (speed is crucial in soccer), and time-bound (in the next 8 weeks).

Safely Increasing the Intensity and Complexity of Speed Workouts

As players adjust to the demands of speed training, it’s critical to progressively raise the intensity and complexity of their workouts. This helps to keep the players challenged and encourages them to improve their pace.

Intensity can be raised in a variety of ways, including increasing sprint distance, decreasing rest times between sprints, and adding resistance (for example, racing uphill or with a parachute).

The complexity of speed training can be raised by introducing more game-like settings. Instead of merely racing in a straight path, players may be asked to change direction, control a ball, or make a decision while sprinting.

However, it is critical to increase intensity and complexity in a safe and controlled environment.

Pushing players too hard and too soon can result in overtraining or injury. As a result, it’s critical to evaluate players’ responses to training, adapt the program as needed, and ensure that players have enough time to recover.

Conclusion

Monitoring and Improving Speed Training in Youth Soccer is a dynamic process that involves meticulous planning, regular assessment, and deliberate progression.

By adhering to these rules, coaches and parents can help minor soccer players improve their speed in a safe and effective manner.

Remember that each player is unique, therefore speed training should be tailored to the player’s specific demands and talents. Developing speed is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires time, patience, and persistent work. However, with the appropriate strategy, the benefits can be enormous. Best of luck on your speed training trip! Happy training!

This article is guided by the principles of the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA) and supported by scientific research and practical experience in the field of youth soccer conditioning. It aims to be educational, engaging, and practical, providing coaches and players with the knowledge and tools to develop speed in soccer effectively.

Author: Beni Brannigan

Beni is an IYCA Ambassador, Entrepreneur and CEO. He’s earned UEFA coaching badges and a BA in Physical Fitness & Sports Conditioning. He has professional experience across soccer, golf, and rugby, expanding programs in Texas and Ireland. He has founded GameLikeSoccerCoaching and BBsports Fitness and Nutrition.

Want to learn more about SPEED Development and/or Mechanics?

VISIT iyca.org/store today and GET 15% off ALL of the IYCA RESOURCES by using code: BBRANNIGAN15

Enhancing In-Game Performance is incredibly important. In this blog we will discuss integrating speed with soccer skills and ultimately enhancing performance on the field.

In the fast-paced world of soccer, speed is an important factor that can mean the difference between a good and a great player.

However, speed in soccer is more than just how quickly a player can sprint. It’s about how well they can combine their speed with ball control, dribbling, and tactical awareness to improve their game performance. This article seeks to assist coaches and soccer parents with information on how to effectively combine these aspects.

The Importance of Speed in Soccer

Soccer requires a variety of speeds. It is not only about physical speed, but also about cerebral speed, which includes swift decision-making and anticipation. A player who can think quickly and predict the game’s flow will frequently get to the ball faster than a player who depends purely on physical quickness.

You can learn more about this in my other blog on Soccer Speed Part II- The Different Types of Speed

Combining Speed with Ball Control

Ball control refers to the capacity to manipulate the ball with all parts of the body. When paired with speed, athletes can keep possession of the ball while moving fast around the field.

To improve this talent, players should do drills that include controlling and manipulating the ball at different speeds. A simple practice could include dribbling the ball around cones at increasing speeds, pushing the athlete to retain control as they accelerate.

In future blogs I’ll share more about these drills, but for now you can experiment with different ways to change speed and different patterns around cones. Keep it simple.

Integrating Speed with Dribbling

In soccer, dribbling is the process of pushing the ball forward with repeated touches of the feet.

When combined with speed, dribbling can be an effective way to advance the ball, dodge defenders, and create scoring opportunities.

Drills for increasing speed dribbling may include racing against the clock or other players, with the goal of finishing the course as rapidly as possible while maintaining possession of the ball.

What other drills can you think of that will practice this skillset- share in the comments!

Enhancing Tactical Awareness with Speed

In soccer, tactical awareness entails knowing the game’s strategic aspects, such as positioning, timing, and decision-making.

A player with high tactical awareness may maximize their speed by making sound decisions about whether to accelerate, when to slow down, and where to move on the field.

Coaches can help players build tactical awareness by teaching game strategies, analyzing professional matches, and leading simulation exercises.

Conclusion

In summary, integrating speed and soccer skills is a complex process that involves practice, coaching, and a thorough grasp of the game.

However, when done correctly, it can greatly improve a player’s in-game performance, transforming them into a more fearsome opponent and valuable asset to their team.

As coaches and parents, your involvement in this process is critical. You can assist your players reach their full potential and excel in the beautiful game of soccer by giving them with the necessary direction, support, and resources.

This article is guided by the principles of the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA) and supported by scientific research and practical experience in the field of youth soccer conditioning. It aims to be educational, engaging, and practical, providing coaches and players with the knowledge and tools to develop speed in soccer effectively.

Author: Beni Brannigan

Beni is an IYCA Ambassador, Entrepreneur and CEO. He’s earned UEFA coaching badges and a BA in Physical Fitness & Sports Conditioning. He has professional experience across soccer, golf, and rugby, expanding programs in Texas and Ireland. He has founded GameLikeSoccerCoaching and BBsports Fitness and Nutrition.

Want to learn more about SPEED Development and/or Mechanics?

VISIT iyca.org/store today and GET 15% off ALL of the IYCA RESOURCES by using code: BBRANNIGAN15

Have you ever wondered how to train athletes who never have an off-season? You aren’t alone, we received a great question from one of you, and we want to address it. In this blog we will dive into, Training athletes who never have an off-season

For this one, we called on Periodization Expert, Karsten Jensen, to share his decades of experience working with over 27 different sports through the Olympic Levels, in a blog just for you! (And there will be more to come as he expands on the concepts he speaks about here)

Here is what he had to say:

I am familiar with the scenario you describe. 2008-2010, I consulted for the Varsity Men’s Volleyball Team at The University of Toronto, Canada. There were no conditioning requirements over the summer. When the student-athletes returned to campus, they had five volleyball practices per week from the beginning of the semester. Strength training was scheduled from 08.30-09.15 p.m. Monday and Wednesday.

Having limited time and energy for S&C can be a blessing in disguise. It forces us to be precise, efficient, and creative with our training programs.

These strategies, which I will share in the upcoming posts, are not just solutions to your time and energy constraints, but powerful tactics that will significantly enhance your athletes’ performance. They show that even with limited resources, you can still achieve remarkable results.

The first step is to get clear on the athletes objective for the strength and conditioning process:

What do they say they want?
Ask the athlete and the coach,

“What is the limiting factor in your ability to practice and compete?”

I have asked athletes and coaches this question for more than 20 years. The answer always falls into one of the following categories, which in the context of the Flexible Periodization Method, are referred to as ‘type 1 goals’.

These are the primary objectives that the athlete aims to achieve through their strength and conditioning program.

Primary Objectives:

• Increase daily energy/vitality.
• Prevent repeated injuries or rehabilitation.
• Increase ability to perform a high amount of sport-specific practice with high quality and
  intensity.
• Improve peak performance in selected elements of the performance or game.
• Improve the ability to repeat/maintain current peak performance in selected elements of
  the performance or game.
• Improve performance in prolonged or repeated competitions.
• Body composition (changing weight class).

Understanding the athlete’s type 1 goal is crucial.

It saves time and helps identify elements that don’t need addressing in the S&C program. Before working with the University of Toronto’s Varsity team, I worked with the best Danish men’s volleyball club and the Danish Men’s National Volleyball Team.

In 90% of the cases, the requested type 1 goal was ‘the ability to practice and compete with high quality and intensity.’

The Danish National Coach (my first mentor) also organized the volleyball practice to create the necessary energy systems conditioning effect (what soccer coaches call small-sided games). As a result, the athletes required no additional conditioning.

There are three additional implications of designing the S&C program around improving the athlete’s ability to practice and compete.

Implications

1.  The focus of the S&C program is the ability to train and compete above weight room numbers. In scientific studies, many weight room numbers, such as 1RM Back Squat, correlate to sprint speed (short distances). However, improving the 1RM squat is not always what an athlete needs to practice and compete better.
2. The S&C program is elevated from a sport-specific program to an individualized program. This shift in focus acknowledges each athlete’s unique needs and goals, making them feel valued and understood. The trap in sport-specific programs is ‘great programs with the wrong goals’, for example, giving a volleyball player who already jumps high enough a plyometric training program. By tailoring the program to each athlete, we show them that their goals and aspirations are important to us.
3. The type1 goal is targeted with the optimal amount of exercises, volume, intensity and frequency. Address secondary priorities if any ‘space’ is left in the program.
4. If the athlete can dedicate enough time to strength and conditioning, the program can address more than one type1 goal.

Coaches communicate an individualized program more confidently because they know it is the right program for the athlete. The athlete is more motivated for a program when they truly understand how the program is supposed to help them improve their sports performance. This approach proves effective time and time again, instilling confidence and trust in both coaches and athletes.

In addition to a precise type one goal, four additional program design strategies help train
athletes with minimal time and energy for S&C.

Program Design Strategies

1. In the off-season, strength and conditioning prepare the athlete for sports practice. In-season, strength and conditioning supplements the sports practice.
2. Create optimal synergy between the warm-up and the main practice.
3. Add volume with micro-dosing and all-day movement.
4. Use visualization to improve muscle, strength or power outside the gym without physical strain.

In future posts I will go into detail with these four strategies.

In the meantime, you can catch up on this blog: Periodization as a Strategy, Not a Tactic by Karsten

Take advantage of our Educational Resources- Get 15% off your entire cart by using code KJENSEN15 at iyca.org/store

Author: Karsten Jensen

Karsten Jensen, MSc Exercise Physiology, a renowned figure in the field, has been assisting world-class and Olympic athletes from 27 different sports since 1993.

His track record includes athletes who have clinched Olympic medals, European and World Championships, and ATP Tournaments. Karsten is the pioneer of The Flexible Periodization Method, a comprehensive system of periodization that allows for adaptability and customization based on individual athletes’ needs and goals. He works closely with busy coaches, offering his expertise to optimize their periodization and program design

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Join IYCA Certified Coach, Efrain as he shares his Dynamic Football Warm-up and Sample Workouts!

We believe that collaboration is the key to unlocking potential, not just in ourselves but in the kids we coach!

There is no single ‘right way’ but together we can find the best way to serve the kids we work with.

Below is a warm-up series for middle & high school football athletes.

General Physical Preparation, Flexibility & Mobility

• Run an easy lap around the track or field
• Glute bridge – Lay supine on a mat or field with heels on the ground and toes pointed up. Raise hips and pelvis off the ground and hold for 1-2 seconds. Do 1 set of 10 reps.
• Hip crossover – Lay supine on a mat or field with knees at 90 degrees and touching together. Lift legs swing over and down until the bottom knee touches the ground and hold for 1-2 seconds. Do 1 set of 5 reps per side.
• Calf stretch – Loop foot over ankle; straighten leg and hold for 1 second. Do 1 set of 8 reps per calf.
• Lunge and Reach Series – Forward Lunge Walk while reaching hands up and overhead (5x each side). Reverse Lunge Walk and rotate the torso across the front leg (5x each side). Lateral Lunge, holding a wide stance lunge side to side to activate adductors and groin area (5x each side).
• Knee Grab – Perform in a walking motion. Grab a knee and pull it towards your chest while going up on the ball of your foot on the stance leg. Hold for a one count, then take a big step and perform on the other side (10x each side). Knee Flex – Perform in a walking motion. Grab your foot and pull your heel to your butt while going up on the ball of your foot on the stance leg. Hold for a one count, then take a big step and perform on the other side (10x each side).
• Toe & heel walks, 2 x 10-15 yards, walk on your tippy toes then walk back on your heels, perform 2 sets.
• Straight leg runs, 4 x 10-15 yards, run dorsi-flexing your ankles and keeping toes up towards the sky. Perform 4 consecutive sets then slow down for Frankensteins.
• Frankenstein Walks – Straight leg march in place with arms extended and hands at chest level. Attempt to touch hands with foot. (10 x each leg)

Speed build-up, Conditioning & Coordination

(All performed for 2 reps x 15 yards)

• Backwards Run – Concentrate on a full stride, fully extend your leg using your hams and glutes.
• Butt Kicks – Move forward while kicking your butt with your heels. Take your time covering the distance but move your feet quickly.
• High knees – Move forward while pumping knees towards chest.
• Shuffle – Shuffle feet side to side while maintaining an athletic stance. Can also sub for Carioca drill
• Carioca – Use the same body position as the shuffle but perform a cross over run, concentrating on staying low and moving your hips while keeping feet straight

Sample Workout 1:

Plyometrics:

1. Skips for distance, 3 x 15 yards, recovery 30 seconds
2. Up downs, make sure to jump straight up and high, 3 x 8 reps, rest 40-60 seconds in between sets.
3. Squat staggered broad jumps, 3 x 8, recovery 60 seconds (explode out of a squat raising hands overhead and land softly into a squat)

Top speed :

1. Flying 30s, 4 sets, rest at least 60 seconds in between sets – Place 4 cones down 50 yards total, 10 yards will be in between cones 1 & 2 & then 30 yards in between cones 3 & 4, start off by jogging to cone from start and begin accelerating towards next cone ending in a full sprint from cone 3 to 4

Cool down and stretch

Sample Workout 2:

Agility:

1. Pro-agility, 2 x right, 2 x left, time the last 1 for baseline for improvement
2. First 10 starting drills:
   – One-knee lateral starts, 2 x right, 2 x left, recovery 60 seconds (2 cones 10 yards apart start at one end with your right foot off the ground on command or a whistle player will drop foot turn hips and cross over with the other leg and sprint towards to cone 10 yards away)
   – One-leg linear starts, 2 x right, 2 x left, recovery 60 seconds (Same as above, but this time the player will be looking right at the two cones start with foot off the ground lean in as if you’re going to fall then plant the foot and explode off the next foot sprinting towards the 2nd cone.)

Plyometrics:

1. Skips for height, 3 x 15 yards, recovery 60-90 seconds
2. Squat jumps and toss light med ball or even football, catch and repeat , 3 x 8, recovery 60-90 seconds
3. Depth jumps & sprint 10 yards, 4 reps, recovery 60 seconds (jump onto and off a small box no more than 12 inches high and sprint)

Cool down and stretch

Although this is a dynamic warm-up for football athletes, it can be used for almost any other sport! In the video below you can see some of these dynamic warm-up for football athletes in motion.

Having a hard time accessing the video? CLICK HERE

Please understand that when participating in any exercise or physical activity program there is a possibility of physical injury, and choosing to engage in this exercise or exercise program is done so at your own risk. If the activity seems too rigorous for you or your athlete, please refrain from doing.

Author: Efrain Larenas

Owner & Operator at E Class Personal Fitness Training, IYCA Youth Fitness Specialist, AFAA-CPT, Youth & Senior, TRX, AAA-ISMA Certified Small group, Life Wellness, Sports Conditioning 1-3

Over 28 years of experience and 5 years teaching Elementary PE.

Follow Coach Efrain Larenas at E Class Personal Fitness Training

Are you ready to take your education to the next level with the IYCA!

Use this special code to receive 15% off any purchase from the IYCA.org/store

CODE: ELARENAS15

Every sports coach wears a number of different hats, and it’s important to know how these three components measure up, if you hope to improve your young athletes!

Every sports coach should know these three components and in this video, IYCA CEO, Jim Kielbaso shares them:

Once you review the videos, we would love to hear from you! What sport do you coach and what component do you feel you need to pay more attention to?

We look forward to hearing from you!

Jim Kielbaso is the President of the IYCA and Owner of Impact Sports Performance in Novi, MI. He has authored multiple books, articles and training products and has spoken at events around the world. He holds a BS in Exercise Science, an MS in Kinesiology and has gone through multiple certifications through the IYCA, NSCA, NASM and more. Jim is a former college strength & conditioning coach and has trained thousands of athletes at every level of competition. He runs a successful NFL Combine training program in Michigan and has been hired as a consultant for major sports programs like the University of Michigan Football Program and the University of Kentucky Basketball Program.

Check out this FREE Training Video on Developing Athletes from Start to Finish, from IYCA CEO, Jim Kielbaso: Get your FREE TRAINING TODAY!

As High School Strength and Conditioning coaches we often deal with larger group sizes, with only a sport coach or two to assist implementing our programs.

With this in mind, it is critical to put time into planning every aspect of your program to ensure that workouts flow efficiently and are effective at the same time.

Challenges with larger groups include lack of understanding from the athletes, lack of space, lack of equipment, athletes waiting for an exercise, and inability to coach every athlete individually.

Here are 4 strategies for addressing these Challenges:

Ensure Athletes have an understanding of each exercise and it’s goal

During the first weeks of training a large group, extensively cover each exercise and the purpose it has. When the athletes are informed of purpose and intent, it helps to maximize individual motivation.

It is also important to teach athletes the terminology and how to read/follow the workouts.

Make large groups, smaller

Plan to counteract lack of space/equipment with the planning of stations, where athletes will pair up in groups of 3-4.

Instead of having 60 kids perform the same movement within a space, you can have 3 groups of 20 with different exercises to create additional space.

This could include a group being in the hallway with Medicine balls, one group at the squat racks, and one group at the dumbbell rack.

Set a timer for each station to ensure athletes are staying on track.

Use Superset Exercises

A tactics to combat athletes standing around is the use of superset exercises. Often athletes are in our program 2-3 times a week, so we are completing full body workouts.

In the superset we will include an upper/lower exercise, a main compound lift with a mobility exercise, a push/pull movement, or contrast sets with a heavy lift with a high velocity jump.

Keep athletes moving with purpose through the station. There can be one athlete lifting, one athlete spotting, and another executing the other exercise.

Leverage “Partner-Coaching”

When there are numbers greater than 20 athletes it can be quite difficult to effectively coach up each athlete within the session.

To offset this, create athletes that partner coach the entire lift. This ties into point 1 where athletes need to be well informed on the lifts and their purpose.

If athletes pay attention to the cues that are used, they can repeat those same points to their partners to help coach them up.

Author: Lucas Mayo, MS, CSCS

Lucas Mayo is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Brighton High School for Impact Sports Performance. Lucas is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Lucas earned his Master’s degree in Sport Coaching and Leadership with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning.

Using methods based on research and experience, his mission is to aid in the positive mental and physical development of the athlete or individual over the course of their lifespan.

Did you know that PLAY in and of itself has incredible health an cognitive benefits?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “research demonstrates that developmentally appropriate play with parents/caregivers and peers is a singular opportunity to promote the social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills that build executive function and a prosocial brain. Furthermore, play supports the formation of the safe, stable, and nurturing relationships with all caregivers that children need to thrive.”

Play is not frivolous!! It’s essential to development and even as adults, we need it!

Below you will find easy ‘printable’ concepts and tips to keep handy that represent the different kinds of play and the ‘ways to play’ within them!

Gameplay

Game Play is a mix of Movement play and Cooperative play, It helps children hone social skills as they figure out how to navigate group & family dynamics. It helps them learn how to collaborate and compromise with others, recognize and respond to others’ feelings, share, show affection, resolve conflicts, and adhere to the rules.

It can also help to strengthen the body and develop gross motor skills by offering opportunities in adaptability, flexibility, and resistance. Games can support advancements in physical developmental milestones, including coordination, stability, muscle development, body awareness, hand-eye coordination/control, balance, and fine and gross motor skills. 

Ways to (Game)play (Pick something different each day!)

• Old School Games-Tag, Hopscotch, 4-Square, Wall Ball, Hide and Seek, Charades, Balloon Tennis, Bowling
• Relay Game/races (with friends or family) using different moves, like running, skipping, shuffling, backpedaling, hopping, carrying items, object-fill-a-container, dress up/out, building)
• Side-Walk Chalk Obstacle Course (draw a ‘course’ to ‘run, crawl, skip, hop, leap, etc’ through. Add ‘stations’ with different activities for everyone to do (like jumping jacks, crazy dances, pushups, etc)
• Indoor Obstacle Courses (crawl, run, jump, skip, stairs, bed-jumping, cushion-forts…they all count!)
• Sports Games (all count- but NOT structured- keep it agile and inventive)
• Body imitation games (simon says/copycat)
• Listening Games (redlight-greenlight/simon says)
• Board & Card Games
• Video Games (but you must play WITH them!)

*Modifications can connect us more fully with our player by finding the “Just-Right-Challenge” between being a bit of challenge, yet keep interest, but achievable (even with some support.)

There is so much to be gained if the focus is on the process, not the outcome!  Therefore, allow for some time to “fail-safely”, refigure a plan and try again!

Free Play

Free play is when children have full freedom to play in whatever way they wish. “They can choose everything – they have the freedom to select their play materials, interest area and even the plot”. During free play time, children can express themselves in the way that they choose depending on the day, time and situation they are in. Free play, is just that…FREE, not to mention…FUN!

Ways to (free)play: Do daily!

• Do it YOUR way! There is no right or wrong here, get creative, let kids create their own ways to play and spend time connecting with their creations! If you need some ideas, browse the other ‘ways to play’, This is a great day to incorporate all the fundamental movement patterns that are so important at every age. They are, rudimentary locomotor (e.g., running, jumping, hopping, leaping) and object manipulation/control (e.g., throwing, catching, striking, kicking)
• The key to this type of play is to encourage their thought process, NOT provide them the ANSWER. This means, if they are building a fort, and you can see it is going to fall or not achieve what they are hoping, we can try it their way and help them “wonder” why it didn’t work the way they thought. “WONDERING” is the greatest skill here, and walking through the plan – whether it is about the rules or making mud a certain consistency, or getting a ball through a tunnel, or making an obstacle course- walk through the process WITH them, and help them refigure a new plan to met the goal.

THE FUN IS FINDING OUT WHAT WORKS WELL and LAUGHING WHEN IT DOESN’T – TOGETHER!!

• How to make this successful: Offer a variety of items to play with.

This can include access to things like; bikes, swings, sand boxes, water/sensory tables, couch cushions, blankets, chairs, pillows, empty large boxes, buckets, measuring cups/shifters, painters tape, pool noodles, jump ropes, frisbees/plastic plates/cups, chalk, pipe cleaners, markers, and natural things, dirt, leaves, rocks, sticks, water. These can allow for endless types of imaginative play themes. 

*Oftentimes, play emulates real life. If you are stuck on a theme, use roles or experiences that have already been experienced- restaurant, school, occupations/bakers/police/dog catcher/builder. In this way the player gets to try on these roles and can be as silly or as serious as they write the script. 

Nature Play

Nature play gives children the opportunity to explore and understand nature. From watching worms in the soil to balancing on a log, nature play is child-initiated and child-directed. Research shows that children benefit greatly from daily connections with nature. 

The use of nature-based products in our play environments allow children to learn and develop responsibility as they care for plants and experience the natural world. Just like a classroom is carefully prepared by a teacher for learning, an outdoor play environment is carefully designed, beckoning the child’s innate desire to learn and explore.

Research indicates that, when children play and learn in nature, they do so with more vigor, engagement, imagination, and cooperation than in wholly artificial environments, and that symptoms of attention deficit and depression are reduced. Experts agree that children need access to nature the same way they need good nutrition and adequate sleep.

Ways to (Nature) play: Get outside daily

• Ponds, lakes, playgrounds, dirt, mud, water, logs, boulders, trees…explore the world today! 
• Check out this AMAZING RESOURCE from the NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION!
• Hiking
• Exploring new territories  
• Walking new trails and parks
• Identifying different animals & plants
• A nature scavenger hunt
• Recycled nature/natural product crafts

*If engaging in the environment presents some challenges, modifications can be made to present the material in smaller, more controlled ways. Consider providing items in small bins, for shorter periods of time, or provide a preferred item alongside the new items. Sometimes, providing a concrete goal, like “How many brown things can we find? 3 – Let’s do it”, can give purpose to the play as well as a firm ending to the new hard thing. Providing them some type of control and connection with us, makes the next time easier. 

Constructive Play

Constructive play is a type of play that is designed to help children learn new skills, advance their development, and develop social skills. It can be achieved with other children or adults and can last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. 

When playing with others, this kind of play helps children learn about social relationships and the importance of cooperation. It also promotes problem-solving skills, abilities and strategies as well as communication.

Ways to (constructive) Play: Incorporate a couple times a week

• Putting together a toy train track
• Building a blanket or couch cushion fort or in nature with sticks, logs and rocks 
• Creating box constructions with recycled materials
• A pull apart activity table
• Building sand castles
• Digging dams and rivers in mud
• Creating with playdough
• Exploring loose materials
• Woodworking
• Sewing / Looms / Latch-HooK / Knitting
• Painting / Paint by Number / Fingerpaint / Shaving Cream/Pudding/Puffy Paint
• Building a marble run
• Create your own board games/Build a board game
• Lego building
• Recycled material building (Cardboard, cartons, bottles, cans)
• Crafts- Paper mosaics / Beadwork / sensory bottles / Leaf Rubbing Art

Creative Play

While “playing pretend” may seem like an insignificant form of play, it is an essential part of a child’s daily curriculum. Creative play, also may be called Dramatic play, provides children with the opportunity to work through emotions, develop and learn important social skills, and develop expressive language. The effects are seen in the classroom as research shows there’s a correlation between creative play and better literacy and reading skills.

Art and music play enhance play environments by expanding the ways children can learn and explore their creativity in the world. Research shows the arts are critical in helping children develop self-expression and creativity. Art and music play also help to improve memory and brain power. Additionally, children develop a wider vocabulary as they express their ideas behind the art they create.

Ways to (Creative) Play: Incorporate a few times a week

• Dancing
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Playing Pretend/Imagining
• Dress Up
• Puppets
• Plays or Productions
• Art
  • Painting
  • Crafting
  • Molding with clays/playdough
  • Bead-work
  • Drawing
  • Story-writing
  • Chalk-Play
  • Yarn Play
  • Sewing/Loom

*These can build on each other. Create the story, make the puppets or gather/make the costumes, and perform. Even video and create a production Billfold. There are endless ideas and endless combinations, which makes endless roles for everyone to take part in the best way they are able.

Social Play

Children learn best when they can work together. This is why playing with others is so important in playgrounds, on sports teams, etc. When children are playing together, they have more fun and can learn new things more easily. 

They also learn how to work together as a team and stay safe.

Ways to (social) play: Incorporate a couple times per week

• Playground Play with family members/friends
• Playdates at different locations from nature trails to sports fields/tracks
• Spontaneous sports play (bring a bunch of balls to a playdate) with Friends/Family Members
• Scavenger Hunts with Friends/Family Members
• Sports Team Practice or Games
• Board Games with family/friends
• Card Games with family/friends
• Invite friends over to play all the different ways with their favorite games

*This type of play is for everyone, even those who socialize using a variety of ways to communicate. Again, it is a great way to be invested in the process, and work through helping everyone express themselves and have their ideas heard. This relies on taking time in the process and not the product, and creating connections at just the right pace and understanding with each player. 

*Consider the use of visuals, either printed pictures or the items themselves, in your play. 

Overall, visuals in play help support everyone’s understanding of the object of play. Visual can provide clarity of thoughts and creates a quick way to make choices. When people feel part of the conversation and are valued in making choices in play, it most importantly, strengthens the connection between players.

Sensory Play

Children develop the 7 important sensory abilities including sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste, vestibular and proprioception as they play.

Sensory play helps children improve self/body awareness and improve interaction with and make sense of the world that surrounds them. Sensory play can include all the tastes, smells, textures and so much more! 

Ways to (sensory) play: Incorporate a couple times per week

• texture scavenger hunts
• cooking & baking
• taste test game- sweet, salty, sour, savory,
• ‘feely” boxes- guessing games with cooked spaghetti, cotton balls, rocks, buttons, pipe cleaners, etc 
• “feely” match games- soft, hard, gritty, silky, shaggy, corduroy, metal, sticky, bumpy, smooth, etc
• science experiments
• Potions- mixing textures, hard, soft, crunchy, sandy, liquid, slimy, 
• exploring positions in space (ie. swing/upside down, bouncing, pushing/pulling, rolling, riding, spinning)
• Use of seated or standing scooters, saucers, bikes, trampolines, tunnels, slides, merry-go-rounds, obstacle courses, climbers, see-saws, climbing walls, rolling/unrolling in a blanket, pulled on a blanket, sled, summersaults, cartwheels, ball pits, etc.

PLAY is powerful and I think we all can agree that kids are getting less and less of it in this digital age. Exploration & discovery are some of the greatest teachers when it comes to developing athletes and great students.

I hope that this guide serves you to remove some of the guesswork of ‘how to play more’ but more than anything, I hope it encourages you to get out there and have fun!

Julie Hatfield-Still

Brand Executive for the IYCA.

Julie is an Entrepreneur, CEO, Coach and Author.

She is founder of the Impact More Method for entrepreneurs and the Inner Game Framework for Athletes.

If you are a new coach or parent who wants more ideas about ways to play to develop athletic ability! Check our these 4 free games for performance from IYCA CEO Jim Kielbaso!

Acceleration can be defined as the rate of change of velocity in a movement. In coaching terms, it is how quickly an athlete can increase speed over a short distance (5-10 yds). So how do we get our athletes to be able to develop improved acceleration?

We look at 3 major aspects to broadly focus on and then make smaller more specific changes as we work with athletes.

Angle of the shin/torso

A main component of acceleration is the angle at which you are driving out to accelerate. The optimal angle to be at is around 45 degrees with the shin/torso staying in a straight line.

Often athletes will be too tall during acceleration or have their shin driving too vertically into the ground, as opposed to driving backward.

Hip Projection

Hip projection is key to getting angles of acceleration to be correct. If the hips stay back too far athletes have a difficult time getting full flexion and extension during the drive acceleration phase.

Fast Twitch Ability

The athletes ability to exert force in a short period of time is a neurological adaptation that can be developed over time. By choosing exercises and periodization of training, we can target developing type 2 muscle fibers that are more conducive to powerful quick movements.

To develop these qualities there are multiple acceleration drills that can be implemented in training.

Wall Drill- VIDEO

Wall drill is a great starting point to teach acceleration mechanics. The athlete will lean against a wall with their arms out straight and feet back to achieve a 45 degree angle.

Once set at the proper angles the athlete will work on rapidly driving their knee towards the wall while maintaining the proper posture.

In this drill we can cue proper shin angles, hip projection, hip flexion/extension, proper torso posture, as well as dorsiflexion of the ankle.

Sled March/Sprint- VIDEO

Taking the techniques used during wall drill, sled march is about maintaining proper angles while driving through a given load.

Banded or Resisted Acceleration- VIDEO

With resistance from some sort of implement, whether it is a band or acceleration device with a belt/strap, the athlete will accelerate through resistance over a shorter distance.

The main goal is to get the feeling of the hips driving through the band to accentuate hip projection, as well as to maintain a 45 degree lean as they accelerate.

Partner Chase Acceleration- VIDEO

Partner chase drills are great to drive intent of acceleration by having one athlete start 2-3 yards behind another athlete, with the goal of chasing them down over the course of 10 yards.

This increases motivation to not be caught as well as increases the use of fast twitch muscle fibers in order to get off of the line faster.

Looking for more drills?

We have a whole arsenal of drills in our resources at iyca.org/store – but to properly program and apply the drills we highly recommend our Ultimate Speed Mechanics/Drills or the Certified Speed & Agility Specialist Course.

Jim Kielbaso is the President of the IYCA and Owner of Impact Sports Performance in Novi, MI.  He has authored multiple books, articles and training products and has spoken at events around the world.

He holds a BS in Exercise Science, an MS in Kinesiology and has gone through multiple certifications through the IYCA, NSCA, NASM and more.

Jim is a former college strength & conditioning coach and has trained thousands of athletes at every level of competition.  He runs a successful NFL Combine training program in Michigan and has been hired as a consultant for major sports programs like the University of Michigan Football Program and the University of Kentucky Basketball Program.

Many youth sports coaches mistakenly embrace the notion that the pressures to succeed in the present and the immediate future overshadow what is likely best for the athlete.

Winning today’s game or this weekend’s tournament becomes paramount, regardless of the actual importance of the event or its positioning in light of the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model. In this case, coaching styles are very much reflective of the need to win. 

Performance and perfectionist-based philosophies are employed during practice and game settings. When performance is not reflective of the level of skill or perfection that the coach desires, yelling, belittling, and negative criticism often follow.

Perhaps even more devastating to the developing athlete, many parents ascribe to the same errant thought process. Demonstrating advanced skills and achieving success at all developmental levels are conceived as the most important factors for participating in youth sports.

Some parents offer negative feedback, harsh criticisms, or inappropriate comments during the game. The message sent to the young athlete is clear: success now is most important. 

What is more, continued success is the only defense from negative feedback that can undermine confidence, self-esteem, and ultimately the perception of self-worth (1-Rowley S. Psychological effects of intensive training in young athletes).

Trainers and training centers dedicated to working with young athletes may fall within this category, as well. However, the efforts of the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA) and like-minded organizations and professionals have started to turn the tide against such notions.

Conversely, young athletes functioning under the coach who ascribes to the LTAD model are taught to search for continual improvement rather than immediate performance as the principal marker of athletic success. This mentality encourages the young athlete to develop a far more useful and powerful approach to success and personal improvement— both athletic and otherwise—that may be utilized across the lifespan.

With this approach firmly developed and well-entrenched, the individual is motivated to improve rather than motivated to perform. While subtle, the influence in thinking of such a difference is profound. Reasoning and creativity are enhanced. Problem-solving skills are better developed.

Perhaps most importantly, self-worth is preserved because “success” is an ability demonstrated over time rather than an instantaneous or momentary expression of skill linked directly to any one specific performance.

Also encouraging is that enhanced reasoning and creative abilities enable the young athlete to solve new and more challenging sport-related tasks over time, thereby further increasing ability.

Because such athletes associate success with improvement rather than performance, burnout and dropout issues that currently plague youth sports culture may be averted.

Ultimately, such an approach can teach the young athlete to love physical activity simply because refining movement skills and developing physically is intrinsically linked to holistic self-improvement and may be viewed as a series of steps toward success rather than the more typical model of physical activity as a measure in determining aptitude.

Youth sports and training for youth sports have largely become exercises of pressure and fear.

Repercussions for poor performance or lack of aptitude or skill are oftentimes severe. Many young athletes today have lost the joy and innocence of what sport and fitness participation truly is, and the stark reality is that they never fully develop a lifelong love for movement.

So, the question becomes- do you believe this needs to change?

If YES, then this article can be a step in the journey to provide extraordinary experiences to your athlete(s), by learning both the science and the practice of youth conditioning and fitness. The next step would be to get further education around Long Term Athlete Development and the Craft of Coaching Youth. 

We invite every person with the desire to positively impact the field of youth fitness and athletic development to join our cause and become part of the worldwide revolution. It’s as simple as our 3 E’s.

Step 1: Educate Yourself with science-backed, tried & true methods that stand the test of time.

Step 2: Elevate Athletes by applying LTAD and always working at becoming better at ‘meeting kids where they are at’.

Step 3: Expand the mission into your communities with programs, classes, and educational opportunities in your hometown.

Ready to join the mission?

Get started with one of our Top Credentials- the IYCA Certified Athlete Development Specialist. 

Not ready to get Certified, then our Long Term Athlete Development Resource is the perfect next step.

Let’s make the most positive Impact we can make today!

We are right there with you,

– The International Youth Conditioning Association

References:

1- Rowley S. Psychological effects of intensive training in young athletes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. 1987;28(3):371-377.

2-Toby Brooks, Ph.D., David Stodden, Ph.D., Jim Kielbaso, MS. Essentials of Youth Conditioning and Fitness. 2020, 21-23.

In developing programming for youth, it is important to utilize the IYCA’s four-part programming guideline, easily recalled by the acronym “MOLD.”

Under this guideline, movement must dominate, the coach must be open to communication variances and learning style variances, and should avoid training and instead teach.  Let’s break these down.

M-Movement Must Dominate:

Young athletes are dynamic and ever-changing creatures. Development and optimization of motor control requires both depth and breadth of movement experiences. Specific skill instruction must take a back seat to general movement skills, particularly during the more foundational years of development.

Far too often, coaches attempt to integrate far too technical aspects of instruction into programming at the expense of activity that is more focused on the acquisition and refinement of general motor skill.

O-Open to Communication Variances:

Just as instruction can oftentimes be inappropriately geared toward specific skill acquisition, the manner in which coaching cues and non-verbal coaching feedback is delivered can tend to be nonspecific in nature. Young athletes are unique individuals with broad-ranging variability with respect to preferred communication styles. 

Coaches can sometimes assume that an athlete who does not respond favorably to their coaching is lazy or unmotivated. However, a reflective practitioner is committed to exploring potential barriers to instruction, which in many instances may be directly linked to differences in the athlete’s preferred communication style. 

L-Learning Style Variances:

Young athletes do not vary only with respect to communication styles. Learning styles vary considerably from person to person. Unfortunately, in cases in which a teacher’s instructional style is not compatible with a student’s preferred learning style, the student will experience a significantly more difficult time in acquiring the intended information.

Developing a broad-based instructional style and being attuned to individual differences is the best way that a coach or teacher can optimize athlete learning. 

D-Don’t Train; Teach:

Too often, conditioning programs for youth are geared toward eliciting the “best” performance improvement by applying adult based exercise prescriptions with only slightly decreased volume and/or intensity. However, programming for youth should be fundamentally different. At the same time, the most basic goal of programming for youth should not be to train the body to peak physical performance. 

Instead, the goal should be to teach the young athlete both how to move most efficiently and effectively and to develop a fundamental love for physical activity. Unfortunately, programming that is too heavily focused on training, introduced early in development, can lead to physical injury and/or psychological fatigue. 

If you want to learn more about the development & programming of athletes through the ages and what to consider as a coach/trainer check out this free Video- where IYCA CEO and LTAD Expert Jim Kielbaso breaks down Training athletes from Start to Finish 

Source: Essentials of Youth Fitness & Conditioning Text by Toby Brooks, PhD, David Stodden, PhD & Jim Kielbaso, MS