Are you looking to run effective sports practices? If you have ever coached a sport, even for just one season- you know the juggling act. From parent communications, logistics of leading a team, understanding the skills & drills, to the actual coaching mechanism- it can be daunting, not to mention…exhausting. We want to do our best to make your job as easy as possible. We also want to make sure that your athletes’ are getting what they need through the process. This blog series is made to be a game of throw-and-catch! Be sure to provide your feedback and thoughts.. More »
Rotational Power Development for Hitting & Throwing Sports
Rotational Power Development for Hitting & Throwing Sports can be overlooked but it is extremely beneficial for sports like baseball, softball, football, track, basketball and many others. In this blog we will cover four movements to develop rotational power. Rotation movements help to develop coordination in young athletes by learning how to use the kinetic chain (whole body) to develop force. The ability to develop more ground reaction force and transfer that force to the other side of the body, is a beneficial skill to develop. Typically movements are performed with a lighter percentage of weight (Barbell, Cable, Medicine Ball).. More »
Strength and Conditioning strategies for Large Groups
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.. More »
Four Exercises to Increase Vertical Power-Lucas Mayo
Increasing vertical jump height, force production, and reducing ground contact time is important for many sports. There are several main points of emphasis when coaching vertical power exercises. First, we are working to train triple extension of the hips, knees, and ankles driving up through their toes. Second, creating full extension within shorter periods of time to increase power. Third, we want athletes to execute movements with great intent and speed. When an athlete executes a countermovement jump, we want to emphasize the ability to snap down quickly and transition back to triple extension quickly as well. Lastly, we need.. More »
IYCA Zoom Workshops
IYCA Zoom workshops bring the craft of coaching, science of sport, long term athlete development, psychology and nutritional principles to your business, organization, school or institution. Our workshops are accessible education & resources for Sports & Governing Organizations, Institutions & Schools, and Sports Performance businesses. Are you Interested in more information about our workshops? Contact the IYCA at theiyca@gmail.com SUBJECT: WORKSHOPS Below are the following topics we have available for Sport Coaches & Performance Coaches For Sports Coaches: If you are an association, organization or school that has sport coaches, these topics are for you and them. You can pick.. More »
Soccer Speed Part I: Principles of Soccer Speed
In soccer, speed is a multidimensional skill that goes beyond mere running speed. There are principles of Soccer Speed, that when applied, can be highly effective. It is an essential element that has the power to separate players at different skill levels and have a big effect on how well they perform on the field. As a seasoned strength and conditioning coach with a focus on youth soccer fitness, I am aware of how critical it is for young athletes to develop their speed. This article, the first of four, will examine the many types of speed needed for best.. More »
The Five Pillars of Athletic Development-Cole Walderzak
Over the past couple decades, we have found ourselves in an exponential shift from developing total athletes to developing “specialist”. Younger and younger it seems that kids are moving to being single-sport athletes and becoming specialists to particular a position. While this is not necessarily a problem, since many athletes might just enjoy that one sport, it has opened the door to a world of training toxicity and misinformation. The world has become so engulfed in sport-specific training that we cold-shoulder total athletic development. It’s no wonder we are where we are now…an athletic community of exponential over-use injuries and.. More »
The Power of Play: A Guide for Play Every Day
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.. More »
Acceleration Drills for Athletes
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.. More »
The Cornerstones of Coaching Athletes
The first coach a child has is likely to be the most unqualified coach the child has. This has it’s ramifications. We can’t over look the fact that every coach has the opportunity to improve THEIR game. Look, it’s important for every coach to equip themselves with a high level of knowledge and education. No matter how long or short the stent is as ‘coach’ or how young/old their athletes are, this holds true. Coaching youth, is a specialist role and we must treat it as such. Obtaining the label “coach” doesn’t make a instantly qualified coach. Kids are not.. More »
Youth Sports-A game of Continual Improvements or Immediate Performance?
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,.. More »
Why Youth Sports is a Losing Game and We Must Change
As an industry, we are playing a losing game right now and it’s time to look in the mirror. Consider this, if seven out of ten employees quit their job at a company due to burnout or overuse, it’s fair to assume the company would be concerned. So what makes the youth sports industry any different…why aren’t we paying attention to our younger kids, seeing the red flags or doing something about this? Perhaps some are, but it’s going to take MUCH more. You may be wondering what we are talking about, and this is the first step…awareness. It starts here.. More »
Physical Literacy: The Game and Beyond
Athletic development across the lifespan is a complex process that is heavily influenced by the cognitive and physical maturity of the individual. Unfortunately, conditioning and fitness programming for the developing athlete have most often been designed around routines initially intended for adult and elite level athletes. This is NOT appropriate or effective and can set kids up for failure. It can also put the young athlete at risk for acute and chronic injury. By understanding the process of motor development, the coach or youth fitness professional will be far better equipped to create long-term programs that are developmentally appropriate every.. More »
Athlete Development through the Ages
It is no secret that the development of the young athlete is multifaceted and it is the responsibility of the coach and/or trainer to take into consideration developmental, physical, and psychological aspects of training. Stodden et al. (2008) has developed a model proposing that motor skill development, physical fitness, and perceived competence interact synergistically over time and will lead to increased physical activity and healthy weight trajectories over time from early childhood into adolescence.1 The crux of the model proposes that the early development of gross fundamental motor skills, promoted via early movement experiences and opportunities to be active will.. More »
Utilize M.O.L.D for Programming Youth
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.. More »
The Super Power of Great Coaches and Leaders – Brett Klika
Great coaches know how to connect with their athletes beyond “X’s and O’s”. We all know brilliant coaches who understand programming and tactics, but when it comes to igniting a fire within their athletes, they can’t seem to make it happen. We also know coaches with an “adequate” level of knowledge and experience that have athletes who will run through a brick wall for them. Research on the world’s most successful coaches and leaders points to the fact that tactical knowledge and experience are only a small part of what makes them successful. Effective coaches must also have the skills.. More »
The Right Time for Youth Athletes to Start Training – Brett Bartholomew
When is the right time for youth athletes to start training? This is a question parents ask all the time, and it’s something that athletic develop specialists need to be able to address in great detail. The key to the entire process of long term athlete development is to expose athletes to as many different activities as possible and not rush the process. Of course, it’s not that simple. The IYCA’s flagship certification, the Certified Athletic Development Specialist, is an entire course dedicated to this process, so there are many things to take into consideration. We need to understand how.. More »
High School Strength and Conditioning: How to Get Started – Jim Kielbaso
Because the IYCA has the only certification designed specifically for high school strength and conditioning – the IYCA HSSCS – I get a lot of questions about how to get your foot in the door or how to become a high school strength and conditioning coach. I also happen to work in several high schools, I post a lot of content from weight rooms, and I love working in high school strength and conditioning, so it makes sense that people ask those questions. But, is this job really right for you? Through the years, I’ve answered these questions individually, and this.. More »
Keeping Young Athletes Training – Brett Klika
Few things will help a young athlete develop physical skills at a higher level than consistent training. As youth strength and conditioning coaches, much of what we know from the legendary Bompa’s, Balyi’s, Drabik’s, and Verkhoshanskys of the world has been based on their observations working with kids daily, in a completely immersive institutionalized setting, for a long period of time. We are faced with a very different model of consistency here in the United States. If you are working as a youth strength and conditioning coach in the private sector, young athletes’ participation in your program is treated more.. More »
Single Leg Squat Variations – Jordan Tingman
Unilateral exercises, or single-leg squat variations, are beneficial for a variety of reasons including that they require stability, they have the potential to eliminate imbalances, and they can help create awareness of weaknesses. The single-leg squat has been utilized commonly in knee rehabilitation settings such as with individuals experiencing patellar tendinitis or going through a return-to-play protocol with knee surgeries. Considering the stress that sport has upon the knees themselves, implementing exercises that stress the knee joint is imperative when preparing the body for these demands. The single-leg squat is a great way to strengthen not only the larger muscles.. More »