Young Athletes Develepment
Although a rather funny way of saying it, Coach Kenn’s point cannot be ignored. Training young athletes isn’t about focusing on making them better right now – as I’ve mentioned, the biomotors will increase naturally when proper skill-based teaching is applied – what’s critical is to not char them in the process of making them better. Don’t ‘fry them’ on a high temperature. Don’t ‘barbeque’ them until their crispy. Don’t try to ‘grill’ them to a golden brown. Instead, think of training young athletes as heaping them in a crock pot with a bunch of other savory ingredients and then setting the temperature on a low gage.
Let the flavors meld and the ingredients come together in their time. By the end, you’ll have a mouth-watering dish that contains flavors and layers of ‘yummy’ that you can’t get through any of the ‘quick cook’ methods.
What Do Young Athletes Really Need
Sometimes, it’s beneficial to be given sample programs of what to do with young athletes in certain situations. Other times, it’s better to understand a philosophy of training. I have found in my career, that appreciating the concept of what to do with young athletes is tremendously more important than the former.
Sample programs allow you to see a system and implement it, but without necessarily understanding why it’s been created that way. It’s akin to being given a fish versus being taught how to fish. One allows you to be satiated for a day or week, while the other allows you to keep yourself satiated indefinitely.