More young athletes are taking part in youth strength and conditioning activities to improve performance. Age appropriate exercise programmes improve performance and physical skill sets in children. Research shows that youth conditioning coaches that deliver specific fitness training can boost sports performance.
Youth Strength and Conditioning in Football
A recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that plyometric training can enhance football performance. The study was performed on pre-adolescent football players. The players were in their pre-teenage years. A 12 week youth strength and conditioning programme of hopping, skipping, jumping, box jump and low-intensity depth jumps was completed. The children did ladder and shuffle drills to improve movement in addition to the jumping exercises. All of the exercises were placed into team warm ups. Performing the programme twice each week improved performance in a number of fitness tests:
Age appropriate Youth S&C can improve sports performance
* Straight line running speed over 10-30m. Players will be more successful racing to win the ball.
* Jumping Power as measured by Standing Long Jump distance. Players will be quicker off the mark.
* Explosive power as measured by maximum vertical jump height. Players will have more chance of winning the ball in the air.
* Single leg power as measured by total distance achieved with 5 hops. Players will travel further distances with each stride taken.
* Soccer specific agility and change of direction. Players will be able to dodge opponents more easily. This is very important for team sports.
* Leg strength. Players will be more able to cope with physical tackles and random movements. Stronger muscles may be less prone to injury.
* Kick distance. Players can make more types of pass. Being able to kick the ball further may also improve kick and performance with shorter passes.
Introduce plyometrics to improve youth sports performance
Supervised plyometric training programme can improve youth soccer performance in boys. Qualified and experienced youth strength and conditioning coaches must supervise these programmes. The coach is able to build plyometric training into a broader training plan. Coaches must always focus on fun and enjoyment throughout fitness training sessions with young players. Coaches will stress proper form at all times.
NK Fitness are leading providers of strength and conditioning solutions to teams and individuals in London, Surrey and Berkshire. To find out more about how Ascot Personal Trainer Nathan Kelly can help you achieve your fitness goals contact us here.
Personal trainer Nathan Kelly – find on Google+ wrote this article.
