Youth Athletic Development: Including the Science of Periodization into Practice

Abstract

Sport coaches can agree that various levels of practice and play contribute significantly to the overall development of a young athlete. Coaches of young athletes need to also address issues related to strength and conditioning as part of the developmental cycle. Unfortunately, many sport coaches are not well trained in the science related to strength and conditioning and many athletes are woefully undertrained or inappropriately trained. To fully develop young athletes, all coaches need to have some basic knowledge of the science of strength and conditioning, not just fitness fundamentals. The complete development of young athletes incorporates a training system known as periodization. This process involves a systematized program of variables that are inversely proportional, meaning as one variable goes up, and the other variable goes down. In terms of sport seasons, as athletes spend more time in skill development during the in-season, strength and conditioning time should be reduced. This process is reversed in other situations where less skill development occurs then more strength and conditioning can, and should, occur. This article summarizes how coaches can implement strength and conditioning into practice sessions and what to do in the off-season to enhance sport skill development.

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Anthony S. Smith

Anthony S. Smith ([email protected]) is an associate professor of Physical Education in the College of Education at Charleston Southern University, North Charleston, SC.