C) Young Athlete Training Programs
The most important years of an athlete are between the ages of 7 to 11. One of the leading researchers in the area of athletic development, Istvan Balyi states that if the ABC’s (agility, balance, coordination and speed) are not trained as a part of a solid foundation by the age of 11, the person will not maximize their athletic potential. The Human Performance Centre programs are designed for young athletes guided by the Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) document. The LTAD is fully based on and supported by coaching and exercise science literature.
Every child is not going to be a professional athlete. As parents we want them to be able enjoy and be confident when undertaking physical activity. Early introduction of a physical lifestyle will encourage children to be more physically active throughout their lives. This increased activity reverses current trends in childhood and adult obesity and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore confidence in physical competency will lead to an overall confident, positive, highly motivated individual with a healthy self esteem.
The Human Performance Centre’s goal is to help each and every young athlete to grow and develop in a fun, friendly and safe environment. We will teach young athletes how to move more efficiently, quicker, with more coordination, strength and power, all of which will lead to a lesser chance for injury.
Early specialization in a single sport can be detrimental to a young athlete. Specializing before the age of 10 in late specialization sports contributes to:
  • One sided, sport specific preparation
  • Lack of ABC’s, the base movement and sports skills
  • Overuse injuries
  • Early burnout
  • Early retirement from training and competition
    • What can you expect?
  • Your program will work on developing FUNdamental movement skills and sports skills.
  • Your program will work on learning to run, jump and throw properly.
  • Your program will work on the ABC’s of athleticism: agility, balance, coordination & speed.
  • Your training session will last for about one hour.
  • It will start with a general and sport specific dynamic warmup.
  • These seemingly basic skills will be introduced through fun and games.
    • Mental training
    For all athletes to maximize their potential the mental component must be addressed. Areas such as arousal management, coping strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety, visualization techniques and learning how to remain focus and free of distractions will be addressed. These mental skills will help all athletes on and off the field of play.
    It is the mental power that separates the exceptional from the very good. When high level athletes play there is not much to choose between them talent or training wise. What separates them is what goes on between the ears.
    A positive mindset during training keeps you focused on making the small improvements to make you better. A positive mindset during competition may make that 1% difference between achieving your goals.
    Nutrition knowledge and skill development
    Nutrition is an important component of healthy growth and development in youth. In addition, physical activity, athletic performance and recovery from exercise are enhanced by optimal nutrition. Learn how to select appropriate food and fluids, time your intake and assess supplement choices for optimal health, growth, development and exercise performance.
    For parents and children, learn a healthy and manageable division of responsibility for eating. Enjoy food and eating peace in the family.
    Learn how favourite youth culture foods (often called junk food) can fit into your athlete’s eating while maintaining optimal performance. Learn how to make informed choices.
    Our Registered Dietitian can help you as a group on a variety of topics including tips and techniques for eating on the road, preventing fatigue and planning meals and snacks. She can also help you individually based on your specific medical issues and needs for energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.
    Nutrition does not make an average athlete elite, but it can make an elite athlete average. Learn to make the most of your talents with optimal nutrition.
    Nutrition does not make an average athlete elite, but it can make an elite athlete average.
    Proper rest, recovery and regeneration education
    It’s all about the training and how hard you train! This may be true, but if you always train hard you will eventually burnout and get injured. This is called overtraining. As athletic trainers we recognize that overtraining is also very individual. Did you know that the purpose of training is to cause the body to adapt to the overload and that this takes place during the recovery period. Teaching athletes proper rest, optimal nutrition, effective recovery methods (like relaxation and stress management techniques) will help them optimize training sessions. These skills will be transferable to future sport training.