Generic Training Programs & the Young Athlete

At a certain level anything you do will result in improvement. This is certainly true with the young and developing athlete. Generally they begin a program at a relatively low state of general fitness. This offers the opportunity of a large window of adaptation. Virtually anything they do will produce instant results. This is why flawed programs capture kids and parents. The results are quick – then what? At the initial stages of training the patterns that are learned are ingrained. So if they learn to run on a treadmill they will be good at running fast on a treadmill, but will it carry over? Special care must be given to teaching and reinforcing correct patterns of movement at the initial stages of training. Time invested at that level will pay rich dividends in the near future both in terms of performance and protection against injury.