As a parent, you want the best for your child, especially when it comes to their athletic development. Whether they play football, rugby, basketball, or another sport, one thing is clear: explosive strength also known as POWER, is a key component in their performance. But with the growing popularity of power training for youth athletes, it’s essential to understand how to approach it SAFELY.
In this guide, we’ll explain what power training for youth athletes is, why it’s important for your child, and how to help them build explosive strength without risking injury.
WHAT IS POWER TRAINING FOR YOUTH ATHLETES?
Power training for youth athletes is the process of developing the ability to exert maximum force in a short amount of time. Think of it as the combination of strength and speed. It’s not just about lifting heavy weights, power training involves movements that produce high amounts of FORCE at a FAST RATE.
For example, in sports, an athlete uses explosive strength when they sprint, jump, or change direction rapidly. Power training for youth athletes allows them to EXPLODE off the starting line, leap higher to catch a ball, or push past opponents with speed and force. Building power improves overall athleticism and is essential for success in many youth sports.
WHY IS POWER TRAINING FOR YOUTH ATHLETES IMPORTANT?
Power training helps youth athletes develop the physical capabilities needed to perform at their BEST. Here’s why it’s especially important for young athletes:
- Training efficiency: BEFORE the growth spurt, youth athletes don’t have the levels of HORMONES required to build MUSCLE (Testosterone/Growth Hormone), so their main ADAPTATIONS to training come in the central nervous system. So training for increased muscle mass is a WASTE of time. Training the NERVOUS system to improve coordination and activate muscle fibres fast and efficiently is a good use of training time.
- Increased Speed & Agility: Explosive strength helps athletes move QUICKLY on the field or court. Whether it’s a fast break in basketball or a SPRINT to the try line in rugby, power plays a CRUCIAL role in speed.
- Improved Jumping Ability: Athletes who focus on power training can jump HIGHER, which is key in sports like basketball, volleyball, and even football, where heading the ball can make a huge difference.
- Enhanced Overall Performance: When athletes build explosive strength, they become more powerful in all aspects of their sport, from changing direction quickly to TACKLING harder or HITTING with more force.
- Injury Prevention: Power training for youth athletes helps STRENGTHEN muscles and joints, improving stability and reducing the risk of injury. A strong, explosive body is less likely to be injured than one that is WEAK or untrained.
POWER TRAINING FOR YOUTH ATHLETES
It’s important to approach power training for youth athletes gradually, focusing on form and TECHNIQUE before progressing to heavier or more complex movements. Here are some power exercises that are great for youth athletes:
1. Jumping
Jumps are a great way to build explosive power in the LEGS. Start with bodyweight squats, ensuring proper form—feet shoulder-width apart, chest up, and knees tracking over the toes. Then, explode upward, jumping as high as possible, and land softly. You can manipulate the DIRECTION: vertical, horizontal, rotational and combining directions using obstacles or hurdles. For the younger athlete an obstacle course can incorporate lots of jumps. For the older youth athletes traditional programming can be used.
2. Medicine Ball Throws
Throws are a great way of building UPPER BODY and rotational power. Have your child hold a medicine ball overhead, then slam it down onto the ground as hard as they can, using a powerful movement. Again explore different directions like throwing forwards, backwards, upwards, downwards, rotational throws, chest passes, single arm passes. Medicine balls are an incredibly versatile tool to develop power.
If using a ball that rebounds BEWARE of the bounce back towards the body/face!
Using CHALLENGES like to trying to hit certain heights or measuring the distance of a throw to see if they can beat it is a great way of producing high intent.
3. Hopping/Bounding
Hopping is a great way of developing SINGLE LEG power. Much like jumping you can use a variety of directions and heights to provide different challenges to keep it engaging! Start with bodyweight squats, ensuring proper form—feet shoulder-width apart, chest up, and knee tracking over the toe. Then, explode upward, hopping as high as possible, and land softly.
Bounding is like exaggerated running strides that help build power in the legs. Encourage your child to take big, powerful strides, focusing on HEIGHT and DISTANCE as they leap from one foot to the other. This exercise is perfect for improving sprinting power.
HOW TO BUILD EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH SAFELY
While power training for youth athletes can offer many benefits, it’s important to ensure your child performs exercises correctly to avoid injury. Here’s how to make power training safe and effective for youth athletes:
1. Start with the Basics: Before introducing explosive movements, make sure your child has a solid foundation of basic strength. There is no point training to access strength faster, if strength levels are poor to begin with. Power = Strength X Speed, so ensure your child is also training to build strength. Exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, chin ups, chin ups, planks and rotations. will help build the necessary muscle strength needed for power movements.
2. Focus on Technique First: In power training, form is EVERYTHING. Encourage your child to perform exercises slowly and with CONTROL at first. They should only INCREASE peed or weight when they’re confident in their technique. Remember the outcome is to move efficiently while producing high speeds/force.
3. Progress GRADUALLY: Start with low-impact exercises, and as your child becomes more comfortable, SLOWLY increase the intensity. This approach will reduce the risk of overtraining and injury.
4. Ensure Proper Warm-Up and Cool-Down: A good warm-up before power training helps PREPARE muscles and joints for the intensity of the workout. Focus on dynamic stretches (like leg swings, hip circles, and arm circles). After training, cool down with static stretches to help muscles recover.
5. Use Appropriate Weights and Movements: For young athletes, it’s crucial to use APPROPRIATE weights and exercises. Avoid overly heavy loads and focus on bodyweight exercises or light resistance to begin. As your child matures, the intensity can gradually increase.
6. Rest and Recovery: Power training requires MAXIMUM intent and outputs. So it SHOULD NOT be used for conditioning and the desire is not to be sweaty or tired, but to produce force FAST. This means LONGER recovery periods to allow full effort on the next set. It can be demanding on the body, so make sure your child gets plenty of rest between sessions. Recovery allows muscles to repair and grow stronger.
FINAL THOUGHTS: POWER TRAINING IS KEY TO ATHLETIC SUCCESS
Building explosive strength through power training for youth athletes is an essential component of your child’s athletic development. It IMPROVES performance, reduces injury risk, and enhances overall athleticism. But remember, safety should always come FIRST.
As a parent, support your child’s growth by ensuring they practice proper form, use appropriate weights, and gradually increase intensity. With the right approach, power training can be a safe and effective way for your young athlete to reach their full potential.
Looking to help your child build strength, power, and athleticism? Check out our Online Foundations Program HERE!
