For years, I was reluctant to offer an online training program. As someone who has spent my entire career coaching youth athletes in person, I believed that proper athletic development could only be achieved under the watchful eye of a specialist youth coach. In-person training, with its attention to detail and immediate feedback, always seemed like the gold standard. I felt strongly that athletes needed to be coached by expert professionals in person to get the most out of their training.
However, over time, I came to an important realization: there are very few of us in the world.
While it’s true that in-person coaching by a qualified expert is still the gold standard, the reality is that most youth athletes—and their parents—simply don’t have access to that level of guidance. Instead, they often turn to inexperienced or underqualified personal trainers who lack a deep understanding of youth athletic development. Even worse, many athletes resort to downloading generic bodybuilding programs from the Internet, which are not only ineffective but can be downright harmful for a developing young athlete.
This realization is what drove me to create The Athlete Academy’s Online Foundations Program—a comprehensive, expert-led training program designed specifically for youth athletes and their parents who may not have access to youth specific coaching locally. It’s built to bridge the gap between quality coaching and accessibility, ensuring that every athlete has the opportunity to train properly, even if they can’t work with an expert in person.
Why This Program Matters
The Online Foundations Program is more than just a collection of exercises—it’s a holistic approach to athletic development that builds the foundation of lifestyle habits and movement skills your child needs to become more confident, stronger, faster, and more resilient. Drawing on years of experience working with youth athletes, we’ve designed the program to include not only physical training but also education on nutrition, recovery, and habit-building.
The program is structured to provide parents with the ability to supervise and guide athletes step-by-step, focusing on movement quality, foundational strength, and athleticism. Whether your child is new to structured training or looking to refine their skills, our program provides them with everything they need to progress safely and effectively.
The Need for Expert Guidance—Even Online
While I once believed online training couldn’t measure up to in-person coaching, I now understand that the alternative—leaving athletes to figure things out on their own or relying on generic, cookie-cutter programs—is far worse. Many young athletes, left to their own devices, end up following routines designed for bodybuilders, not athletes. These programs fail to address the unique needs of youth athletes, such as basic lifestyle habits, movement competency, mobility, coordination, speed, and injury prevention.
Our Online Foundations Program addresses these gaps by providing expert instruction in a flexible, online format. With detailed coaching videos, clear progressions, and guidance on how to perform every exercise correctly, parents can supervise their athletes to train safely and effectively at home or at their local gym, without the need for specialized equipment or facilities.
What’s Included in the Online Foundations Program?
The program covers all the essential aspects of athletic development, including:
- Education Modules: Covering nutrition, sleep, recovery, and habit-building, helping athletes understand the importance of these elements in their development.
- Habit Tracking: Putting the useful information in the education components into action in the real world to kickstart behaviour change.
- Warm-Up Routines: Designed to prime the body for training, improving mobility and reducing injury risk.
- Explosive Power Training: Teaching athletes how to generate speed and power through jumps, hops and throws—essential for team sports.
- Speed & Agility Work: Developing quickness, coordination, and movement efficiency.
- Strength Training: Focused on key bodyweight exercises and foundational movement patterns that build the strength needed for long-term success.
Who Is the Program For?
Our Online Foundations Program is perfect for parents of youth athletes who are just starting their athletic journey and want to improve their overall performance. It’s designed to be used with athletes who:
- Are aged 10-16
- Don’t have access to expert coaching locally
- Want to build strength, speed, and power in a safe, progressive way
- Are ready to commit to a structured, well-rounded training program
- Need guidance on nutrition, recovery, and building good habits for long-term success
- Have little to no experience in a structured athletic development program
Whether your child is playing soccer, rugby, basketball, or any other team sport, our Foundations Program will provide them with the training they need to build healthy lifestyle habits and effective movement skills for both sport and life.
Join Us Today
If you’ve been searching for a way to give your child the expert guidance they deserve but haven’t been able to find it locally, this program is the solution. With The Athlete Academy’s Online Foundations Program, your young athlete will receive the same level of coaching program that I’ve been providing in person for over a decade, now accessible from anywhere in the world.
Ready to help your child take the next step in their athletic development?
Join the Online Foundations Program today and give your athlete the foundation they need to succeed.
By offering this program, I’m bringing my years of experience directly to you—because every young athlete deserves the chance to train the right way, no matter where they are.
Rob Anderson
Founder of The Athlete Academy
UKSCA Youth S&C Coach of the Year
