Game Plan for Youth Athlete Success

A Game Plan for Success in the Youth Athlete

Success is No Accident

The Youth Athlete is experiencing rates of injury at greater proportions. These injuries can be life threatening, such as head trauma that occurs in concussion. Injuries can involve ligaments, muscles and bones sustained as a result of sudden or repetitive trauma. The fact is that many of these injuries can be avoided with proper education and design of performance enhancing training programs. The goal of the Game Plan for Success program is the health and well-being of the young athlete in sports, and through adulthood.

Proprioceptive Training

There is a growing demand for the young athlete to play in sports year round, participating in school and club sports, often specializing in one sport before entering high school. The result is an athlete that has not developed athleticism, and is only exposed to consistent movement patterns and experiences. 

As a practicing physical therapist with over 25 years of experience training athletes of all ages and abilities, I have seen far too many young athletes suffer an injury that has sidelined there participation in sports for a season, and a career. There are two primary causes to this growing rate of youth injuries:

Overexposure to injury due to increased practice and competition.
I have had discussions with soccer athletes returning from college, and when asked if they are playing more soccer in college or high school/club, the answer is always high school/club. Too many contacts through out year round play in games and practice, combined with limited rest and recovery, a there will be an increased frequency of injury.

Lack of specific and individualized training progression.
Designing a sport-specific training program requires careful consideration of individual abilities, musculoskeletal development and the demands of the season. Many injuries are directly related to poor training program design. A sports performance training program must include core components:

• Reduce the risk and prevention of injury strategies
• Neuromuscular and Proprioceptive training 
• Health and well-being (Recovery, Nutrition, Mental Preparation) 
• Education of youth athlete, parents, and coaches. 
• Fitness and Health Testing

The training of a 12 year old will require a program that is different than that of a high school senior. Likewise, training a female athlete will demand a different approach to training than that of a male athlete. The female athlete is 7 times more likely to injure the Anterior Cruciate Ligament(ACL) than their male counterpart. These findings express the need for gender specific training programs.


Recommended book by +Warren Potash 

They're Not Boys - Safely Training the Adolescent Female Athlete

Game Plan for Success: Youth Athlete (follow this link)
By completing the above link you will begin to define Your Game Plan for Success. Randy Bauer, Physical Therapist will contact you with an personal email for a 20-minute session to outline Your First Steps to a Game Plan. If you have any comments or questions please enter in the comment session below.



Strategies that prevent re-injury also demand attention. Young athletes that are injured have a greater incidence of reoccurring injury. Return to play strategies must include fear avoidance strategies, progressive return to play opportunities and development of fitness levels consistent with competitive demands.

Included below are a series of excerpts that discuss the youth athlete game plan for injury prevention, sport-specific training, fitness and health. 



https://plus.google.com 06/03/2013 18:40

Youth athletes are being overexposed to practice and competition in sports, and the result is increased overuse and traumatic injury. Youth sports is important for the development of our children's well-being. The are some helpful tips that can be followed to take proactive approach to monitoring the youth athlete. There must be an Athlete Game Plan that ensures safety and well-being of the youth athlete.
#athletegameplan   #youthsports   #youthsoccer   #overuseinjury  
Read more ...

Performance Nutrition for Energy, Recovery and Health

http://www.slideshare.net 2011-11-07

A Successful Athlete will have a Game Plan. A Vital Component to High Level Performance is Nutrition. Performance Nutrition Provides Energy for Training, Recovery and Maintains Mental Function, all Vital to Success on the Competitive Field.
Read more ...

Speed Training and Dynamic Warm-up

GamePlan for Success:Speed Training Dynamic Warm Up
http://www.slideshare.net 2011-10-09 
Speed training requires proper warm-up to prepare for the workout session. Speed training is an intensive neuromuscular activity. Proper preparation is required for successful outcome and injury prevention. Gear For Success: Athlete Wellness Game Plan

Speed Testing and Training for Football

Football Training: Speed Testing and Training Considerations
http://www.slideshare.net 2012-08-11 
Football Speed Considerations Energy systems Testing considerations Periodization Dynamic Warm-up Speed training Sprint techniques Specific-conditioning Presented by Randy Bauer Bauer Physical Therapy Laguna Hills, CA www.bauerpt.com 94 ...
Read more ...

Ankle Injuries in Soccer: Treatment and Prevention

GamePlan forAthlete Success: Treatment and Prevention of Ankle Injuries in Soccer
http://www.slideshare.net 2011-07-30 23:47:38 UTC
Ankle sprains are common in soccer. Prevention and initial treatment of the ankle sprain will improve return to play and reduce the incidence and re-injury, maximizing performance on the field. www.bauerpt.com
Read more ...

Return to Play Following an ACL Injury

https://plus.google.com 10/20/2013 14:02
ACL Injury: When Can I Play?

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament(ACL) Injury devastates athletes of all ages. From the aspiring young athlete to the seasoned professional. Careers are interrupted and often ended by the ACL injury.

Reducing the risk of injury requires preparing the athlete to meet the sport-specific demands of the activity. Decreasing the exposure to injury is another way to impact the growing number of sports injury, specifically in the young athlete population. 

The development of sport and age-specific training programs must consider neuromuscular and technical training concepts to ensure gradual progression of a comprehensive performance based program. The young athlete must not be trained 'as if ' they are already at the next level.

Read more on Overexposing the Youth Athlete to Injury  http://goo.gl/6Hlf29

Read More on the Mechanism of Injury and Reducing the Risk of ACL Injury in Soccer http://goo.gl/MNpgAF

Read More on Teens and ACL Injury: Reducing the Exposure and Return to Play  http://goo.gl/ZWUilO

#aclinjury #youthsportsinjuries #returntoplay

+Warren Potash +Bradford Lowry +Joe Napolitani +Soccer Talk
Read more ...

Sprint Bounding and Testing for Speed Development

Speed Development: Stretch-Shortening-Contraction, Sprint Bounding and Testing

Bounding is an important component of Speed Development. Properly instructed and applied to a speed training program can improve the Stretch-Shortening-Contraction (SSC), and benefits the speed and acceleration phases of sprinting. Kenta Bell has put together a great How to Teaching Video on the proper technique of Bounding.
Practicing the correct sprint bounding technique will improve your sprinting efficiency when properly practiced.

Check out the Video here:

VIDEO: How to Teach Bounding (in 4 Easy Steps)

Testing Sprint Bounding Performance

Testing Sprint Bounding Performance can be used as a baseline for your speed training program. The classic Sprint Bounding Index(SBI) test will measure the Stretch-Shortening-Contraction in a 30 meter distance.

The SBI Testing method is described below:

Prior to the testing a 10-15 minute warm-up period of light running and striders is performed.

• Measure off a 30-meter distance on a field or track.
• Use a 10-meter Fly Zone marked off before the start of the 30-meters.
• Take off one foot at the start of the 30-meter distance.
• Bound R-L-R-L-R...(or whatever foot your start with, one foot to next) over the 30-meter distance.
• Count number of contacts you make, beginning with first touch within the 30-meter zone to the end.
• Time the duration with stop watch from foot contact at Start(Take off) to end of 30-meter zone.
• The SBI is measured as Time(seconds:tenths) x Number of Steps to complete 30-meters.

Example: 4.5 secs x 13 = 58.5(SBI)

As you train and re-test, the SBI will decrease with improvement.

Bounding can also be tested for distance using 3 different tests that have been correlated to 100 meter time. Bounding is a right-left-right-left sequence measuring the horizontal power of the athlete. There are a few tests that will measure athlete power:

• Vertical Jump
• Horizontal-Standing Long Jump(off both legs)
• 3-Bounds
• 5-bounds
• 10-bounds
• 3-hop 
• Performed on one leg for distance( Example: R-R-R) from a single leg, standing still start.
• The test is completed with the 3rd contact into the sand pit.
• This is a good test for comparing right vs. left leg power measures and is used frequently as a return to activity functional test after lower leg injury/surgery.

Stretch Shortening Contraction Training

Effective training to improve SSC requires specific exercises to increase the activation of muscles used in the transition of an eccentric contraction (lengthening) to a concentric contraction (shortening). This rapid transition creates a more forceful contraction, and production of explosive power. This translates into increased power production, and ultimately, speed. In the case of the sprinter, this power production must take place in the horizontal direction greater than the vertical direction (Ex. Vertical Jump).

Requirements for increasing the explosive power are:

• Increased eccentric strength
• Increased neuromuscular efficiency
• Optimal Stabilization Strength: Core musculature and joints(in all planes of movement).

To achieve maximal explosive power in your training program careful progression of loads and volume(repetition) must be practiced. For the young athlete this progression should be slow and with lower volumes and intensity(weight). This is practiced to achieve maximal training benefit without injury to muscle-tendons and joint structures.

Speed development can be maximized with resistive training, plyometrics/bounding, and core strengthening activities. 

Examples of Resistive Training include:

Back squats(1/2 and 1/4 squats)

Bent leg dead lifts(Romanian)

Bulgarian Squats

Examples of Plyometric and Speed Drills

In the next episode we will discuss Core Stabilization Exercise for the Athlete implementing  a speed training program.