5 Reasons Youth Training is Beneficial
There’s a lot of conjecture in the world about youth training. The MYTH that it stunts growth is still an idea I hear floated out there by parents on a monthly basis. Many also think it carries inherent injury risk, so they stay away from it all together. The truth is, when done properly, speed/agility & weight training is not only safe, but it provides an opportunity to set your child up for immense future success - not only in sports, but also in life. Here are five reasons that’s the case:
Instant results you’ll see on the field/court/pool
This is the most obvious and short-term benefit of youth training. At a young age (5th-8th grade), not many athletes have been introduced to serious training. They’re too young to join the high school weight room, and they can’t do it on their own for obvious reasons. Therefore, when a youth athlete is introduced to training, they gain an immediate leg up on their competitors. It’s evident each and every time. They begin to unlock their potential and see an immediate boost in performance.
2. Boost in confidence
In addition to boosting their athletic potential, training can give them a serious boost in confidence as well. When an athlete dedicates themselves to training, they begin to inherently understand that they can accomplish & overcome difficult tasks. When they gain this confidence, paired with an increase in athletic abilities, they can really begin to shine in their sport.
3. Laying the foundation for HS sports
The introduction to high school sports can be a baptism by fire sometimes. 8th graders go from being the top dog to the low man on the totem pole. The more prepared an athlete is to enter into that world, the better off he/she is going to be. By building a strong foundation of strength, speed and movement ability, young athletes can better adapt to the increasing intensity & complexity of high school athletics and the high school weight room. Instead of showing up to day one of high school training scared, they can show up confident in their abilities because of the sturdy foundation they have built for themselves.
4. The ability to train, compete and work hard alongside likeminded athletes
I am a firm believer in the power of community, no matter the age. When a young athlete surrounds himself or herself with other like-minded individuals, they have the ability to grow and evolve together. It’s human nature - you work harder when you know others are watching. In the same way, young athletes are more likely to compete & push themselves harder when surrounded by other kids their age who are competing and pushing themselves.
5. Learning the proper mechanics at a young age sets them up for a healthy life beyond sports
I say it all the time - it’s much easier for a 5th grader to learn a proper squat than it is for a 55 year old. When they learn the proper mechanics of lifting, sprinting and jumping, not only are they molding themselves into better athletes, but they’re also setting themselves up for a healthy life beyond sports. Looking from a different angle, think about it this way - an individual who learns proper weight training at a young age is far more likely to continue that habit than an individual who was never taught the proper way to do things.
I’m NOT saying that you should buy a weight rack & set of dumbbells for the basement and force them to go down there to train. I AM saying, however, that training can have an immense impact on your child, not only in their athletic career, but beyond that as well.
Don’t have the knowledge, time or energy to teach your kid the proper way to do these things? Sign them up for our youth program at SFT - we’ll take care of the hard part for you.
