Prepubescent Sports Conditioning Outline

General Information

• Focus in on improving general sports ability and fostering positive attitude about sports conditioning. movement, and exercise
  • Train for anatomical adaption rather than physiological improvement
  • Concentration should be on enjoying training
  • Do not push children
• Coed Training since no developmental differences between boys and girls
• One hour sessions combining skills practice (30 min) with sports play (30 min)
  • Encourages transfer of skills and techniques used in practice to the game
• When introducing program, consider adding a single fitness training component each week for the first 5-6 weeks.
  • Motor Skills, Flexibility, Cardio, Strength, Speed, Agility

Motor Skills

• Preparatory for skill acquisition
  • Rolling, kicking, throwing, dribbling, catching
• Simple Balance
  • Walking on narrow lines, jumping onto and off of low surfaces
• Simple spatial and reaction time
  • Catching
• Simple kinesthetic awareness and spatial orientation
  • Crawling, rolling, front somersault, throwing, catching
• Simple hand-eye coordination
  • Dribbling, throwing, catching
• Skill-enhancing
  • Ball exercises, ball hits and throws, catching skills, rebounding ball catch, dribbling, relays
• Advanced balance
  • Scissor kick handstand, backward roll, cartwheel, cartwheel against wall

Strength

• Informal Circuit Training
  • Calisthenics, Partners, Light Medicine Balls
  • Begin with single cycle
  • progress incrementally to 3 cycles
  • 10-15 Reps
  • Consider performing a combination of other types of exercises between each weight training exercise for variety.
    • Cardio calisthenics, motor skill exercises, or agility drills
• >1 year training
  • Continue with circuit training or progress to conventional weight training during late preparation period.
    • 1 warmup set (12 reps x 50% workout resistance)
    • 1 workout set (10-15 reps)
• >2 years training
  • Continue with circuit training or progress to conventional weight training during late preparation period.
    • 1 warmup set (12 reps x 50% workout resistance)
    • 1 workout set (8-12 reps)

Power

• Play & games
• Obstacle courses
• Throws: Tennis Ball, Baseball
  • Alternating arms for balanced development
• Introduce 2-3 low intensity hops, jumps, and medicine ball exercises
  • See Low Intense Plyometric Exercises
  • Graduate to Low-medium plyometrics in one or two months

Speed & Reaction

• Activities
  • Games (soccer, tag, dodgeball)
  • Relays
  • Sprints
• Run fast and continuous for no longer than 4 to 6 seconds
• Those approaching puberty should increase distance progressively
  • 20 m to 40-50 m
  • In team sports, progressively combine speed tasks with skill performance
  • Throwing, kicking ball

Agility

• Those approaching puberty should add speed training with turns, change of direction, and stop and go
  • Zigzag, stop & go, slalom patterns, quick turns
• Focus should be learning skills involved in drill rather than quickness and fast feet
• Obstacle courses and Games

Cardio / Endurance

• Activities
  • Play and Games
    • Medium to fast for short play
    • 2-4 bouts with variable rest interval
  • Relays
    • 40-200 m, medium speed
    • 2-4 bouts with 2-3 minutes rest
  • Aerobic Activity
    • Low intensity, steady pace
    • Jogging, swimming, rowing, roller skating
    • Progress from short to longer durations
  • Obstacle Course
    • Long Course
• Find ways to make enjoyable
  • Small groups with various task
  • Let children find their own pace

Flexibility

• Correct deficiencies in Functional Movement Screening (FMS) at end of workouts
• Perform weight training exercises through full range of motion.
• Dynamic warm-up before speed, agility, sports practice, or competition