Over the last 10 years young athletes have been introduced to to "weight training" or "physical conditioning, or "dry-land training". If the pros do it then so should those aspiring young athletes. The one problem we are now seeing is that if the athlete is not properly assessed and a program is not designed to deal with any imbalances or lack of core strength first the athlete ends up supporting the physiotherapist's new home!
All kidding aside the issue is that with improper training or with the wrong training the long term effects on the athlete is greater then if the athlete did no training!
If your child is part of a sports team and they plan to do athletic training make sure to ask a few questions to the coach and or the athletic training.
1. Long term Athlete Development Model: What stage of development is my child at. They should be able to talk to you in terms of Long term Athlete Development. At each stage of development there are specific physical abilities that can/ should be trained to maximize the training benefit. If these windows are missed the full potential of the athlete will be missed. On the other side training certain athletic abilities can have little impact or even be detrimental to the athlete and should be avoided. For more information on specific stages of development visit. WWW.LTAD.ca
2. Testing: What type of assessment will you be doing to educate yourself on my child's present physical capabilities. Here they should talk about doing a Functional Movement Screen Test or similar test. These test identify the athlete's strengths and weakness. It will identify if there are any imbalances in the athlete. These imbalances should be corrected first before any type of program is attempted.
If they are only doing physical testing such as how high you can jump, or how fast you can run you want to stay away from this trainer. Physical tests are important but more for motivation and tracking of progress of the athlete's physical development. If the athlete is not physically ready for a training program then they need to do a corrective program first.
3. Types of Programs: The athletic trainer should be able to provide a variety of programs to suit the needs of the athlete's. This may mean they have two to three programs running at the same time because the team will have athletes at different stages and needs. As well the athletic trainer should be able to deliver recovery programs when the athlete needs less training and more recovery.
4. Education: My biggest fear is that the athletic trainer will simply have the athlete 'do' and push them to do it at a high intensity. As any sport skill athletic conditioning also needs to be taught. The movements need to be taught, observed and corrected on regular basis just like developing any other sport skill. If the trainer is not proving 'error detection and correction" then take your child out of the program. Doing some a lot of times develops the habit. If you are doing it wrong then you are developing the wrong movement which most likely will result in injuries.
Avery athlete should know what movement they are doing why they are doing it and how it will help them be a better athlete. Look for an athletic trainer that interacts and educates the athlete.
Fall/ winter sport seasons are being planned. Coaches are looking at adding programs that will help their athletes. Ensure the people you bring in to your team are well trained and have the best long term interests of the athlete in mind.
Best of luck this coming season!
