Coaching Young Athletes

Di Huxley shares her research on what it takes to help athletes progress from juniors to elite seniors. She emphasises how crucial it is to truly know your athlete—not just their physical abilities but also their psychological and developmental needs. It’s about building trust, aligning your coaching goals with their readiness, and being flexible enough to adapt. She shares examples of how this approach can either nurture an athlete’s talent or, unfortunately, push them away.

The presentation focuses on optimising performance and recovery during the upcoming January Relay camp in preparation for future competitions like the World Relays.

Key topics include the importance of hydration, nutrition, and central nervous system (CNS) recovery. Practical strategies are outlined, such as tracking fluid loss through pre- and post-training weighing, prioritising recovery snacks and ice baths, and managing heat exposure during training in hot and humid conditions.

One of the most effective tools I’ve come across in my coaching journey is the Six Absolutes. These principles, created by Dr. Greg Shepard, are the backbone of my approach to teaching technique on the track and in the gym. They’re simple enough to apply straight away, yet powerful enough to transform how athletes perform and avoid injuries.

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a tool for evaluating an athlete's functional movement patterns. In this article, we break down how the FMS works, assess its effectiveness in identifying movement inefficiencies and asymmetries, and why it may be a useful addition to your coaching toolkit.

A Totally Unscientific Way of Thinking About Different Athletes’ Needs and Motivations.

This guest article explores three ‘athlete archetypes’ and how the writer adapts their coaching style depending on the type of athlete they are working with.

The Community Brainstorm is a monthly forum where we tackle key coaching questions together, drawing on the collective wisdom of our coaching community. Each month, we highlight a real-world challenge, inviting coaches to share insights, strategies, and resources that help others navigate common issues in track and field coaching. Join us in building a stronger, more connected athletics coaching community.

This High Performance Town Hall explores the importance of a comprehensive training program for athletes, focusing on the “whole athlete” and the role of communication, and planning.

Master Coach, Susan Hobson, and AA Dietitian Lead, Bryce Anderson, highlight the crucial elements beyond just physical training, including nutrition, sleep, recovery, and mental health, and how these should be integrated into the program.

Training young athletes is a delicate balance of enhancing performance while ensuring safety, longevity, and enjoyment in sports. Overtraining can lead to burnout or injury, while undertraining may limit athletic potential. For junior athletes, particularly those aged 12-18 in track and field, the correct training loads are crucial to optimizing their development while preventing injury.

This article discusses the recommended training loads for young athletes, focusing on the balance between technique, strength training, and recovery. We’ll explore research-backed guidelines and provide insights into how to tailor programs for individual athletes’ needs.

Episode 1 of a short-lived AI Podcasting era! This episode summarises the key points from the book "Conditioning Young Athletes" by Tudor O. Bompa and Michael Carrera.

Our AI hosts discuss the importance of long-term athletic development for young athletes, emphasizing the need for age-appropriate training methods to optimise performance and prevent burnout and injury.