The long-term approach to youth fitness and sport training is an essential ingredient and critical component of understanding how to work with clients in this very sensitive demographic.

Fitness Professionals must learn to appreciate that with young clients, the goal is not to 'lose weight', 'increase speed' or 'gain strength' -- it is to enhance skill.Increases in all biomotors (strength, speed, flexibility and cardiorespiratory) will be secondary benefits that occur naturally and as a result of quality, skill-based training systems.

A few weeks ago, I spoke with legendary Strength Coach, Joe Kenn, about this very issue. Coach Kenn is as qualified, respected and 'in-the-trenches' smart as they come. He's served for more than 20 years as a premier Strength Coach in U.S.-based Colleges and has worked with a litany of past and current stars from a variety of sports.

During our conversation, he offered this advice to parents, coaches and fitness professionals when working with young athletes: "Cook 'em slow."

Although a rather funny way of saying it, Coach Kenn's point cannot be ignored.

Training young athletes isn't about focusing on making them better right now -- as I've mentioned, the biomotors will increase naturally when proper skill-based teaching is applied -- what's critical is to not char them in the process of making them better. Don't 'fry them' on a high temperature. Don't 'barbeque' them until their crispy. Don't try to 'grill' them to a golden brown. Instead, think of training young athletes as heaping them in a crock pot with a bunch of other savory ingredients and then setting the temperature on a low gage.

Let the flavors meld and the ingredients come together in their time. By the end, you'll have a mouth-watering dish that contains flavors and layers of 'yummy' that you can't get through any of the 'quick cook' methods.

The Ingredients Young Athletes Need

Sometimes, it's beneficial to be given sample programs of what to do with young athletes in certain situations. Other times, it's better to understand a philosophy of training. I have found in my career, that appreciating the concept of what to do with young athletes is tremendously more important than the former.

Sample programs allow you to see a system and implement it, but without necessarily understanding why it's been created that way. It's akin to being given a fish versus being taught how to fish. One allows you to be satiated for a day or week, while the other allows you to keep yourself satiated indefinitely.

With young athletes, knowing the 'why' behind the 'what' is terribly important. Moreover, understanding the universal laws of development that govern all human growth -- and how they are applied to programming for young athletes -- will allow you to create specific programs that are compatible with your given situation.

Brian Grasso has trained more than 15,000 young athletes worldwide over the past decade. He is the Founder and CEO of the International Youth Conditioning Association - the #1 certification for Youth Fitness and Youth Sports Performance. For more information, visit www.IYCA.org

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