SPECIMEN YOUNG SPEED ATHLETE PROGRAM (8-12 YEAR OLD)

Individual sessions for young athletes can be difficult to maintain concentration and enthusiasm as young players thrive on some competition hence the coach/parent has a vital role in motivation as well as acting as a partner in some of the drills.

Dynamic warm up

A dynamic warm up is vital in younger players ,the time should be use constructively to include coordination drill as well as switching on the neuromuscular system for the following session

Lay out a 5 yard wide by 15 yard long area on a level surface preferably grass

Section 1

Jog 15 m there and back

Low skip 15 m there and back

Sideways shuffle 15 yards there and back –keep hips level don’t clip feet use arms to help pretend to flap the arms like a chicken and this will aid movement

Backwards run 15 yards there and back using small steps and nose over the toes

Higher skip concentrating on good arm mechanics backwards and forwards no crossing of the midline

Duck walk –squat down and walk using hip movement to bring the legs forward keep low to the ground walk 15m there and back

Skip-touching right elbow the left knee then left elbow to right knee 15m there and back –great coordination exercise

Inchworm -walk hands forward into a extended press-up position then walk the feet towards then hands keeping the legs straight and inching the legs along when you can go no further walk the hands forward again-this is a very intensive exercise –use the 5m across the are as the distance to travel there and back

REST AND DRINK

Section 2

Arm mechanics this is a vital and invariably a weak area in young athletes

The common faults are

• hunched tight shoulders • arms crossing the midline of the body • poor backward movement of the elbows and hands • hands bunched and tight and not brushing the pocket

I find that young players find these problems difficult to visualise and now routinely film the players then show him the film of their running action and their arm drive-this immediately allows them to understand what you are taking about.

The backward arm drive is the vital component (not the forward arm drive which will tend to occur naturally) as this drives the opposite foot down into the ground the harder the arm drive backwards, the more force onto the ground and the more speed can be generated.

Cues to use are

“Eye socket to hip pocket” or “hammer a nail behind you with each elbow”

ARM DRILLS

Sitting legs out in front –moderate speed then fast for 10 secs do not allow poor technique to occur with the increased speed then reduce speed to recover re emphasise the technique repeat 2-3 times

Then repeat with

*Kneeling chest out chin level with the ground

*Standing don’t allow shoulder to rock as this causes the hips to turn

Fun game

To ensure we don’t get our athletes bored throw in a fun game-play pocket tag against the coach who can slap each other hip pocket without being caught themselves –this is a fun game which use agility and multidirectional movement – HAVE FUN!!

SECTION 3

ACCELERATION

Do 5 reps of 10m sprints from a standing start with a full minute between each repetition- the rest period is vital to ensure we are training pure speed not acceleration

Give a 3minute rest then repeat the sprint with a full minute again between reps Please ensure you bear in mind the note below in relation to technique –IT IS VITAL THAT AT THIS AGE TECHNIQUE IS THE ABSOLUTE PRIORITY DON’T PRACTICE WITH POOR TECHNIQUE- THIS JUST ENSURES IT IS HARDER TO CORRECT!!

The keys to acceleration from a standing start are

1. Use the Plyo step-This is a directional step to align the body to the direction of travel and allow the body accelerate more quickly down the path of travel. This step was promoted extensively by LEE TAFT against a great deal of opposition initially however independent study has proven it to be the fastest way to get away from a standing start. The step will be covered in more detail elsewhere in the website.

2. Ensure you have a forward lean –a forward lean is vital in acceleration –the lean must come from the ankle not the hips to allow proper transmission of force into the ground. Practice with a wall drill –lean against the wall with your hands and ensure you lean from the ankles-keep those backsides in!!

3. Initial steps (2-3) should be relatively short to ensure the foot drives back into the ground and doesn’t get in front of the hip and work as a brake

4. Arm drive which has been covered elsewhere already is vital. Drive the arms back even in short sprints

5. Keep the heels relatively low in the first few steps try not to recover the heels too high as in acceleration- you are only as fast as your feet are on the ground delivering force.

STRETCHING

To finish the session 5 minutes static stretching should be undertaken although most experts agree the benefit at this age is limited it is a good discipline to teach for later years SE OTHER SECTION IN THE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS ON TYPES OF STRETCHES

REMEMBER YOUNG ATHLETES SHOULD GO AWAY SLIGHTLY SWEATED, SLIGHT TIRED AND SMILING !!