A few weeks back, I spoke at a baseball conference held in Toronto hosted by Baseball Ontario. While speaking on three different topics over the weekend, it was my presentation on Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) that had a line forming outside the room and into the hallway for the Q&A that was held afterward. It opened my eyes a bit to how many parents and coaches of 10–12-year-olds understood the importance of getting started early but simply did not know how to go about doing it with either their own kids or their travel teams.
So, let’s get into it.
The Myth Involving Growth Plates and Injury
So, let’s first quickly address the elephant in the room.
Strength training at a young age if done correctly does not increase the risk of injury nor stunt a player’s growth.
In fact, the stress produced when throwing a baseball and swinging a bat (4–6 x’s body weight) far exceeds any stress on a young 10–12 yr old athlete’s bones and growth plates that they will experience in a strength training setting, where the environment is controlled and overload starts with bodyweight movements and is gradually increased over time.
And lastly growth plate maturation doesn’t really finish in most parts of the body until age 19 or later.
The residual stress from throwing far exceeds that of strength training.
Why It’s Important to Start Young
More than 90% 10–12-year-olds that I see playing weekend sports (baseball) facility display:
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- A lack of mobility and coordination-especially in the lower half, from rapid growth and changing center of mass (COM)
- Weak core strength and inappropriate hip functionality as a result of “sitting all day”
- Early specialization creating overuse injuries at a very young age
Most 10-12 yr. olds display a lack of mobility and coordination in the lower half.
Main Principles of a 10-12 Yr. Old training program
Movement Quality First – Strength training for 10–12-year-olds focuses on first building a foundation through bodyweight movements, mobility, and fun. For these young athletes (10-12), the focus is on mastering movement.
Exercise Selection – The key players in any youth strength program should include improving movement quality through first learning bodyweight squats, hinges, and lunges for the lower half, while developing stability at the core and shoulders, and incorporating medicine ball exercises to help build rotational core strength and speed.
Mobility & Stability – Focus on ankle and hip mobility, as well as lumbar and shoulder stability, to help create a more stable base and allow the athlete to better adapt to the “clumsiness” associated with rapid growth spurts.
Safety & Progression – Avoid using additional loads until after 12 years of age, and no max loading in the 1–5 rep range until after puberty.
Fun & Engaging – Keep training fun in order to keep motivation high.
It’s important to keep training fun and motivation at a high.
Summary
In a review just published by Faigenbaum and Myer, the authors concluded:
“Current research indicates that resistance training can be a safe, effective and worthwhile activity for children and adolescents provided that qualified professionals supervise all training sessions and provide age-appropriate instruction on proper lifting procedures and safe training guidelines. Regular participation in a multifaceted resistance training program that begins during the preseason and includes instruction on movement biomechanics may reduce the risk of sports-related injuries in young athletes.”
Your goal should be to expose them to a wide variety of movements and set them up for success. Keep it interesting and FUN. keep them motivated.
Start with plenty of body weight drills; get them stable at the lumbar spine, shoulders, and knees, and mobile at the ankles, hips, and thoracic spine.
“When you’ve got strength at a young age – and you preserve / build it over the years – the rest of your training becomes that much more productive.”
– Mike Boyle
I’d strongly encourage you to check out our 10-12 yr. old on-line programs. Whether you’re a strength and conditioning coach, travel ball coach, or parent of a young athlete. There’s some excellent programming for everyone.
See ya’ in the gym…
By Nunzio Signore (BA, CSCS, CPT, NASM, FMS)