Youth Resistance Training: Facts and Fictions (Review Article)
By Andrew Cochran, PhD, CSCS “Is it safe for my young athlete(s) to weight train?” This is a question I hear often. I hear it from sport coaches, from athletes’ parents, and from friends who are new to parenthood but are already drafting their newborn’s professional contract(s). While almost certainly “preaching to the choir” on this one, I think it’s important to provide a succinct and well-educated response to this question. Not only because it’s my job, but also because it a) helps educate coaches’ and parents to make the best health & performance decisions possible, and b) (hopefully) helps [...]
From Denmark to Canada – Challenges and Successes
My Take on How You Turn a Tortoise into a Hare – or, at Least, a Faster Tortoise My coaching career began as an assistant tennis coach in a small town in my native country, Denmark, when I was 13 years old. I was fortunate to have several great coaches. One of them had played professionally when he was younger and was the doubles partner with Boris Becker’s long-term manager, Ion Tiriac. A few of the exercises I learned as a teenager are still among my top picks 37 years later. One of my first memories of strength and conditioning [...]
Starting from a Clean Slate with a Decentralized Team Sport Program
Scott Willgress, Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic The Beginning Rewind to the fall of 2016. I had been working in Halifax for 6 years with athletes and groups of varying levels. From private weekend warriors, to provincial level, next-generation, and a few Olympians in sports like sailing, sprint canoe/kayak, boxing, and artistic gymnastics. Don’t get me wrong, I loved working with these sports – I’m all about the challenge of working with a sport I have no history with and have never competed in myself. It’s easy to come into this situation with a beginner’s mindset when you truly are a [...]
