15 year old junior athlete James Hibbert (Football, Wesley College) performing cleans for explosive hip extension and ground based power. Its vital for young footballers to perform an appropriate strength and conditioning program to not only prepare for the season theyre in (short term) but also for the rigours of senior football (long term athletic development - LTAD). Our focus with juniors isnt on lifting maximal loads or developing maximal strength but rather -improving movement efficiency -correcting muscular imbalances -increasing motor control -correcting gait and running mechanics -address inhibited muscles by performing activation drills and correcting movement patterns -injury prevention -learning pelvic control When James started with us he could hardly perform the most basic movement patterns (bodyweight squats, RDL with empty bar etc) without losing his posture. Now hes shown competency in all the major strength movements and has begun to clean! No, lifting weights will not stunt growth nor is it dangerous. Under the guidance and supervision of our coaching staff, lifting weights as a junior is perfectly safe and the athlete will reap the benefits of our science based physical preparation training. Our football pre-season program will have a division totally devoted to junior development. If youre a junior athlete looking to physically prepare yourself for season 2015 and behind, email us at info@woodfordssc or PM
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 11:48:31 +0000