| How to test a group of young athletes has | | | | to conditioning, but it also changes the focus and |
| become a popular 'discussion board' question | | | | mental stress for the athlete - from performance |
| recently. I have seen this query raised on several | | | | considerations (i.e. how much weight can they lift) |
| prominent websites and have been asked about it | | | | to technical considerations (i.e. how well can they |
| a great deal over the last few months. Thus... my | | | | lift it). |
| desire to touch on the subject. | | | | One of the more problematic issues I have seen |
| The common curiosity surrounds how to test | | | | in this debate revolves around why a trainer or |
| absolute strength ability via 1, 4 or 8 RM (rep | | | | coach is testing at all. |
| maximum). The thought process is that once a | | | | The reason to test must be completely based on |
| trainer or coach has a baseline measurement of a | | | | what you want to glean from the results... and |
| given athletes strength capacity, they can deduce | | | | most coaches and trainers don't seem to see |
| two specific things: | | | | that clearly enough. |
| 1. The strength gain(s) that an athlete will see | | | | For example, one of the questions that was |
| following a training program (because inevitably | | | | recently posed to me was in reference to a |
| they will re-test the athlete at the conclusion of | | | | freshman baseball team (14 year old athletes). |
| there 6 or 8 week training cycle). | | | | The coach told me straight out that the kids had |
| 2. The percentage of absolute strength the | | | | little to no experience in terms of strength |
| athlete can and should perform their training | | | | training, so testing the squat would not be a |
| programs (for example, if a 1RM squat equals 225 | | | | worthwhile assessment. Instead, the coach |
| pounds, than a 'training weight' may be 70% of | | | | wanted to know if leg press or leg extension |
| that, or 158 pounds). | | | | would be more feasible because they lack |
| Biomotor improvements (strength, speed, | | | | technical difficulty. |
| flexibility) are not hard to come by with young | | | | Points to consider: |
| athletes and are often just as attributable to their | | | | If you know that the kids have no lifting |
| natural adolescent maturation process as they are | | | | expertise, than by nature of that conclusion, your |
| to any 'cutting edge' training program a given | | | | role as a trainer/coach is to teach. Period. There is |
| trainer or coach will put together. More over, as | | | | simply no reason to test strength capacity in a |
| demonstrated in countless studies, detraining | | | | situation where the kids you are working with |
| effects will occur in a relatively short period of | | | | have no experience at all. That is part of the |
| time once the training program has concluded. | | | | dogmatic thinking that must change in our youth |
| Pursuant to the above point, we must progress | | | | training culture. |
| away from the 'value-intensive' practice of training | | | | Leg press and leg extension are silly exercises |
| young athletes in short bursts (6 - 8 weeks) and | | | | that will do more harm than good to anyone. |
| shift to a more long-term and 'principal-focused' | | | | Specifically, lumbar rounding in the leg press and |
| approach to working with kids. In that, a given | | | | anterior sheering at the knee joint with leg |
| training program would not look to isolate and | | | | extension make the risk/reward ratio of these |
| improve biomotor ability as much as it would act | | | | exercises useless. Additionally, and this speaks to |
| as a teaching agent with a focus on improving | | | | my statement above, what is the point of testing |
| transferability to sport. | | | | strength on an apparatus that you have no |
| In this value to principle shift I suggest, we must | | | | intension of using during training? Again, you must |
| also look to take pressure off of kids in general. | | | | first ascertain why you are testing. |
| Like it or not, if you adhere to test/re-test | | | | The reality is that in the United States, many high |
| training programs of short durations, you are | | | | schools use a programming model that is based |
| allowing that athlete to think only of the numbers | | | | on test/re-test situations right from freshman |
| and specific improvement gains. Kids should not be | | | | through varsity. The notion that incoming |
| placed in a situation where the efficacy of their | | | | freshman, with little to no technical ability, are |
| training is based on how much more they can | | | | being asked to perform strength assessments |
| squat in week 7 than they did in week 1. | | | | from day one is nothing short of ridiculous... oh... |
| Again, your focus as a trainer or coach should be | | | | and maybe a touch dangerous as well. |
| on technical ability and improvements in this | | | | Teach... Teach... Teach... |
| consideration. Create RTA (rate of technical | | | | I cannot re-state that enough. Forget about |
| ability) charts that mark how well a child is | | | | testing biomotor ability and concentrate on |
| progressing from a form and function standpoint. | | | | actually teaching young athletes the skills they |
| Not only is this a more 'teaching-based' approach | | | | need to excel in sport and to remain injury free. |