Youth Athlete Training had the privilege to speak with Amonzo Gantt Sr. Author of the book Understanding the Next Level: How to Prepare for Your Future. Amonzo played basketball and graduated from North Greenville University where he scored over 1,000 points in his career and had over 600 rebounds. The interview discussed each chapter of … Read more
One of the biggest concerns among parents, coaches, and youth athletes is the potential for injuries associated with child and youth weight training. Many studies have demonstrated that most injuries sustained by young weight lifters and power lifters are caused by incorrect lifting techniques, often due to improper or insufficient supervision, or lack of trained, … Read more
People are becoming increasingly aware that strength training is essential to individuals of all ages to maintain overall health and improve physical performance. We know that strength training improves mental and physical health in adults, and recently, a growing body of scholarly evidence has studied and confirmed the benefits of strength training in children … Read more
In the past, a great deal of controversy surrounded the subject of resistance training among children and teens – especially with the prevalence of injuries in the competitive sports of weightlifting and power lifting. But despite the long-held belief that strength training was dangerous or inappropriate for youngsters, the beneficial effects, as well as safety, … Read more
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Learn More About Our Foundational Training System (Click Here)
Learn More About Our Foundational Training System (Click Here)
Learn More About Our Foundational Training System (Click Here)
Once again I was watching a youth athlete team and surprised at the actions of the coaches in regard to building their skills, athleticism and enthusiasm. This team had lost a game the day before… and the coaches weren’t happy. The coaches spent the first half of practice wearing the kids out with straight cardio … Read more
Coach Daryl Weber spoke with Dr. Patrick Cohn, the president and founder of Peak Performance Sports (Windermere, Florida). Dr. Patrick J. Cohn teaches mental skills and sports psychology techniques to athletes, teams, and corporate professionals to help improve performance. The conversation about improving performance centered around athletes who are perfectionists. Perfection… meaning improvement, betterment, refinement… Many … Read more
Recently I spoke with Dr. Caroline Silby, Ph.D., who is a sought after expert on the development of young female athletes. She has appeared on numerous television programs including Oprah Winfrey, CNN, ABC-Wide World of Sports, and Oxygen Television. Dr. Silby is an author, adjunct Faculty member at American University and has worked on an … Read more
Recently, I spoke with Joey Myers, the founder of the Hitting Performance Lab. He played 4 years of Division-1 baseball at Fresno State from 2000-2003. He’s a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), the International Youth and Conditioning Association (IYCA), and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). He also works with the … Read more
It’s a given… When you play a sport, at some point you will win, and at some point you will lose. While winning is a great feeling, it’s often hard for kids to experience The Loss. Yet, learning out to navigate a loss is a necessary life lesson. Recently, I invited author, Sam Weinman, who … Read more
Recently, Coach Daryl Weber spoke with Mike Kuchar, co-founder and senior manager of X and O Labs. Mike has coached football for 17 years and recently joined the staff at North Plainfield High School in New Jersey as the defensive coordinator. He and the coaching staff are attempting to turn around the program. The first … Read more
Incredible Insights From 8 Nationally Recognized Coaches & Experts: Parents and Coaches both want to know how to develop discipline, commitment and drive in their young athletes without making them quit or give up on a sport that can offer them many life lessons. Recently we asked some of the top youth sports coaches & … Read more
By Steve Preston, Sports Performance Specialist If you’re a coach or parent of youth athletes you understand the “need for speed” in your athletes. Speed on the field, court or track is the game-changer for athletic success. I admire coaches and parents who consistently work with their youth athletes in order to help build them … Read more
By Steve Preston, Sports Performance Specialist As a Sports Performance Specialist my job is to help youth athletes improve strength, speed, coordination and long-term athleticism. Coaches and Parents of youth athletes spend so many countless hours on practices, resistance training, conditioning, and overall performance. Great:) The kids become better at their respective sport as they … Read more
By Steve Preston, Sports Performance Specialist Many athletes are strong but lack power. Other athletes are powerful but lack explosive strength. If an athlete is going to excel at sports they need to be able to build strength and then convert strength to explosive power. Simply put, explosive power refers to an individual’s … Read more
5 Exercises To Increase Your Vertical Jump Ever see those crazy videos of regular guys doing crazy vertical jumps on the basketball court? They jump so high they can touch the rim with the top of their head! Seem like overkill? Think again… Vertical jumping is critical in a number of sports… Think… Basketball Volleyball … Read more
Wondering how to increase speed and agility in youth athletes? Frustrated with youth athletes lack of motivation and ability to stick with a program? Athletes need a jump-start to increase their sports performance? You may have answered yes to one, two or all three of these questions. I want to give you five quick tips … Read more
My name is Sonny Close. I am the Head Coach at CDBWC, working with both Virginia Elite and the high school wrestling team. Coach Weber asked me the secret to my success. Here is my Pyramid of Success. I hear you saying, “Yeah, but we play baseball, or basketball or… How can a Wrestling Coach help me?” These are … Read more
-by Hall of Fame High School Coach Daryl Weber In Part 1 of this series “Lies to Ungifted Athletes,” we dispel several myths we are led to believe about youth training… If you missed it take a look at it here. What’s your favorite sports movie? Any Given Sunday? Rudy? I like Rocky. You remember the … Read more
-by Hall of Fame High School Coach Daryl Weber More than any other topics, I hear coaches and parents struggle with increasing mental toughness and speed in youth athletes. These struggles often lead to frustration and a philosophy that athletes are either “gifted” with Mental Toughness or Speed and if they are not… They can … Read more
If you are a coach or parent of youth athletes then you know the importance of practice and training for sports success… But are you paying attention to what your youth athletes are eating? There’s a lot of truth to the old saying, “you are what you eat.” So many young athletes don’t eat to … Read more
We have come a long, long way in regard to training athletes for optimal sports performance… There was a day when athletes were forbidden to lift weights because their coaches thought it would slow them down and make them slow. So they had their athletes compete in their sport without doing any strength training… WOW! … Read more
What do all kids, puppies and kittens have in common? They love to play! It’s an age thing… When we are young we have an abundance of energy. When we’re young we want to be active and playful as much as possible. This is why “playing” should be part of any youth athlete’s training plan. … Read more
Are you a parent, coach or trainer who works with youth athletes? If so, I know you want to improve their speed and quickness. The athlete who can get to the ball the fastest is the one who helps the team win. Youth athletes are unique in their stage of growth and development, and their … Read more
When it comes to working with youth athletes and training them to be faster, quicker and more athletic, you must choose the best “bang for your buck” exercises. Youth athletes want to have fun and any time you can add a little competition or game-like element to their training you will have more success. One … Read more
Are you interested in learning how to improve the speed and performance of your youth athletes, while minimizing injuries? Of course you are… Well, I have a simple little exercise, or perhaps I should say “exercise pattern” that I want to share with you today. This exercise pattern is a must to include in a … Read more
