We are asked this question quite often. We believe young athletes can receive benefit from training with the Kinetic Bands beginning around the age of 6. The Kinetic Bands can easily be modified to accomodate these young athletes. In fact, I modified a set of bands for my 5 year old granddaughter who just began playing soccer. While she has not yet mastered a competitive mindset, she does enjoy using them while working out with her mom. The key is that she is having fun and is learning the concept of training to improve.

The key to success for these young athletes is to get them interested in training and to make it fun. If the training is too strenuous or repetitive it can ultimately take the fun out of playing the "Game" and the young athlete can quickly lose interest. Below are a few suggestions for training young athletes that can help improve ability while keeping it fun.

Invent games, like running around the yard, park, or inside facility. When training a group, you'll find that kids have a natural desire to out run their peers. Be sure to thank them all for giving it their best effort instead of praising the winners and publicly critizing those bringing up the rear. When an athlete feels a coach or parent truly cares about them as an individual, they naturally want to do their best to impress that person and make them proud.

We also suggest simple drills such as hopping or jumping back and forth over an object while setting a time frame and/or seeing how many they can do. This can help them develop personal goal setting skills, while building core strength, yet it feels more like fun than training.

Have them perform basic core development drills such as squats, squat jumps, lunges, leg raises, and any other movements that require full range of motion as well as change of direction.

Wearing the Kinetic Bands during this "fun time" training, your young athlete will improve core development, speed, flexibility, agility, endurance and balance which are all important components to improving athletic performance regardless of an athlete's age or sport they play.

I will blog again soon and provide some sport specific training with the bands that I have personally used as a coach to achieve great results. Please let me know if you have questions regarding your young athlete(s).

Coach McQueen