27 Aug. 2015 – For effective training for young athletes, the coaches must take into account the age, sex, and maturation levels of each child; if the child has a precocious or delayed puberty for example.
The duration, intensity, and frequency of training sessions will vary considerably, depending upon the above factors. Children should be encouraged to participate in a wide variety of activities and sports, and not be channeled into “specialization” in one sport or event before reaching the mid- or late-teen years.
Stages of Growth and Development for Children
It is very frequent to see young athletes specialize in a certain discipline in Lebanon, especially in track and field, where the number of Senior athletes is few. The coaches tend to fill this gap by giving the young athletes a big responsibility of replacing the Seniors, thus, adding more stress on the child.
There are three level of development for children:
- Early Childhood (Ages 3 to 5 years), where vision is not fully mature, their motor skills reach 20 to 30% and the recommended activities for this age range is playing in a closed system.
- Childhood (Ages 4 to 9 years), where vision is better but is still difficult, balance start to be automatic by the age of 7, their basic overhead throw is developed by the age of 6 and the running matured by the age of 8 and their recommended activity is recreational play where they can acquire skills in closed systems and low level organized sports.
- Late Childhood (Ages 10 to 12), which is the most important for us in Lebanese Athletics because it is the youngest category in this sport. The children of this age group have a pattern of adult vision and their balance is improved but declines at puberty during peak height velocity (between 11 and 12 for the girls, 13 and 14 for the boys). Their complex skill develops but the postural control may deteriorate, and the learning ability is developed compared to the other age groups. The recommendations for this age range is to continue the fundamental and transitional skills, team sports and LOW LEVEL COMPETITIVE SPORTS!
It is difficult to provide definite “dosages” of training for children who participate in the varied event disciplines of athletics. However, some general guidelines have been developed, based upon practical experience as well as knowledge of the developmental levels of children.
All training sessions should be preceded by a suitable 20 to 30 minute warm-up period with emphasis on gradually increasing activity and stretching of all muscle groups, and followed by a gradual cooling down and further stretching.
Endurance Training (long distance running)
The recommended MAXIMUM competition distances for children of various ages are as follow: 3km for under 9, 5km for 9-11, 10km for 12-14, Half Marathon (21.1km) 15-16, 30km for 17 years old and finally a marathon (42.2km) for the 18 years old. The weekly training distance should not be more than twice the recommended maximum competition distance.
Aerobic capacity (VO2 maximum) increases with age. However, in terms of body mass, when aerobic capacity is expressed in terms of ml/kg, maximal aerobic power does not increase, and may even decrease in the second decade, with the increase in the child’s fat mass.
Sprints
Training frequency for those up to 14 years old should not exceed 3 times per week. Those aged 15–18 can train up to 5 times per week. The duration of each session should not exceed 1.5 hours, including a warm-up and stretching component.
Anaerobic performance in children is much lower than in adolescents and adults. This is likely due to the development of anaerobic enzyme systems, and also to poorer neuro-muscular control.
Throwing Events (shot put, discus, javelin, hammer): Injuries can be avoided in throwing events if the correct technique is developed for each throwing discipline. Training frequency and duration should follow the following guidelines:
- No more than 3 training sessions per week.
- Each session should not exceed 1.5 hours (including warm-up).
- The total number of throws permitted for each session should not exceed 20 for athletes up to 14 years old and 40 for those between 15 and 18 years old.
Jumping Events (long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault): Training frequency and duration should follow the following guidelines—
- Each session should be no longer than 1.5 hours (including warm-up).
- Athletes up to 14 years old should not perform more than 3 sessions per week with a maximum of 10 jumps per session.
- Athletes from 15 to 18 years old should not perform more than 5 sessions per week with a maximum of 20 jumps per session.
The collaborative involvement and support of the parents and coach is essential if children are to achieve an enjoyable and successful experience in sports. Unreasonable demands and expectations from adults are a common cause for a child’s dropping out of sport.
Documents Source: IAAF
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