This post will not be full of secret information or “Golden Nuggets” but it ranks up there in terms of importance. PLEASE READ ON!

I just arrived home from an outstanding weekend in Chicago. This weekend was two IYCA level 1 certifications. The first one was the IYCA Speed Certification. It far exceeded my expectations. The attendees were fantastic, the IYCA staff was so professional, and the atmosphere was electric. The second certification was Nutrition- presented by Chris Mohr.

Myself, along with Brian Grasso, spent two days teaching concepts, principles and techniques of multi-directional speed as it relates to the various ages of development in young athletes. To lay the foundation we had a couple hours of lecture and discussion, but we exploded quickly into hands on practical.

I don’t have the time nor the space to cover all the details about this weekend but I will say this, “You need to jump on board and become apart of the IYCA Speed Certification. It is going to take your coaching, your programs, and your business to new heights. Go to www.IYCA.org to find out more about how you can become a level 1 IYCA Speed Certified Coach.

Why Is The Lee Taft Speed Academy Different?

My philosophy of training young athletes is based off many years of experience. I have work with thousands of kids through my years as a physical education teacher and an athletic development coach. BUT, I also realize to make training systematic for business purposes I had to create solid systems so others could follow my approach.

Training young athletes, in my opinion, is about discovery. It is about laying foundations of movement so the athletes can be safe and have something to build upon.

For example, I want the athletes to understand how to properly use the legs, feet, hips, and upper body when changing direction. I want them to be safe and athletic. My way of creating workouts is to follow an approach of making sure the athletes learn how to move correctly and then exposing them to many different movements. You will not see me following a long drawn out progression of linear acceleration for weeks with young kids. I will expose them to many different activities and drills that reinforce the skill for linear acceleration. The same goes with lateral deceleration, change of direction, cutting, jumping, and so on. The bottom line is you have to create workouts that are fun, challenging, educational, and purposeful.

The coaches that are more exact and follow a complete system all the time without wavering are not necessarily wrong, my philosophy is they just don’t understand the mind and development of a young athlete. As long as they are safe and teaching proper sequences of movement they can go for it.

My point is… kids are like sponges. They absorb information so easily at a young age. Don’t ignore this fact and limit there experiences. You should still be a great teacher of skills but have fun and allow the kids to explore how their body handles movement when challenged.

I hope this helps you think a little about how you run your program and most important it allows you to realize you do not need to be so rigid- enjoy the process.

P. S. – You will see many different exposures to a ton of movements in www.LadderSpeed.com and www.LowBoxTraining.com. Both of these were designed to allow coaches to explore movement with their athletes and build athleticism.