Yesterday I had a great interview with one of  my long time friends in the industry, Brian Grasso. He and I have always agreed on how young athletes should be trained. It basically boils down to making sure they have fun while they are learning.

During the interview, Brian and I talked about how play is an important part of natural development in young athletes. Brian even spoke about how one of the Olympic figure skating champions he trained, Kurt Browning, use to play around during training sessions and challenge himself on various jumps and twists. What is often missed in the translation of playing for most coaches is that it comes across as “goofing” around. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Playing and experimenting with movement is how the body develops many new adjustment skills. The body learns to become more coordinated and handle all new stimuli all the time.

Athletes like Steve Nash learned to play many different sports and activities. It shows in how he moves on the basketball court and the unbelievable control of the ball he has with either hand. Not to mention the enjoyment he has for all the sports and activities he plays.

Pre-adolescent kids should learn movement skills, strength and mobility through fun and challenging activities, such as climbing, crawling, skipping, jumping, hopping, leaping, pushing and pulling. The most important aspect for kids is to learn to develop strength by integrating the entire body. Performing exercises allowing the arms and legs to move while the core is being stable develops such a great foundation for young athletes that will be with them for a lifetime.

During the interview, Brian mentioned a time when he was visiting my wife and me at our home. At one point we went out to the driveway to shoot some hoops and play with my daughters. One activity we played with my daughters, whom were 6 and 8 yrs of age, was badminton. I would hit the birdie as high as I could and they would try to touch it with their racquet when it came down. Who ever reached five touches first won. This was a fun way to develop hand eye coordination. There were little rules, just touch the birdie when it comes down.

One of the most important aspects of allowing the kids to learn by playing is because this is how their nervous system is wired. They are made to move and experiment. They don’t want to stand around and listen to long drawn out instructions. Give them simple guidelines and let them go.

Rather than being so strict and organized with your workouts for pre-adolescents, allow for freedom to explore and see where the workout takes you. You should have an outline guidelines but don’t hold back the urge to try new things on the spot. Have fun with learning and expose the kids to as many different stimuli as possible.

PS: Brian and I recently created the highly anticipated Youth Speed and Agility Specialist Level 1 Speed Certification. This is a must for anyone working with young athletes. Go to www.YouthSpeedSpecialist.com to set yourself apar