Approximately 2 million youth from 6 - 12 years of age participate in football every year. This article discusses the importance of long-term athletic development (LTAD) for youth football athletes and the significance of a player development pathway for long-term success and longevity in the sport.
CoachesExercise ScienceProgram designOrganization and Administration
High school coaching is a rapidly-growing area of strength and conditioning, and can be an exciting career choice for strength and conditioning professionals who want to have a lifelong positive impact on young people.
July 23, 2024by Susannah Reiner, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, Jennifer Tinsley Kubala, MS, LAT, ATC, Jacob Jelmini, PhD, LAT, ATC, CSCS, Alyssa Eastman, MS, Nicholas Heebner, PhD, ATC, Phillip Gribble, PhD, ATC, FNATA, and Mark Abel, PhD, CSCS,*D, TSAC-F
This article explores the process and reasoning behind integrating an athletic trainer within a fire department to provide clinical care and injury prevention protocols.
TSAC FacilitatorsExercise ScienceBasic Pathophysiology and Science of Health Status or Condition, Disorder, or DiseaseProfessional Development
By understanding the means by which athletes encounter risk, strength and conditioning professionals can integrate exercise programs that may offset one of the steps toward injuries.
This consensus statement provides specific conditioning recommendations with the intent of ending conditioning-related morbidity and deaths of secondary school athletes. Most deaths in sports are preventable; our charge is to meet this expectation.
In recent years, youth strength training and models of athletic development have become hot topics thanks in part to a shift in youth sports from leisure activities to year-round commitments. In order for strength and conditioning professionals to help the athletes of tomorrow achieve their performance and fitness goals, it’s imperative to develop safe, effective, and balanced programming for the youth of today.
This article explores evidence-based nutrition practices for youth athletes, emphasizing hydration, dietary quality, and breakfast consumption to support long-term athletic development. Visit NSCA online to read more about sports nutrition and athletic development.
CoachesExercise ScienceNutritionProgram designOrganization and AdministrationTesting and EvaluationClient Consultation|AssessmentSafetyProfessional Development
As the final article of the three-part series on long-term athletic development (LTAD), this article will focus on enhancing physical fitness and participation in LTAD programs that promote physical fitness and physiological wellbeing, regardless of age, ability, and aspirations.
CoachesExercise ScienceProgram designProfessional Development
Given the growing interest surrounding youth strength and conditioning, the NSCA recently engaged a group of leading experts to author a position statement on long-term athletic development. The document proposes ten key pillars of successful long-term athletic development that practitioners should adhere to in order to enhance performance, promote health and well-being, and minimize the risk of sport- or physical activity-related injury.