Growth and maturation are two important processes that occur throughout an individual’s childhood and adolescent years. The purpose of this article is to review the dimensions, proportions, stature, body mass, and maturational events of all female pediatric athletes in general. It also serves to identify how early sport specialization and different modes of training of the female pediatric athlete affects her growth and maturation.

The power position is an integral position for a variety of power lifting movements. Athletes can develop their power position via an integrated approach involving sound exercise selection and purposeful instruction leading to enhanced strength and technique.

Tex McQuilkin, Director of Training for Power Athlete HQ, defines athleticism as a trainable performance variable at the 2019 Coaches Conference. McQuilkin illustrates the four phases of the competitive lifecycle for sport athletes and empowers coaches with strategies to best apply progressive overload and support the long-term trainability of novice athletes.

In this session from the 2015 National Conference, Brian Brabham provides ideas for improving the overall athletic ability of youth athletes, a better understanding of injuries sustained by youth athletes, methods to help prevent those injuries, and practical examples of training programs that can be effective options.

Strength coaches play a pivotal role in the performance of athletes. In this session from the 2016 NSCA Coaches Conference, Korrey Hammond explains the importance of diversity and inclusion for athletes at any level, as they are factors that should not be overlooked.

On a daily basis, tactical athletes take in their surrounding environments, make quick decisions, and put those decisions into actions. Their success begins with the brain, and like any other muscle, it needs to be fueled properly. Join Nick Barringer as he discusses fueling the brain, nutritional threats, and substances that can stave off cognitive decline and improve performance.

The purpose of this article is to present the reader with the prescription of a daily specific stretching routine that can help athletes avoid the onset of injuries and chronic pain in muscle-tendon structures of the lower extremities.

This continuing education opportunity explores a variety of topics as they pertain to training the youth population. To earn your CEUs, it will be necessary to review several articles and pass a 50-question quiz. Please note: this quiz awards 1.0 CEU (10 contact hours). Articles 1) Effects of Balance Training on Physical Fitness in Youth and Young Athletes: A Narrative Review 2) Seven Pillars of Prevention: Effective Strategies for Strength and Conditioning Coaches to Reduce Injury Risk and Improve Performance in Young Athletes 3) Navigating the Complex Pathway of Youth Athletic Development: Challenges and Solutions to Managing the Training Load of Youth Team Sport Athletes 4) Energy and Macronutrient Considerations for Young Athletes 5) Assessing Athletic Motor Skill Competencies in Youths: A Narrative Review of Movement Competency Screens

From the 2021 NSCA’s Coaches Conference, Adam Feit, Coordinator of Physical and Mental Performance at Springfield College, discusses the benefits of satisfying athletes’ and coaches’ basic psychological needs. He also explains how behaviors can help or hinder performance and how to create an autonomy-supportive training and coaching environment.

A strength and conditioning coach has the ultimate platform to communicate many lessons that can impact the life of youth athletes. In this 2018 Coaches Conference video, Vernon Griffith goes over how to impact youth athletes in more than just weightlifting, and how to be the coach that they need.