Learn about the framework for practical, functional, and sequential skill development for a “best practices” model. This model is designed to develop a movement vocabulary, physical literacy, and movement skills for improved athleticism.

This book excerpt from Developing Agility and Quickness describes the windows of opportunity in youth athletes to time progressions in speed and agility training with their biological and chronological development.

Strength coaches make up the foundation of the NSCA since its beginnings more than four decades ago and continue to drive our purpose and passion. Learn more about obtaining the acclaimed CSCS® certification, gain knowledge through NSCA's peer-reviewed journals, and get inspired by NSCA's coaching podcast. From tools and resources to thousands of top professionals across the globe, you've got the support and the credibility of an association dedicated to your profession.

Strength and conditioning professionals who incorporate a properly designed and supervised training program can help their young athletes train, compete, and reduce the likelihood of injury.

Here are more reasons why award-winning Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach Scott Sahli is happy when kids are involved in multiple sports programs and supervised by certified strength coaches.

Colorado Springs, CO - The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recently released a position statement in reference to the growing interest in long-term athletic development for youth.

Early sport specialization involves physically immature children participating in intensive year-round training and/or competition for a single sport. The lack of sport exposure and diversification during the developmental years may underlie the increased risk of overuse injuries, blunting of motor skill development, psychosocial issues, overtraining syndrome, burnout, and potential dropout from sport. With increasing number of youth choosing, or being encouraged, to specialize at an early age, we aim to provide evidence based recommendations for the integration of strength and conditioning into the development programs of young athletes who participate in sports with a culture of early specialization. In addition to the principles of programming, strategies are provided relative to monitoring of growth, maturation, and training load to illustrate the potential complexities of attempting to optimize long-term athletic development in early specializing athletes.

Dr. Lonnie Lowery spoke at the NSCA's 2012 National Conference about the value of incorporating omega-3 fatty acids into the nutrition of youth athletes.

In this session from the NSCA’s 2017 National Conference, Joe Eisenmann explains how to identify the components of an integrated holistic youth sports performance program and takes a look at the unique challenges of training the youth athlete.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently recognized the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as one of the first organizations to join the National Youth Sports Strategy (NYSS) Champion℠ program. HHS released the NYSS in September 2019 in response to Presidential Executive Order 13824, which called for a national strategy to increase youth sports participation. The NYSS is the first Federal roadmap with actionable strategies to increase participation in youth sports, increase awareness of the benefits of youth sports participation, monitor and evaluate youth sports participation, and recruit and engage volunteers in youth sports programming.