Coaches love complexity, but for most junior athletes it just gets in the way. We make the case for stripping programs back to a handful of high-return movements and conditioning sessions that actually build physical capability, without the booklet of drills no one can remember. If you work with developing athletes, this one will make you rethink how much is enough.
Show notes
As coaches, we need to empathise with the athletes and remember the end goal of any program: to increase an athlete's physical capability. For the majority of junior athletes, this can be done with only a few basic workouts and doesn't need a complex booklet of fartlek, long and short interval, 100s of agility drills and a complex strength schedule.
Instead, focus on workouts and activities with a high return on reward, things like Repeat sprints, Game Fit, and 8:12s on a Spin Bike are great for conditioning.
While for strength, focus on mastering a few key movements/qualities at a time; squats, bridges, pushups, Calf raises, basic core work along with regular roll, stretch and activation work will really keep most junior athletes in check if you can't supervise them or don't have access to a gym.