YOUTH ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT

As a young athlete matures and progresses in their sport(s), skill-specific work naturally becomes the more dominant focus. However, in this process their strength & conditioning can fall to the wayside. 

For a young athlete to be able to successfully compete and cope in more intense, higher levels of competition they must go through appropriate physical preparation and this is why strength & conditioning is important. 

For youth, there needs to be a balance between working on their athleticism while working on developing their sport-specific skills. 

For us, the younger the athlete, the greater the opportunity for development.

Inside Edge focuses on long-term athletic development (LTAD) to ensure our younger athletes develop correct movement patterns and are given the best possible opportunity for optimal growth. We provide appropriate strength and conditioning for youth and address early sports specialization, over-training and injury prevention. 

Our programs are multi-dimensional, designed to improve not only kids physical literacy, athleticism and foundational strength but also aim to enhance their health, wellbeing and self-efficacy. 

For our junior athletes (6-12), we begin by focusing on their fundamental and precursor movement patterns and incorporate creative play and teamwork into the programs to keep it fun and engaging. 

At Inside Edge, our belief is that for juniors before reaching adolescence, complete athleticism should take priority over specific skill development. By not focusing on improving athleticism, the young athlete may miss the opportunity to develop neuromuscular patterns which can make them faster, more agile and more coordinated.

Our Youth Athlete Development Program teaches athletes to work hard, be disciplined and most importantly respect themselves and others. We want our youth to not only become better athletes but better people, so building strong and positive individuals in the long-term is our priority.