09 Jan Drop-In Speed Training Sessions Are NOT Youth Athlete Development
Over 14 years ago, I look back regretfully at all of the stupid things I used to do as a young speed, strength and conditioning coach:
– Trained athletes on Sundays the day after a tournament when they should’ve been OFF recovering.
– Trained girls soccer players MORE skills training even while they were on a futsal team and two soccer teams in a season (sadly, they had stress fractures, knee and heel pain, and more overuse injuries).
– Poorly coached plyometric drills and had young kids do box jumps when they weren’t ready for these advanced plyo drills.
I was an idiot to say the least in my first few years. I was still learning A LOT about recovery, proper technique coaching, load management, and more.
Of course, these mistakes early on are just glossing over the tip of the iceberg.
One of the biggest mistakes I made when I was a young coach was offering drop-in sessions.
You know, just allowing kids to come as they wanted, even if it was for all but once every month. There was no expectation of commitment. It was just yeah sure, shoot me a Venmo when you show up, and come whenever the hell you want. Kids were lackluster. And worse yet, parents would cancel on me last minute and they didn’t take my training seriously.
I eventually realized this model held athletes back from getting drastic speed results. Moreover, it taught kids that it’s okay to be flaky, uncommitted duds. It taught them that you don’t have to work hard. It taught inconsistency.
This wasn’t what I wanted as a speed coach who is dedicated to true long-term athlete development. And the truth is, speed takes weeks, months, and years to develop. Most athletes don’t reach the peak in their speed development until after age 18. That is, if they committed to it since middle school and all the way through high school.
“Speed grows like a tree,” as the old Tony Holler saying goes.
I am ashamed that I was one of those fake speed gurus early in my career promising a quick fix and saying it’s okay for kids to just drop-in whenever.
I used to have athletes who I would see once every other month, and then their parents wondered why their kid’s speed got worse. And honestly, I wish I told the parents of those kids that they were better off just not even doing my training with how flaky they were.
Thankfully, I do now. I want to give kids what they need for true speed development. I say no to the quick buck that a drop-in session provides. It’s not development.
I’d rather have a small group of hyper-committed girls who I can truly help, than a hundred, uncommitted cash cows who I can’t.
If I can’t see kids weekly, I tell parents that this program isn’t for their kid and to go find someone else.
You’re either in, or you’re out. I don’t accept lukewarm bs.
However, some people still sign up with me all eager and think they’re ready, and then realize that it’s a major commitment.
Even recently, I had a girl try my program, with the mom fully understanding the weekly consistency of workout attendance. Then, a month later, she realized her daughter didn’t want to commit. They canceled on me often. They no-showed a lot with no notice. I saw the girl maybe twice in the past two months.
In the end, I told the mom that this isn’t going to work out anymore, and I can’t help her daughter if she isn’t committed. Too, it’s not worth wasting time and money as a sports parent. As a result, we went our separate ways with no hard feelings at all. It just wasn’t the right fit.
This bears repeating: consistent progression is key for speed.
Nowadays, I can’t unsee it when I look around online at all of these “speed gurus” who offer free trials and drop-in sessions, and there’s no program, no progression, no commitment, and no where for the kid to grow. The lack of commitment is killing young athletes’ speed development and it’s a disaster.
I now have written on the whiteboard in my gym the top 3 things kids need to improve speed:
1. Lift weights, jump, and sprint YEAR-ROUND: young athletes don’t just need speed drills; they must develop the muscles that allow them to produce force – hamstrings, gluteals, and quads – and this is only accomplished with safe, progressed strength training over a long period of time. Too, athletes must jump and do plyometrics correctly. 99% of speed gurus online butcher plyometrics for youth (read a blog on this HERE). And lastly, athletes must sprint at top speed and time their sprints to know they’re improving (I use THIS TIMING SYSTEM for my athletes). If you aren’t timing, you aren’t improving. And new timing records come every 3-6 months with consistent work in the gym and on the field doing speed work.
2. Take 1-2 full rest days a week: too often, I talk to soccer parents weekly about how their girl is training 7 days a week, from futsal to being on two soccer teams and then add skills sessions, they never have off to truly recover. It’s a disgrace. I am always honest with parents that I can’t improve speed unless they pencil in 1-2 full days off from sports trainings and practices. Athletes must be recovered, NOT fatigued, and NOT sore in order to fully benefit from a speed workout and recruit fast twitch muscle fibers. Plyometrics and sprints are very central nervous system heavy, and it’s impossible to train these optimally under fatigue.
3. EAT ENOUGH! Getting enough nutrients and food is needed for muscle building and faster recovery. If girls are under-eating, they will stay weak and not as explosive as they can be.
The above 3 need to be done year-round to truly improve speed. Speed gurus online will promise the world with drop-in sessions in a 30 person group, but deliver nothing of substance and detail that moves the needle.
Lift weights, jump, sprint, recover throughout your week, and eat enough year-round.
Not for a day. Not once every month.
Year-round.
If your kid’s soccer team practiced 1x a month and the team coach allowed drop-in practices, you as a sports parent would be all up in arms how insane that is.
But it’s painfully ironic, when it comes to speed, there’s this weird exception that drop-in sessions are okay.
Make it make sense.
Speed development is a program.
And speed is a skill that requires an insane amount of balance, coordination, and motor learning over a long period of time.
It must be nurtured consistently each week, for months, for years.
Don’t let speed gurus sell you drop-in sessions. It’s the furthest thing from youth athletic development there is.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Erica Mulholland is a former college 3x All-American soccer player and now Hall of Famer from Johns Hopkins University. She holds a Master of Science in Exercise Science and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach, who has been helping female athletes of all sports with speed, agility, strength, power, and conditioning for 14 years. She works with youth female athletes who want to become stronger and faster, as well as ACL rehab for female athletes in the later stages (over 3 month mark post-surgery) who want to return to sport better than they were prior to injury.
Work with Erica in Tampa and Lutz Florida for speed, agility, and strength training, OR late stage ACL rehab (must be at minimum 3 months into physical therapy and post-surgery): BOOK ASSESSMENT HERE
Interested in REMOTE TRAINING for Female Athletes? BOOK A CONSULT HERE
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