Twenty sessions.
Twelve minutes each.
Available all season.
Five phases, 120 different movements, no repeats — from movement quality and landing to strength, agility and the tests. For young athletes aged roughly ten to sixteen: growth-plate pain, the growth spurt, load management, and the training that keeps them on the pitch. Written for the athlete, the parent or guardian, and the coach.
For parents, guardians and coaches — read this first
SEE A DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING with any of these: a limp, or knee or thigh pain, with no injury — in a child or teenager that means the hip must be checked, because hip problems in this age group commonly present as knee pain; a hot, swollen joint with fever, or refusing to put weight on a leg; persistent back pain, which is not normal in a young athlete; a sudden pop at the hip or groin with difficulty walking; pain at rest or at night, or a new lump or swelling; numbness or weakness; or if growth has stalled, periods have stopped, or bone injuries keep happening.
The growth plate is the weak link. While a young athlete is growing, the plate where tendon meets bone is weaker than the tendon itself. That is why growing athletes get pain on a bone point — below the kneecap, at the back of the heel, on a hip bone — where adults get tendon pain. It is common, it settles as growth finishes, and it is not damage.
The answer is usually less, not none. Reducing training volume for a few weeks while building strength beats a full season off. Phase 2 is built around that.
Strength training is safe. Supervised, technique-led strength work makes young athletes stronger and less injured. The idea that it stunts growth has been repeatedly disproven. Technique comes before load, always.
An adult should know this is happening. Strength sessions should be supervised, and the pain rule — up to 4/10, gone by the next morning — should be something the athlete feels able to report honestly rather than hide.
Kit: a chair, a wall, a step, a towel, a skipping rope if you have one, and a light backpack or two water bottles.