MoPro
TrainersEye · The Growing Athlete · Ages 10–16
Growing Athlete A
Trainer's Eye
Phase 1 · Move well first · Session A

Move well.
Then move fast.
Never the other way.

Session one is about how you move, not how hard you work. Six patterns done slowly and properly — everything else in this programme is built on them.

  • Asession
  • P1Move well
  • 12:00on the clock
  • — donecompleted

Strength training is safe

Supervised, technique-led strength training in young athletes improves strength and reduces injuries. The idea that it stunts growth has been repeatedly disproven.

Skill learns fastest now

Adolescence is one of the best windows for learning movement skills. Time spent on quality now pays for years.

Pain is not damage

Pain is an alarm, not a measure of harm. Bone-point pain in a growing athlete is a load message, not a warning of permanent injury.

Three couplets · two rounds · twelve minutes · available all season

A

Squat

Bodyweight squat + squat hold
A1

Bodyweight squat

60 s · slow reps

Feet shoulder-width; sit down between your heels with your chest tall and your knees over your middle toes.

Easier hold a door frame  ·  Harder slower, deeper

R1R2—
A2

Squat hold

10 × 6 s · ×2

Sit at the bottom of your squat and hold, heels down and chest up, for six seconds.

Easier shallower  ·  Harder deeper

R1R2
B

Hinge

Hip hinge + hinge hold
B1

Hip hinge

60 s · slow reps

Push your hips back with a long back, hands sliding down your thighs, then stand tall and squeeze.

Easier to mid-thigh  ·  Harder to the knees

R1R2—
B2

Hinge hold

10 × 6 s · ×2

Hold the hinge position with your back long and your shins upright — you should feel your hamstrings.

Easier shallower hinge  ·  Harder deeper

R1R2
C

Balance

Single-leg stand + single-leg reach
C1

Single-leg stand

60 s · seconds held

Stand on one leg with a soft knee; count the seconds you hold steadily on each side.

Easier fingertip on a wall  ·  Harder eyes closed

R1R2—
C2

Single-leg reach

8/side · ×2

On one leg, reach the other foot forward, out to the side and behind — hips level throughout.

Easier shorter reach  ·  Harder further reach

R1R2

The clock

Round 1settle in — 70%, perfect tracking
0:00A1 → A2
2:00B1 → B2
4:00C1 → C2
Round 2own it — beat Round 1 by quality
6:00A1 → A2
8:00B1 → B2
10:00C1 → C2

Each couplet: 60 s scored → the loading set → 10 s to move on. Done at 12:00.

How to run it

  1. An adult should know you are doing this. Show them the red flags on the back of this sheet before session 1.
  2. Growing bodies are not small adult bodies. The weak link during growth is the growth plate, not the muscle or the tendon.
  3. Technique before load, always. A movement you cannot do well with nothing in your hands does not get weight added to it.
  4. Pain rule: up to 4/10 during, gone by the next morning, no worse week to week. Tell an adult if it is not.

Tick it off

MovementRound 1Round 2Best
A1Bodyweight squatslow reps in 60 s —
A2Squat hold10 × 6 s
B1Hip hingeslow reps in 60 s —
B2Hinge hold10 × 6 s
C1Single-leg standseconds held —
C2Single-leg reach8/side
Session time
StreakDay —
Client / Patient
Coach / Clinician signature
Date
TE-12-GROWINGAT-A