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

Long limbs.
New body.
Learn it again.

During a growth spurt your arms and legs get longer before your muscles catch up. Coordination dips. This session rebuilds it.

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

The growth spurt changes everything

Injury risk rises around the fastest phase of growth. Limbs get longer before the muscles catch up, and coordination dips for a while.

Balance predicts injury

Poor single-leg balance is linked with ankle and knee injuries in young athletes, and it improves quickly with practice.

Awkwardness is temporary

Feeling clumsy during a growth spurt is normal and it passes. Skills that seemed easy last year come back.

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

A

Coordinate

Marching pattern + skipping steps
A1

Marching pattern

60 s · slow reps

Knee up, toe up, tall through the hips; step down under your body rather than out in front.

Easier slower  ·  Harder faster

R1R2—
A2

Skipping steps

12/side · ×2

The same shape with a small skip between — light, quiet, elastic contacts.

Easier march only  ·  Harder higher and faster

R1R2
B

Crawl and move

Bear crawl + crab walk
B1

Bear crawl

60 s · steps to beat

Knees an inch off the floor; crawl with opposite hand and foot, hips level — count the steps.

Easier bear plank hold  ·  Harder slower and lower

R1R2—
B2

Crab walk

12 steps · ×2

Hips up, fingers pointing back; walk on hands and feet without letting the hips sag.

Easier hips lower  ·  Harder hips higher

R1R2
C

Balance moving

Balance with head turns + tandem walk
C1

Balance with head turns

60 s · slow reps

On one leg; turn your head slowly side to side and up and down without losing the foot.

Easier fingertip on a wall  ·  Harder eyes closed

R1R2—
C2

Tandem walk

15 steps · ×2

Walk heel to toe along a line, looking ahead rather than down at your feet.

Easier normal steps  ·  Harder arms folded

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
A1Marching patternslow reps in 60 s —
A2Skipping steps12/side
B1Bear crawlsteps in 60 s —
B2Crab walk12 steps
C1Balance with head turnsslow reps in 60 s —
C2Tandem walk15 steps
Session time
StreakDay —
Client / Patient
Coach / Clinician signature
Date
TE-12-GROWINGAT-C