Youth Sports: What Is the Best Age to Start Vertical Jump Training?
Training at anything can be great for youths; it can lead to great adult habits like exercise, eating well and self-discipline. Self-discipline cannot only lead to great things in athletics, but in can also help in academics. Young men, like Jashaun Agoston, an 11 year old basketball phenom, actually asks his parents to stay up late so he can practice and study. With this self-dedication, he has already had unofficial scholarship offers from universities like UCLA and other top basketball universities. But the question is: Is it okay to start training children at young ages? The answer is yes. But it's just like any other athlete; new, old, young or elite; they have to want to do it. In addition, situations like this can decrease the rapidly rising rate of obesity in the United States youth, and it can also decrease the amount of kids that find themselves bored and getting into trouble.
Young athletes have to train the proper way, and this includes with techniques like vertical jump training, just like any other athlete does.They need to not over exert themselves because, when they do, they can tear muscles and torn muscles at any age can be career ending. Therefore, proper vertical jump training for young athletes is important so that they learn and understand how to prevent injury and also become competitive in their sport.
Training young seems like a fantastic idea to experts like the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). However, sports training should be designed around the child's abilities. A child like Jashaun could probably benefit from a targeted jump training program so that he continues to excel and avoids potential injuries that could come with the over exertion or extension of core muscles that allow for his growth into adult athletic conditioning. Having appropriately designed strength-training programs can benefit the muscular strength of kids and improve their flexibility, muscle strength, cardiovascular system and overall health as they grow as athletes. How many of us have said, 'I wish I would have started younger so I could have been such a contender'?
Many athletes today are judged according to their vertical leap and vertical jump statistics and it shows in many professional sports that these are the athletes with explosiveness and the ability to excel beyond other athletes. Starting young with the proper training in all areas of their sport can only benefit these young athletes as long as it is a program that is designed around the athlete's abilities, interest, and determination
So, what do you go if you're a parent and you have a child with considerable talent in a sport that requires vertical jump skills? There are many vertical jump training programs out there if you were to search the Internet or even maybe your local phone book if you're looking for a trainer in a major metropolitan area. However, you want to be sure that the program you choose is designed for young athletes.
