With ongoing messages, comments and general discussions with parents, general public and even sports/technical coaches, we are continually trying to educate on the benefits of resistance training where youth ages are concerned. Analogies based off research and practice are often the best way forward, with the ongoing battle to quash the myth that getting kids moving well and progressively stronger is detrimental to their growth. One analogy we love can be read in our blog titled ‘Where the Growth Stunting Myth Comes From‘ (credit to Mike Urquhart). When a child who weighs 50 kg jumps and the lands (30 cm) again, some 200kg of force will be absorbed through their body… Transition this to your local park climbing frame, child drops from monkey bars, the force absorbed will be way higher, yet for some reason everyone is ok with that?! Our point is, there should be zero issues around youth training as long as it’s appropriate and coached/instructed to a high standard.
