Should Youth Athletes Train Differently Than Adults?
- Tanisha ACSM-EP, CSCS
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Youth Training: Long Term Athlete Development
IN THIS ARTICLE
We’ll answer the following questions:
Key physiological and developmental differences
Growth, maturation, and Peak Height Velocity
What plyometric research tells us about youth development
Practical applications for athletes, coaches, and parents
THE QUESTION
Should youth athletes train differently than adults?
THE SHORT ANSWER
Yes-but that does not mean they need completely different exercises.
Children and youth are not miniature adults. Youth athletes can sprint, jump, lift weights, and perform many of the same movements as adults. However, how those activities are introduced and progressed should consider the athlete’s growth, development, training experience, and current abilities.
The question should not simply be, Can this athlete perform this exercise? Instead, ask, Does this athlete have the capacity (the physical ability, skill, and readiness needed to perform the activity safely and effectively) for what I am asking them to do?
WHY THIS MATTERS
Have you ever seen a video on social media showing adult athletes performing a drill or lift and thought, I can do this with my youth athlete?
Maybe-but does your athlete have the foundation needed to perform the task?
Adult athlete training typically centers around optimizing performance. Youth training should improve performance too, but it should also consider the athlete’s ongoing growth and maturation.
Think about how children learn to move:
Crawling → standing while holding onto something → standing independently → walking → running
We would not expect a child to go directly from crawling to running.
Athletic development should follow a similar principle. Before adding speed, resistance, greater jump heights, or more complex movements, develop the foundational skills needed for the next task.
60-Second Takeaway
Youth athletes can sprint, jump, strength train, and perform many of the same exercises as adults.
Youth athletes of the same age may be at very different stages of physical development.
Growth and maturation can influence movement and how athletes respond to training.
Progress training based on the athlete’s development, skill, and readiness-not simply their age.
Build the foundation. Master the skill. Then progress.
WHAT DOES THE SCIENCE SAY?
Growth and Development Matter
Youth experience rapid biological growth and development. One important period is Peak Height Velocity (PHV).
Peak Height Velocity “refers to the maximum velocity of growth in stature and has been used to characterize developments in performance relative to a child’s growth spurt” (National Strength and Conditioning Association [NSCA], 2019, pp. 67–68).
Simply put, PHV is the period when an athlete is growing in height at their fastest rate.
The timing of PHV varies between athletes. Girls typically reach PHV earlier than boys, but even two athletes who are the same chronological age (age based on their birthday) may be at different stages of biological maturation (their progress toward physical adulthood).
Why does this matter?
As athletes grow, changes are occurring in muscle, bone, limb length, coordination, and neuromuscular response (how the brain, nerves, and muscles work together to produce and control movement). An athlete who performed a movement well several months earlier may even look different performing that same movement as their body changes.
Age alone does not tell us if an athlete is ready for the next progression.
What Plyometric Research Shows Us
Plyometric training (jumping, hopping, bounding, and other explosive movements) provides a good example.
Cadens et al. (2023) found that younger U12 female athletes demonstrated more jumping and landing deficits than older U14 and U16 athletes, including inward knee movement, differences in when the feet contacted the ground, and louder landings.
That does not mean younger athletes should avoid jumping.
It means foundational jumping and landing skills should be developed before progressing to more complex or demanding exercises.
More recent research supports this approach. Plyometric training can improve jumping, sprinting, and change-of-direction performance in youth athletes, but training responses can differ based on factors such as age, training variables, and maturation (Chen et al., 2024; Luo et al., 2025; Yuan et al., 2026).
This is important because even within the broad category of “youth athlete,” development is not the same for everyone.
The takeaway from the research is:
Challenge youth athletes-but challenge them appropriately.
What You Can Use Now
John Chisholm, MSc, ASCC, CSCS shared an informational graphic on LinkedIn called “Bio-Banding for Strength Training.” The graphic provides a practical way to think about training based on an athlete’s biological development instead of simply their birthday.
For example:
Foundation Stage: Pre-PHV
Performance Stage: Post-PHV
The graphic is a practical resource rather than peer-reviewed research, but the concept is useful.
Instead of assuming every 12-, 14-, or 16-year-old should train the same way, consider biological readiness, movement competency (how well the athlete can perform and control a movement), training experience, and current skill level.
Assess where the athlete is now and progress from that starting point.
CMJ Performance Tip 💡
Every athlete falls somewhere on the long-term athlete development continuum.
Understanding that youth are not miniature adults does not mean avoiding strength, speed, jumping, or performance training. It means developing those qualities at appropriate times and progressing athletes after they have developed the foundational skills needed for the next task.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
For Parents
Avoid comparing your athlete’s training to another athlete simply because they are the same age. Two 13-year-olds can have very different training histories, movement skills, and stages of physical development.
For Coaches
Before progressing an exercise, ask: Has this athlete demonstrated the foundational skill required for the next progression?
For Athletes
Master how you jump, land, sprint, stop, and produce force. Basic does not mean easy. Basic means foundational.
References
Cadens, M., Planas-Anzano, A., Peirau-Terés, X., Benet-Vigo, A., & Fort-Vanmeerhaeghe, A. (2023). Neuromuscular and biomechanical jumping and landing deficits in young female handball players. Biology, 12(1), 134. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12010134
Chen, L., Yan, R., Xie, L., Zhang, Z., Zhang, W., & Wang, H. (2024). Maturation-specific enhancements in lower extremity explosive strength following plyometric training in adolescent soccer players: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Heliyon, 10(12), e33063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33063
Luo, H., Zhu, X., Nasharuddin, N. A., Kamalden, T. F. T., & Xiang, C. (2025). Effects of strength and plyometric training on vertical jump, linear sprint, and change-of-direction speed in female adolescent team sport athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 24(2), 406-452. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12131141/ | https://doi.org/10.52082/jssm.2025.406
National Strength and Conditioning Association. (2019). Developing agility and quickness (J. Dawes, Ed.; 2nd ed.). Human Kinetics.
Yuan, S., Chai, Y., Tan, Z., Cui, Z., Lu, Q., & Wang, J. (2026). The effects of plyometric training on adolescent sports performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PeerJ, 14, e21585. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21585 | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13401847/
The ideas and writing of the author was enhanced using AI.
