Fool’s Gold and Diamonds in the Rough: The Adolescent Growth Spurt in Boys

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An athlete’s potential is typically predicted from a young age, many times based on their size. In tryouts, coaches tend to home in on the big kids first, and forget the smaller boys. Coaches note how hard the big kid throws and hits the ball — irrespective of his technique or coachability. On the other hand, the smaller, weaker boy — who possesses a good understanding of the game and great footwork and hands in the infield (yet struggles to throw it hard) — gets discarded because “well, he’s too small.” Has this coach selected the Fool’s Gold at the top of the pile? And didn’t dig deep enough for the Diamond in the Rough?

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See Jack Zig and Zag: Teaching Fundamental Movement Skills

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An athlete’s success on the field or court can be defined by their speed and ability to change directions. But too often, fundamental movement skills like running, backpedaling, shuffling, decelerating, and changing directions are not taught and coached in young athletes. In Part 4 of his series on Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD), Joe Eisenmann, PhD, shares how to teach athletes how to efficiently move their body from point A to point B—and why it’s so important.

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4 Dimensions of Athlete Development, Part 1: Mental/Cultural

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4 Dimensions of Athlete Development, Part 1: Mental/Cultural

“By putting the student-athletes in positions to lead and receive constructive feedback, we saw immediate results.” Clemson strength coach Kaitlyn Cunningham knows that well-rounded athlete development starts with the mental and cultural component. In this first article in a 4-part series, Coach Cunningham shares some DI wisdom on how to cultivate accountability, foster responsibility, and empower her athletes to depend on one another.

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See Jane Jump: Teaching Fundamental Movement Skills

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See Jane Jump: Teaching Fundamental Movement Skills

Watch any sport and you’ll see a variety of non-sport-specific movement skills at play: running, jumping, skipping, shuffling, decelerating, cutting, and more. And like technique-based sport-specific skills—swinging a bat, shooting a free-throw, and so on—these fundamental movements should be taught, coached, and trained. In Part 3 of his series of long-term athlete development (LTAD), Volt’s Head of Sport Science, Joe Eisenmann, PhD, provides practical coaching cues and sequences to help coaches teach athletes how to excel at these fundamental movements: athletic stance, bodyweight squat, hip hinge, jumping, and landing.

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Saving Our National Pastime

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Saving Our National Pastime

Somewhere across America, an early-maturing 12U All-Star is pitching in his third game in two days for his second team. Elsewhere, in an operating room, an orthopedic surgeon performs Tommy John surgery on a 16-year-old. Our national pastime is facing some challenges — but luckily, USA Baseball is implementing a Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) plan to combat them. Volt’s Head of Sport Science, Joe Eisenmann, PhD, takes us through USA Baseball’s model for developing athletes and discusses potential solutions to the challenges facing America’s game.

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