About this course: Seventy percent of kids drop out of sports before their high school graduation. Only 15% leave because they feel they are not good enough. Almost 70% leave because they were not having fun, or due to problems with the coach. Injuries cause 30% to give up sports. This course is packed full of practical sports science information that provide youth coaches and parents with the practical pediatric sports science insights to successfully retain young athletes and develop their sport potential while avoiding injury and overtraining. We begin by examining the multidimensional nature of coaching, the relevant sport motor performance abilities, the impact of growth and development on motor skills, the gene versus practice controversy, and briefly overview the body structures strengthened through training. Then we explore the athlete's energy supply, where this energy comes from, and how it matures along with the athlete. Finally, we examine the development of strength, power, anaerobic capacity, coordination and flexibility through the life span. The optional text manual for this course is available at: http://www.learnitez.com/HighPerformanceScience/manuals/
Created by: University of Florida
Taught by: Dr. Chris Brooks, Instructor
Coaching Science Coordinator for USA Track and Field
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 5 weeks of study, 2-3 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Week 1: Introduction to the young athlete
Youth coaches who have a sound understanding of pediatric sports science are essential to the successful development of a young athlete’s sport potential. In this section you are introduced to the multidimensional nature of coaching, and how an athlete’s motor abilities of endurance, strength, speed, coordination and flexibility are affected by growth and maturation.The optional text manual for this course is available at: http://www.learnitez.com/HighPerformanceScience/manuals/
23 videos
- Video: Course Introduction
- Discussion Prompt: Introduce Yourself
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to high performance coaching
- Video: Part 2 - How many kids play sports?
- Video: Part 3 - Why do kids play sports?
- Video: Part 4 - How we gain knowledge
- Video: Part 5 - The performance components
- Video: Part 6 - The competitive performance
- Video: Part 7- Key points of high performance coaching
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to motor performance abilities
- Video: Part 2 - Designing physical work capacity
- Video: Part 3 - Five components of motor performance
- Video: Part 4a - Sport-specific motor abilities
- Video: Part 4b - Sport-specific motor abilities
- Video: Part 4c - Sport-specific motor abilities
- Video: Part 5 - Key points of motor performance abilities
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to growth and maturation
- Video: Part 2 - Growth vs. maturation
- Video: Part 3 - Gender and puberty
- Video: Neurological Development
- Video: Thermoregulation and Cardiovascular
- Video: Ventilation
- Video: Part 5- Key points of growth and maturation
- Video: Additional Insights: Educational Opportunities of Sport Organizations (Terry Crawford)
- Discussion Prompt: Week 1 Discussion
Graded: Quiz 1
Graded: Quiz 2
Graded: Quiz 3
WEEK 2
Week 2: Strategies for maximizing the athlete’s potential
Many factors can positively and negatively impact the young athlete’s ability to optimize their sports potential. In this section we examine strategies for ensuring the athlete’s systematic long-term sports development and how to mold the correct sport-specific phenotype.
20 videos
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to critical training periods
- Video: Part 2 - Ontogeny
- Video: Part 3 - Development and environment
- Video: Part 4 - Motor circuitry development
- Video: Part 5 - Periods of accelerated growth
- Video: Part 6 - Key points of critical training periods
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to long term athlete development
- Video: Part 2 - Four implicit principles
- Video: Part 3 - Physical literacy
- Video: Part 4 - Training approaches
- Video: Part 5 - Key points of long term athlete development
- Video: Dr. Mike Sagas Introduction
- Video: Sampling
- Video: Benefits of early sampling
- Video: What is deliberate play?
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to factors affecting potential
- Video: Part 2 - Genotype vs. phenotype
- Video: Part 3 - Genetic ceiling effect
- Video: Part 4 - Why the body's systems adapt
- Video: Part 5 - Key points of factors affecting potential
- Discussion Prompt: Week 2 Discussion
Graded: Quiz 4
Graded: Quiz 5
Graded: Quiz 6
WEEK 3
Week 3: How the body works
The coach is a microbiologist who designs training so it stimulates the body’s cells and structures to become stronger and more efficient. In this section you are introduced to key organ systems, and the energy these organ systems use to run the chemical reactions needed for a sports performance. You will also learn how diet can positively enhance an athlete’s ability to train and compete.
18 videos
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to important body structures
- Video: Part 2 - Skeletal and muscular system
- Video: Part 3 - Nervous system
- Video: Part 4 - Respiratory system
- Video: Part 5 - Cardiovascular system
- Video: Part 6 - Key points of important body structures
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to energy supply
- Video: Part 2 - ATP structure and recharging
- Video: Part 3 - Creatine phosphate (CP) mechanism
- Video: Part 4 - Fast glycolysis
- Video: Part 5 - Aerobic energy system
- Video: Part 6 - How mitochondria work
- Video: Part 7 - Key points of energy supply
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to energy system fuels and diet
- Video: Part 2 - Nutrient processing
- Video: Part 3 - Role of vitamins and minerals
- Video: Part 4 - Nutritional concerns
- Video: Part 5 - Key points of energy system fuels and diet
- Discussion Prompt: Week 3 Discussion
Graded: Quiz 7
Graded: Quiz 8
Graded: Quiz 9
WEEK 4
Week 4: Enhancing the athlete’s physical work capacity
The level of expertise with which an athlete is able to perform sports skill depends on how well the coach molds the correct ratio of endurance, strength, power and speed to meet the demands of the sport. In this section you will learn the science behind developing these important motor performance abilities as the young athlete moves through puberty.
23 videos
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to aerobic capacity
- Video: Part 2 - The VO2max test
- Video: Part 3 - Comparing the VO2max of athletes
- Video: Part 4 - Aerobic capacity of young athletes
- Video: Part 5 - Relative VO2max of trained vs untrained children
- Video: Part 6 - The child's economy
- Video: Part 7 - Key points of aerobic capacity
- Video: Part 1- Introduction to strength
- Video: Part 2 - Gender strength differences
- Video: Part 3 - Trainability of strength
- Video: Part 4 - Strength adaptation and training safety
- Video: Part 5 - Key points of strength
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to the physiology of strength and power
- Video: Part 2 - Muscle components affecting strength and power
- Video: Part 3 - Intrinsic sensors
- Video: Part 4 - Stretch-shortening cycle
- Video: Part 5 - Strength and muscle fiber type
- Video: Part 6 - Key points of the physiology of strength
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to anaerobic capacity
- Video: Part 2 - Effect of gender and age
- Video: Part 3 - Explaining development of anaerobic performance
- Video: Part 4 - Sport performance insights
- Video: Part 5 - Key points of anaerobic capacity
- Discussion Prompt: Week 4 Discussion
Graded: Quiz 10
Graded: Quiz 11
Graded: Quiz 12
Graded: Quiz 13
Graded: Coaching Issues
WEEK 5
Week 5: Enhancing the fluidity of movement
Coordination and flexibility permit movements that are precise, fluid and spatially controlled. In this section we examine current knowledge about coordination and flexibility as the young child moves through early childhood and into adolescence.
21 videos
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to coordination
- Video: Part 2 - Brain motor control areas
- Video: Part 3 - Coordinating variables
- Video: Part 4 - Optimal sequential timing
- Video: Part 5 - Soccer example of coordination & control
- Video: Part 6 - Learning control
- Video: Part 7 - Key points of coordination
- Video: Part 1 - Introduction to flexibility
- Video: Part 2 - Range of motion strategies
- Video: Part 3 - Children and flexibility
- Video: Part 4 - Varieties of stretching
- Video: Part 5 - Effect of stretching on a muscle
- Video: Part 6 - Position statement
- Video: Part 7 - Key points of flexibility
- Discussion Prompt: Week 5 Discussion
- Video: Psychology 1 - Acquiring expertise (Dr. Mark Williams)
- Video: Psychology 2 - Talent identification and development (Dr. Mark Williams)
- Video: Psychology 3 - Perceptual and Cognitive Expertise (Dr. Mark Williams)
- Video: Dean Reid Introduction
- Video: Dr. Mike Sagas: Sports Management Overview
- Video: Sports Management Faculty Introductions
- Video: Dr. Tom Livengood
Graded: Quiz 14
Graded: Quiz 15
FAQs
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Ratings and Reviews
The course is very informative - what I wanted was to gain a basic understanding of coaching/training so as to better understand the details of exercising. Instead of looking on various sources on internet with questionable reliability I chose to complete this course. I have also completed Part 2 which I highly recommend.
An excellent course to get an insight into scientific training of young athletes.
Learned a lot and Iʻve been coaching and teaching for 10 years.
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MT
Very good course covering everything about the basics of training young athletes. The course is a must for young or starting coaches. It is also an excellent tool for parents who wish to better understand their children practicing sports. While focusing on the young athlete, the knowledge from this course is set in the context of the different phases of growth and maturation and there is much to it that can be applied to mature athletes as well.
As a suggestion: perhaps it would be interesting for future iterations of the course to touch the topic of young athletes affected by diabetes and other chronicle disease and how should coaches, athletes and parents cope with that. Same goes for a more in-depth look into the psychology of athletes in general and young athletes in particular.