8 weeks · 2x / week · Youth
Youth Athletic Foundation
Eight weeks of skipping, landing, sprinting and bodyweight strength for 11-14 year olds — the movement base every sport later sits on.
How to run it
- No barbells and no maximal lifting. At this age the goal is coordination and confident landings.
- Two sessions a week, 30-40 minutes each, alongside whatever sport they already play.
- Make part of every session a game. Skills learned while competing tend to stick.
Springbak® note
Young athletes feel every hard surface. Install Springsoles under their existing insoles so the same shoes work across sports through the block.
Shop SpringsolesThe goal
Build clean landing mechanics and sprint posture, measured by a landing checklist and a 20-yard sprint.
How it progresses
Phase 1 · Weeks 1-3
Skipping, hopping, landing shapes and bodyweight strength.
Phase 2 · Weeks 4-6
Sprint posture, direction changes, light medicine ball throws.
Phase 3 · Weeks 7-8
Games and testing — put the skills under a little pressure.
What you test
- 20-yard sprint
- Two attempts, standing start, same shoes and surface.
- Landing checklist
- Drop from a low step: knees tracking, quiet landing, held three seconds. Pass or fail.
- Standing broad jump
- Best of three.
What you need
- Open 30 yards
- Cones
- A low step
- Nothing heavier than a medicine ball
The week
Day 1
Move and land
Skip series
3 x 20 yd each variation
Drop to stick from a low step
Quiet, held three seconds
4 x 5
Bodyweight squat
3 x 10
Bear crawl
3 x 15 yd
Day 2
Run and change direction
20-yard sprints
6 reps, full recovery
Cone weave
6 reps
Med-ball chest pass
3 x 6 light
Tag game
3 rounds x 2 min
Questions about this block
Is strength training safe at this age?
Bodyweight and light medicine ball work supervised by an adult is well supported. This block deliberately avoids maximal loading.
What if they play a sport in season?
Run one session a week instead of two and keep it on a non-game day.
Run this next
Build your next block
Tell us your sport, the number you want to move next, and the date of your first competition. We re-rank the program library against those answers and show you why each block placed where it did.
Off-season · Nothing to protect on the weekend, so this is where the heavy, high-volume blocks belong.
Best match · 12 weeks · 2x / week
In-Season Maintenance (Two Days)
Finish the season within 5 percent of your preseason vertical jump and broad jump.
Why this fits · We ranked this here because it shares a sport with Youth Athletic Foundation and off-season work is exactly what belongs in off-season.
- Shares your sport
- Fits off-season
Option 2 · 12 weeks · 4x / week
Off-Season Total Athlete
Come back to preseason stronger, faster and better conditioned than you left, with numbers to prove it.
Why this fits · We ranked this here because it shares a sport with Youth Athletic Foundation and off-season work is exactly what belongs in off-season.
- Shares your sport
- Fits off-season
Option 3 · 5 weeks · 3x / week
Pickleball Split-Step Power
Cut reaction-to-first-contact time by one full step on a partner-fed dink exchange.
Why this fits · We ranked this here because it shares a sport with Youth Athletic Foundation and power work is exactly what belongs in off-season.
- Shares your sport
- Fits off-season