ATHLETEROADMAP.
A parent-friendly guide to what matters most at every stage of youth athletic development. From ages 6 to 19+.
“This roadmap was created to make the process clearer for both athletes and parents. Progress does not come from piling on more work. It comes from understanding what matters most at each stage of development.”
Most athletes are already training hard, often through practices, games, and sport-specific work. What is commonly missing is enough focus on building strength, speed, and overall athletic capacity at the right time.
How to Use This Roadmap
This is not a training plan. It is a decision tool for parents, designed to help you understand whether training is building your athlete up or slowly wearing them down.
- Start with your athlete's age group. Read the section that matches where they are right now. Everything builds from there.
- Use this to judge training quality, not volume. The best program is not the hardest. It is the one that builds skill, strength, and health while maximizing recovery.
- If your athlete is in a growth spurt, read one age group up and one age group down. Growth can temporarily change coordination, soreness, and injury risk.
- Bring this to your evaluation. We can tailor the roadmap to your athlete's sport, season, schedule, and current needs.
Quick Red Flags to Watch For
If you see multiple items below happening at the same time, it usually means total workload is too high.
Chronic soreness that never resolves
This is not normal training fatigue. It is soreness that lingers week after week.
No true rest days
Practice, lifting, and games happening seven days a week.
Year-round single sport with no off-season
The same movement and body stressors repeated year round.
Training that is only conditioning
Always tired, but never getting faster or stronger.
Primary Goal
Help kids learn how to move well, feel confident in their bodies, and develop a lifelong love for movement. At this age, athletic development is not about performance metrics, structured training, or specialization. It is about building the coordination, control, and awareness that everything else depends on later.
What Matters Most at Ages 6-10
Running, jumping, and landing
Learning how to move through space with rhythm, control, and confidence
Body awareness & coordination
Understanding where their body is and how to control it during movement
Balance, single-leg control, and knee stability
Developing the ability to absorb force, stay aligned, and move safely on one leg
Eye-body coordination
Connecting what kids see with how their body reacts
Movement decision-making
Learning to start, stop, react, and adjust movement in real time
Confidence through movement
Feeling capable, curious, and excited to move
How This Is Best Developed
The most effective training at this age looks like play with intention.
Let kids be kids
Free play, games, and exploration build coordination and confidence naturally
Play outside and move often
Running, jumping, throwing, catching, crawling, and rolling through different environments
Train like a monkey
Hanging, swinging, climbing, and supporting bodyweight develops grip strength, shoulder stability, core control, and spatial awareness
Multi-sport exposure
Trying different sports and activities builds adaptable, well-rounded movers
Bodyweight movement and calisthenics
Squats, lunges, crawling, rolling, hanging, supporting bodyweight, and basic gymnastics-style patterns
Single-leg balance and stability work
Hops, stick landings, balance games, and controlled step-downs
Isometrics as an early introduction to strength
Wall sits, split-stance holds, planks, and single-leg balance holds teach joint stability without heavy loading
Reaction- and decision-based movement
Games that require kids to respond to visual cues, change direction, and make quick movement decisions
What to Avoid at This Stage
- XEarly sport specialization
- XStructured or heavy lifting programs
- XChasing fatigue or soreness
- XOver-coaching or excessive correction
- XTreating kids like small adults
Big Takeaway for Parents
At this stage, the goal isn't to push kids harder. It's to help them move better, react smarter, and enjoy being active. When kids build coordination, balance, eye-body connection, and confidence early, they're safer, more adaptable, and far better prepared for structured training later.
Primary Goal
Help athletes move well, understand the basics of training, and stay confident as their bodies change and grow. This stage is about learning how to train properly, not pushing harder, so athletes are set up for long-term progress.
What Changes at Ages 11-13
- Re-learn control as their bodies change
- Build movement skill and awareness
- Develop positive relationships with training
- Stay healthy through growth spurts
- Learn how to have fun while keeping their bodies healthy
What Matters Most at Ages 11-13
Learning Core Movement Patterns
Squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, and bracing/core control. These movements are taught with intention, control, and proper mechanics - not heavy loading.
Single-Leg Strength & Knee Stability
Running, cutting, and jumping all happen one leg at a time. Building alignment and control reduces unnecessary joint stress and helps athletes stay coordinated as they grow.
Tendon Strength Through Isometrics
Holding positions under control builds tendon and connective tissue strength, improves joint stability, and allows strength development without excessive joint stress.
Smart Use of External Load
Current research does not support the idea that strength training stunts growth. That said, prioritize technique over load, limit heavy spinal compression, and avoid heavy barbell lifts like back squats during early development.
Enjoyment & Buy-In Matter
Training should feel challenging but rewarding. Kids should leave sessions feeling confident, not beaten down. Forcing workouts creates resistance, not progress.
The Real Risk: Overuse & Burnout
What causes the most problems during this stage isn't training - it's too much isolated stress from sport alone.
Common issues:
- No true rest days
- Playing the same sport year-round
- Club sports + school sports overlapping
- Little off-season or recovery time
This creates:
- Repetitive stress on the same tissues
- Increased injury risk
- Mental burnout
- Plateaued development
What to Avoid at This Stage
- XHeavy spinal compression lifts
- XChasing fatigue or soreness
- XTraining without rest days
- XYear-round single-sport participation
- XTreating kids like small adults
Big Takeaway for Parents
This stage is about teaching athletes how to train - not how much to train. When kids learn proper movement patterns, build single-leg and tendon strength, enjoy the process, and get adequate recovery, they're far better prepared for higher-level training later - physically and mentally.
Primary Goal
Build strength, coordination, and overall athletic capacity as athletes become more physically mature. This stage introduces progressive loading and higher training demands, while continuing to reinforce good movement quality, balance, and control. The goal is to help athletes tolerate more work, move more efficiently under load, and begin developing the physical tools that support speed, power, and performance - all while protecting recovery and long-term development.
What Changes at Ages 14-16
- More coordinated
- Better able to follow structured training
- Physically capable of handling progressive loading
What Matters Most at Ages 14-16
Loading the Core Movement Patterns
Athletes can begin to progressively load squats, hinges (RDLs, deadlift variations), pushes, pulls, and bracing/trunk control. This builds foundational strength, improves force production, and supports speed and power development.
Expanding Exercise Variety and Accessory Work
Split squats, step-ups, single-leg variations, dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, and cables. Accessory work addresses individual needs, builds balanced strength, and supports joint health.
Plyometrics With Intent
Landing and absorption plyometrics, elastic and reactive plyometrics, horizontal and vertical plyometrics, and single-leg plyometrics. Reps stay low, rest stays high, and intent stays high.
Ballistic Training: Turning Strength Into Power
Medicine ball throws and slams, explosive jump variations, and light-load movements performed with speed. This teaches athletes how to apply strength quickly.
Continued Single-Leg Strength and Joint Integrity
Most athletic actions occur one leg at a time. Proper alignment protects the knees, hips, and ankles and supports cutting, sprinting, and jumping mechanics.
Tendon Strength and Tissue Resilience
Isometrics continue to build tendon strength. Tempo and controlled eccentrics improve durability and support higher sprinting and plyometric volumes.
Managing Total Workload
School practices, club practices, games and tournaments, plus strength, speed, and plyometric work. Training must consider the entire picture, not just what happens in the gym.
What to Avoid at This Stage
- XChasing max lifts for ego or comparison
- XHigh-volume plyometrics year-round
- XBallistic work performed under fatigue
- XNo rest days or planned de-loads
- XIgnoring recovery
Big Takeaway for Parents
This stage is about learning how to build strength and power from the right movements, in the right way, at the right time. When core lifts are loaded appropriately, accessories are used intelligently, and plyometrics and ballistic training are coached with intent, athletes become stronger, faster, and more durable without sacrificing long-term health.
Primary Goal
Build maximal strength, power, and speed while maintaining mobility, flexibility, and durability under the highest training and competition demands. At this stage, athletes are no longer just developing. They are training to perform at a high level.
What Changes at Ages 17-18
- The highest sport volumes of their athletic careers
- Increased intensity and competition frequency
- Greater physical and mental stress
- Real consequences when recovery is missed or ignored
What Matters Most at Ages 17-18
Strength Becomes the Driver
Progressive overload becomes essential. Athletes should be getting as strong as possible in key lifts. Strength directly impacts power and speed potential. Heavy strength training is no longer avoided - it is necessary.
Loading Core Lifts With Intent
Athletes should now be confidently and progressively loading core compound lifts to increase absolute strength, improve force production, and support sprinting, jumping, and change of direction.
Strength, Power, and Speed
Strength raises the ceiling for power. Power improves speed expression. Speed mechanics become more effective as force output increases. Most athletes at this age are still well below their true speed ceiling.
Plyometrics and Ballistics Support Heavy Strength
As strength and loading increase, mobility and flexibility must be maintained. The goal is usable, controlled range of motion in hips, ankles, thoracic spine, and shoulders.
Tissue Health and Recovery Are Non-Negotiable
Isometrics, tempo work, and eccentrics support tendon health. Sleep, nutrition, and stress management matter more than ever. Athletes who recover well perform better and last longer.
Training Around Competition
Intensity and volume are adjusted during the season. Training supports games rather than exhausting athletes. De-loads are planned, not reactive. The goal is consistent performance, not occasional peaks.
What to Avoid at This Stage
- XRandom training with no progression
- XAvoiding load out of fear
- XSacrificing mobility for strength numbers
- XHigh-volume plyometrics during heavy seasons
- XIgnoring recovery signals
Big Takeaway for Parents
This is the stage where strength, power, and speed can be fully developed, but only when mobility, recovery, and workload are managed alongside them. Athletes who train heavy, move well, and recover properly are stronger, faster, and better prepared for college and adult training environments.
Primary Goal
Help athletes transition from structured youth development into long-term, self-directed training. Whether heading to college athletics, recreational sport, or general fitness, the goal is to carry forward everything built in the previous stages and continue progressing independently.
What Matters Most at Ages 19+
Self-Directed Training
Athletes should understand how to structure their own training, manage recovery, and make smart decisions about intensity and volume without constant coaching.
Continued Strength Development
The foundation is built. Now athletes can push toward higher performance ceilings with heavier loads, more advanced programming, and greater training density.
Sport-Specific Transfer
Training becomes more tailored to the demands of their specific sport, position, or fitness goals. General athletic capacity supports specialized performance.
Long-Term Health and Sustainability
The habits built from ages 6-18 should carry forward. Training should enhance life, not break the body down. Mobility, recovery, and smart loading remain priorities.
What to Avoid at This Stage
- XAbandoning structure entirely
- XTraining without purpose or progression
- XIgnoring mobility and recovery
- XOvertraining without adequate rest
Big Takeaway for Parents
The roadmap doesn't end at 18. It sets athletes up to train smarter, stay healthier, and perform better for the rest of their lives. The best athletes aren't just strong - they're durable, adaptable, and self-aware.
READY FOR THE NEXT STEP?
The roadmap shows you what to focus on. A free evaluation shows you exactly where your athlete stands.
Created by Coach Tatum Erickson · NASM-PES · ISSA-CPT · Nutrition Therapy Master (NTM) · FMS L1