Athlete Development

Athlete Development

Deliberate practise: vital to your success as an athlete

Even now I remember the intense pain that shot through my left foot as I whacked my toe hard into the top of the...

7 ways to improve your coaching

I believe that coaching youth athletes is one of the highest impact and most rewarding things you can do. It’s your chance to make...

Is science making us stupid?

For 2 million years homo-sapiens roamed the earth as an insignificant animal, fighting for their survival. They were learners, yes, but they learned through...

Ep 2 – Mike Stanley: Identifying Talent, School Academies, and the...

Today’s guest, Mike Stanley, has enjoyed a wide ranging career in sports, as an athlete, a coach, and an administrator. Mike was a member of...

Why training the ‘beach muscles’ matters.

If you've ever set foot in a gym and thrown a bit of 'tin' around, you’ll know what I’m talking about here. Training ‘chest...

5 reasons why a notebook is a young athlete’s best friend

Note-taking is an excellent skill to master and allows you to monitor your performance and improve faster in your sport. However, visit any youth sport...

What is success? Really.

Self-doubt is debilitating. Every young athlete experiences it, some much more than others. Unfortunately, by way of environmental design, we (i.e., the adults involved) encourage...

Surviving the Gap: Navigating Puberty in Sport

Beware of the gap. It’s a challenging time for you - physically and psychologically. Some of your friends will be experiencing it already, some not...

5 Reasons Why Competition is Good (and bad) for your Child

What does the word ‘competition’ bring to mind? Is all competition a good thing? How do you distinguish between helpful competition and that which...

7 Things Great Youth Coaches Get Right

Remember the backyard shooting games you played as a kid? ‘Around the World’, free throw shootouts, and one-on-one battles. When the ball was bouncing, it...

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Debunking a common myth: Youth weight training

There are these common generational myths that have been passed down to us and it would be fair to say that we really don’t...

AD Alumni: Anna Steven

We're shining the spotlight on some of Athlete Development's alumni who are doing great things in their chosen sport. Meet sprinter Anna Steven, who...

Preparing for school and club sport

Now that school and club sports teams trainings and games are gearing up again, what can your young athletes do to better prepare for...

Pat Chat: Sleep enhancement for youth athletes

In the second of our three-part series,  AD Academy Programme Manager and Lead Coach Patrick Davenport focuses on the importance of sleep for the...

How can you build psychological safety?

When it comes to pursuing excellence, moving from where we are now to a place that is more effective, how we behave is what...