DEVELOPING ATHLETICISM IS THE C.O.R.E. OF POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
RICK HOWARD, MED, CSCS,*D, USAW
DEVELOPING ATHLETICISM
A
thleticism is much more than being an athlete.
Athleticism refers more to the ability to execute
fundamental movements, in either a specific or
unpredictable movement pattern at optimum speed with
precision, with applicability across sports and physical activities.
To develop athleticism, proper strength and conditioning is
essential. A properly planned and implemented strength and
conditioning program is the core of successful movement,
whether for athletics, recreation, or physical activity.
Each special population has unique program needs. The youth
population is no exception. To develop athleticism for youth we
must understand these C.O.R.E. principles:
• Context in which to apply movement patterns
• Opportunities to develop proper movement
• Recognition of the physical attributes that youth require
• Environments in which youth explore movement
CONTEXT
The context in which youth, especially children, need to apply
movement patterns should be developmentally appropriate.
In proper context, therefore, movement patterns need to be
fundamental in nature as opposed to sport-specific. This means
that emphasis remains on developing and practicing proper
movement patterns that lead to physical literacy. Margaret
Whitehead is credited with creating the concept of physical
literacy and she postulates that without development of the
physical capacities (e.g., balance, coordination, flexibility,
agility, control, precision, strength, power, endurance, and the
ability to move at different speeds and distances) the ability
to interact with the world (i.e., positive youth development)
would be restricted (7). The aforementioned physical capacities
comprise the definition of athleticism for youngsters. As each
child develops their general athleticism within their given level
of endowment, which is nonlinear and develops at different
rates for each child, coaches need to be prepared to engage all
children in developmentally appropriate, individualized strength
and conditioning programs to fully develop athleticism for all
participants. As aspiring athletes reach physical maturity, the
context will change to sport-specific physical attributes in order to
develop long-term athletic development (5).
OPPORTUNITIES
To develop the physical attributes of athleticism fully, all youth
need to be provided multiple opportunities to reach their
potential. For children, this necessitates introducing them to
a variety of movements on a multitude of surfaces in various
settings. These settings should be a healthy mixture of structured
and non-structured movement opportunities. All youth should
be encouraged to reach the recommended daily amount of 60
min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and quite often
sports serve as a vehicle for kids to engage in this physical
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activity (2). Coaches must be aware of this in order to incorporate
appropriate levels of physical conditioning leading to the
recommended amount of physical activity. For those times when
organized sport is the choice, all youth need to be prepared for
participation by developing the physical attributes of athleticism
prior to participation in the organized program (i.e., youth need
to get in shape to play a sport, not play a sport to get in shape).
Participation in a properly designed strength and conditioning
program has been shown to improve performance and reduce the
risk of injury for youth (3).
RECOGNITION
Coaches need to be mindful of the physical attributes as
described by Whitehead and that the trainability of fitness
attributes extends across childhood and adolescence (4). While
it is certainly advantageous to begin developing physical literacy
at an early age, it is important not to give up on a child that has
not yet learned fundamental motor skills, movement patterns,
or physical literacy. Coaches also need to be sure to include all
fitness attributes across childhood and adolescence, specifically
health-fitness (muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility,
cardiorespiratory endurance, and body composition) and skillsfitness (agility, balance, coordination, power, and speed). As
outlined in the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s
(NSCA) Position Statement on Youth Resistance Training, coaches
should incorporate a variety of exercises, a variety of training
modalities, and variety itself (3). Coaches need to understand
how specific training methodologies, such as core training, fit
into the development of fitness attributes and fundamental
motor skills. Core training is one factor in the prescription for
properly developing fitness attributes and needs to be considered
in th