FIELD 02 OF 06 / STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
Strength & conditioning
What is this work meant to build?
Understand the purpose of training and how the people supporting an athlete communicate about the whole week.
A MOMENT TO EXPLORE
Your child already has team practice and private coaching. Another session is suggested, and the adults making plans have not seen the same calendar.
Three ways a family might begin. Open one to see what it opens up.
01Ask about the purpose
Ask the qualified coach to explain what this session is intended to build and how progress will be discussed. A visible effort or an impressive college routine does not explain its fit for this child.
02Share the whole calendar
Make school, sport, travel and other commitments visible to the appropriate coach. Use the calendar to improve coordination, not to calculate a safe training dose yourself.
03Hear the athlete's account
Ask what they understand about the work and what feels unclear. Bring those questions back to the coach, including which concerns belong with a qualified health professional.
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT CONVERSATION
Take one home.
- 01
Can the athlete explain the purpose in their own words?
- 02
Do the adults planning the week have the information they need?
- 03
How will we raise a concern or decide it is time to reassess?
Write the training question you want to bring to the coach, without prescribing the answer.
FROM THE ALMANAC / FIELD TWO
Ask what the work is for
- Make the whole week visible
- Notice more than the result
A training session has visible signs of effort. A child may come home tired, pleased, frustrated or eager to show something new. A parent sees part of the experience and naturally tries to interpret it. The interpretation matters: if effort becomes the only measure of value, it can be difficult to ask what the work is intended to build.
Begin with purpose. Ask the coach to explain the goal in language the athlete understands. What are they working toward in this part of the season? How will the coach and athlete recognize progress? What information might lead the plan to change? A family does not need to become a second coaching staff to understand the reason for an activity.
College training can be compelling to watch, but an impressive setting is not a plan for a younger child. The useful translation is a conversation about purpose, coordination and the person's needs. Ask the qualified coach what applies to the athlete in front of them and what does not. Acknowledging a limit can be more helpful than borrowing a routine.
THE ATHLETE FARM PODCAST
What training should build
A conversation for this field is in development. New conversations with the people behind college athletics are coming soon.
Watch the show ↗Original discussion prompts for your own family conversation. They are not personalized advice. Specific concerns belong with a qualified coach, clinician or official source.