The Summer Season

I remember when I was high school athlete just over a decade ago that summer training groups and competition shifted often from year to year.  Depending on who the cross country cross coach was for my team in the fall was the determinate of if I would train with the team or would have to seek out a training group of local adults.  Getting quality training, and also quality training that actually made sense from a scientific standpoint was a tough task.  One reason I decided to start coaching was to offer young athletes the opportunity to work with a coach year round who could put together smart and systematic training.

As I have mentioned in my first post about Southern Athletics that in the summer months, the kids I work with are training and competing in AAU summer track.  I've been coaching AAU for a few years now and it is a very fun and worthwhile experience for the youth athlete.  What I've found is that instead of simply putting in boring distance runs all summer long for distance runners or sitting at home for the sprinters and throwers, having an opportunity to compete keeps the athletes interested in the sport and gives a reason to work hard throughout the part of the year with no scholastic competition.

While it may not be as important for a high school athlete who may be interested in taking a break from competition for a while, running AAU is crucial for the middle school athlete.  Usually these athletes do not have many opportunities to compete during the school year since middle school meets are not plentiful.  AAU offers age group competition that gives the kids a chance to excel amongst their peers.  It a chance to learn about the sport, continue to get into greater fitness, and can be fun for the athlete if the coach allows the child to learn and grow at their own pace without forcing him or her to put in more than they are willing.

I am a big proponent of long term athletic development and I have mentioned some training protocols for developing the youth athlete, and I feel that an AAU summer track program can fit perfectly into that long term development mold.  As coaches, we must plan the summer into our year round training and if done properly, it will help propel your team forward better than almost anything else you can add to your training.