Programs
When starting a program with Vector Athletics, you will go through an evaluation process that will determine what your current motor development status is. From there we will place you in the appropriate program. The programs described below are "age-related" but not "age determined", the ages listed are a general guideline, but the evaluation will determine what program you start with. Using the evaluation process the athlete will always be started where they need to be and will never be progressed quickly in an attempt to "catch up" to more adequately prepared athletes. Youth physical development takes years to promote and training progression levels cannot be "skipped" in order to promote success in the short-term.
Baseball and Softball Training
The goal of this program is to improve the athleticism of each athlete by working on strength, speed, agility, mobility and conditioning. We will use standardized testing to ensure that the program is working for everyone. Each athlete will receive individual testing results to ensure that they are progressing as expected.
Mobility:
Mobility is at the forefront of any training program. Increasing mobility helps the athlete move easier, faster, reduce tissue injuries and shorten recovery time. Each athlete will receive a foam roller and will be taught how to use it effectively. They will also be taught how to stretch each muscle group using static, dynamic and 3D stretches to work all planes of each muscle group.
Strength:
Strength training will be done using mostly isometric resistance such as pushups, squats, lunges, mountain climbers, etc… these strength exercises not only increase strength but will also help with coordination and balance.
Speed:
We will work on proper running mechanics focusing on acceleration and deceleration. Most tissue injuries happen during acceleration and deceleration. Proper acceleration is extremely important in softball, the faster they can get to top speed the better they will be. For increased speed we will work on arm swings, posture, knee punch, foot strike, quickness and power.
Agility:
There are several different things we will focus on for agility training; quickness, acceleration, deceleration, change of direction and core strength. All of these are essential for an athlete to be quick and agile. A great deal of emphasis will be placed on deceleration, most non-contact knee injuries are due to a lack of proper deceleration mechanics.
Conditioning:
We will do conditioning to increase each athlete's cardiovascular endurance. Some of the conditioning will be done while teaching other areas of the training program when possible.
At Vector Athletics, we believe that starting an athlete early, teaching good mechanics as well as strengthening and stabilizing the correct areas will do wonders not only for multi-directional speed but for confidence as well. This training program will help every participant become a better athlete and they will also be less likely to suffer a non-contact injury.
Full Training Age 14+
As children enter elementary school, increased opportunities are available for youth physical development in the form of physical education, youth sports and after-school programs. Taking advantage of these options to further promote fundamental movement patterns is critical as the developmental status of children is highly variable.
Many 4-7 year old children cannot complete one push-up, pull-up, or even a sit-up if they have not had experiences with these types of activities. Initially performing these types of skills also demands a certain amount of coordination to control multiple joints and complex muscle firing patterns to complete these tasks.
In general, youth sports focuses on specific skill practice (i.e., dribbling, passing and shooting in basketball), basic rules and strategy. While these aspects are very important, overall youth physical development is many times forgotten or is not addressed at all.
At Vector Athletics, we use this stage as an opportunity to promote multiple aspects of youth physical development. For example, games including "hopping like a frog", "crawling like a bear" are activities that promote both locomotor and object control skills, as well as upper and lower body muscular strength/endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance.
Promoting these types of activities in a fun and engaging manner is critical so that young children do not view these activities as "work" or "punishment". Promoting motivation through individual improvement and goal setting will promote improvement in all aspects of physical development. With this all children can be successful and progress not only in youth sport, but also with optimal physical and psychological health.
Guided Discovery (6 - 9)
Speed and agility are critical factors to success in sports and athletic participation. This program will work on increasing the athletes speed including linear, lateral and multi-directionsl sub-skills.
Speed:
We will work on proper running mechanics focusing on acceleration and deceleration. Most tissue injuries happen during acceleration and deceleration. Proper acceleration is extremely important in any sport, the faster you can get to top speed the better you will be. For increased speed we will work on arm swings, posture, knee punch, foot strike, quickness and power.
Agility:
There are several different things we will focus on for agility training; quickness, acceleration, deceleration, change of direction and core strength. All of these are essential for an athlete to be quick and agile. A great deal of emphasis will be placed on deceleration, most non-contact knee injuries are due to a lack of proper deceleration mechanics.
Speed and agility in the young athlete are critical skills that are dependent on many factors. Many of these factors are trainable skills that may be improved through appropriate training.
Speed and Agility
As children transition into adolescence, their developmental status becomes increasingly important in their athletic potential. Specifically a lack of coordination and control displayed in fundamental movement skills and foundational strength necessitates a continued focus on foundational concepts rather than attempting to push underdeveloped youth towards more complex training.
An emphasis on motor skill development in this stage is paramount to adequately preparing the young athlete physically and mentally for more complex, high level progressions of athletic development.
Athletes in this stage will progress through a series of fundamental loco motor skills that will further develop strength, power, agility and movement skill. These types of activities promote the development of dynamic joint stability, dynamic balance, core stabilization and overall athletic potential. Of greater importance, these types of activities prepare the young athlete for more intense sport participation and reduce the potential for sport-related injuries (e.g., ACL injury).
Demonstrating the capability to effectively manipulate one's bodyweight using foundational resistance exercises for strength, endurance and power will be a first priority. Then the athlete will progress to more complex training methods increasing resistance via resistance bands, weighted vests or simply adding additional sets and repetitions, with progression being appropriately administered and monitored.