EBM’s Athletic Training Program
Showcase an athlete’s ability not the injuries they are playing through.
In the U.S., about 30 million children and teens participate in some form of organized sports, and more than 3.5 million children under age 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year [1], which causes some loss of time of participation. Almost one-third of all injuries incurred in childhood are sports-related injuries. [2]
High school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits, and 30,000 hospitalizations a year. [1]
Since 2000, there has been a fivefold increase in the number of serious shoulder and elbow injuries among youth baseball and softball players. [3]
The risk of sports injuries for a student-athlete is something that cannot be denied. Statistics reveal that 90% of student-athletes report some sort of sports-related injury. 54% of student-athletes report they have played while injured. [4]
While these injury numbers are high, these are only the reported injuries. Many athletes “play through the pain” and these types of injuries, although not less serious, are not reported.
These athletes continue to play and their pain continues to progress. Eventually, the pain becomes limiting enough that their performance is significantly impacted and the chance of injury to another part of their body (as they compensate) increases drastically.
Sports have an inherent injury risk. No amount of proper training can reduce this risk to zero. But, proper training should significantly reduce non-contact injuries and overuse injuries.
But, if athletes have access to year-round training, why are so many kids getting injured?
It’s not necessarily WHAT they are doing but HOW they are doing it.
There are very few bad exercises but there are plenty of good exercises that are performed poorly by a lot of individuals. This renders the exercise less effective and increases the likelihood that the exercises can hurt the athlete.
EBM’s Athletic Training Program is designed to help athletes train smarter and harder.
Athletes will be properly assessed to know exactly where they should start their training program, regardless of their athletic prowess.
Many young athletes are good at sports in spite of themselves. They are good at their sport(s) but don’t necessarily move well or understand how to move well. This will often render their training programs less effective.
Their athleticism works when they are young but often comes with some movement impairments. If those impairments are not improved upon or corrected, injuries mount and it becomes difficult to excel if they continue playing sports.
Most coaches are not qualified to supervise training programs!
I have not only worked with young athletes but I also coach my kid’s sports teams. Coaching is tough.
One observation I have made is that most coaches have no idea how to coach/administer/supervise/design training or any conditioning programs for their athletes.
It looks like random drills/exercises done after a brief Google search.
Most coaches/trainers do not assess their athletes and go with the one-size-fits-all approach.
This rarely works. And if it does work, the benefits are only temporary.
A lot of coaches and trainers that train/coach young athletes have no background in fitness, rehab or nutrition yet they attempt to help guide these young athletes in some or all of these areas.
Just because the trainer or coach played the sport and used to be an athlete does not constitute the required knowledge to effectively and safely train young athletes. Even if they were a really good athlete back when they played.
I have worked with a lot of athletes who came to me in pain due to poor training and guidance by other coaches and trainers.
The sad part is that the issues that were missed were basic. The athlete often demonstrates poor mechanics when doing bodyweight exercises yet they are doing loaded versions of movements that are not appropriate.
Take squats or lunges, for example. If the athlete cannot do these movements properly without weight (and most cannot), loading the exercises makes no sense.
Not only can it hurt the athlete but it can also lead to the development of poor mechanics that will be a problem long after they stop doing those exercises.
Why does this happen?
Quite simply, basic isn’t sexy, and too many trainers and coaches are quick to do what looks cool, not necessarily what works.
Most training nowadays is about doing flashy, “cool” stuff that you can post to social media. Sadly, not only do the kids use this as a means of training but many coaches use the drills in an attempt to make their product appear relevant.
Without a strong foundation, everything else will crumble.
Everything young athletes want to improve, speed, power, explosiveness, and performance, are all built on a foundation of strength.
But, strength with faulty mechanics and poor training methodology will fastrack the athlete to an injury. Most of their time spend on training becomes more focused on rehabbing injuries and trying to get out of pain.
The good news is that this is completely avoidable. Proper training should not only improve performance but should also be preventative in nature.
Training isn’t just about improving performance but also teaching the athlete how to take care of their body. This proactive approach allows the athlete to learn when to push and when to pull back.
EBM’s approach will help the athlete move better, perform better, get stronger while extolling the virtues of proper recovery which allows the athlete to maintain their level of performance.
Large group training is avoided. This allows too many athletes to slip through the cracks and not get the proper coaching/training they need.
EBM’s Athletic Training Program will 1:1 or up to 3 athletes in a small group together. This will allow each athlete to get the customized experience they need to thrive.
Schedule
An athlete’s schedule is going to be crazy with games/meets/events plus their practice schedule. Most athletes play/practice too much and are probably on too many teams at once.
This complicates training as it conflicts with the need for adequate recovery to excel.
Their training needs to fit in with all of that. An athlete’s training program is not separate from practice and games. It must be balanced along with those things as well.
To maximize training, you must assess to know what needs to be addressed first. Young athletes don’t need a bunch of junk volume. This is where the athlete does a bunch of stuff. It is kind of random and not necessarily what the athlete needs.
The goal should be to focus on the movements that are needed the most and those that get you the most done in the least amount of time.
Due to the craziness of the athlete’s schedule, EBM offers a variety of ways to work with your athlete.
EBM offers in-person only, hybrid (some in-person meetings and some online), or completely online training.
The online training and the online portion of the hybrid training are customized programs that are delivered via EBM’s Online Training app.
The athlete will have their program, access to me for support and accountability, and video tutorials for all exercises in their program.
The start of the program involves a lot of teaching and technique correction so it is best started when the athlete is not in the bulk or peak of their season. Starting during their offseason or in-between seasons is best.
That being said, getting them started sooner rather than later is only going to help. We will figure the schedule part out as we move forward.
Do you have any questions or would you like to discuss training with Dr. Tom at EBM? Click the button below or you can send an email via the CONTACT page.