About this Course

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Seventy percent of kids drop out of sports before their high school graduation. Only 15% leave because they feel they are not good enough. Almost 70% leave because they were not having fun, or due to problems with the coach. Injuries cause 30% to give up sports. This course is packed full of practical sports science information that provide youth coaches and parents with the practical pediatric sports science insights to successfully retain young athletes and develop their sport potential while avoiding injury and overtraining. We begin by examining the multidimensional nature of coaching, the relevant sport motor performance abilities, the impact of growth and development on motor skills, the gene versus practice controversy, and briefly overview the body structures strengthened through training. Then we explore the athlete's energy supply, where this energy comes from, and how it matures along with the athlete. Finally, we examine the development of strength, power, anaerobic capacity, coordination and flexibility through the life span.
The optional text manual for this course is available at: http://www.learnitez.com/HighPerformanceScience/manuals/

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 19 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Training
Coaching
Planning
Training Programs

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 19 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.82/5 (235 Ratings)

Dr. Chris Brooks

Instructor

Coaching Science Coordinator for USA Track and Field

30,540 Learners

2 Courses

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(4,927 ratings)

Week

1

Week 1

4 hours to complete

Week 1: Introduction to the young athlete

Youth coaches who have a sound understanding of pediatric sports science are essential to the successful development of a young athlete’s sport potential. In this section you are introduced to the multidimensional nature of coaching, and how an athlete’s motor abilities of endurance, strength, speed, coordination and flexibility are affected by growth and maturation. The manual is available in the Resource Section.

4 hours to complete

23 videos (Total 105 min)

23 videos

Course Introduction3m

Part 1 - Introduction to high performance coaching3m

Part 2 - How many kids play sports?6m

Part 3 - Why do kids play sports?4m

Part 4 - How we gain knowledge3m

Part 5 - The performance components5m

Part 6 - The competitive performance4m

Part 7- Key points of high performance coaching2m

Part 1 - Introduction to motor performance abilities5m

Part 2 - Designing physical work capacity5m

Part 3 - Five components of motor performance5m

Part 4a - Sport-specific motor abilities2m

Part 4b - Sport-specific motor abilities2m

Part 4c - Sport-specific motor abilities4m

Part 5 - Key points of motor performance abilities3m

Part 1 - Introduction to growth and maturation5m

Part 2 - Growth vs. maturation6m

Part 3 - Gender and puberty4m

Neurological Development5m

Thermoregulation and Cardiovascular4m

Ventilation2m

Part 5- Key points of growth and maturation2m

Additional Insights: Educational Opportunities of Sport Organizations (Terry Crawford)9m

3 practice exercises

Quiz 130m

Quiz 230m

Quiz 330m

Week

2

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Week 2: Strategies for maximizing the athlete’s potential

4 hours to complete

20 videos (Total 113 min)

20 videos

Part 1 - Introduction to critical training periods1m

Part 2 - Ontogeny7m

Part 3 - Development and environment6m

Part 4 - Motor circuitry development5m

Part 5 - Periods of accelerated growth6m

Part 6 - Key points of critical training periods3m

Part 1 - Introduction to long term athlete development2m

Part 2 - Four implicit principles7m

Part 3 - Physical literacy10m

Part 4 - Training approaches6m

Part 5 - Key points of long term athlete development2m

Dr. Mike Sagas Introduction3m

Sampling7m

Benefits of early sampling5m

What is deliberate play?5m

Part 1 - Introduction to factors affecting potential6m

Part 2 - Genotype vs. phenotype6m

Part 3 - Genetic ceiling effect5m

Part 4 - Why the body's systems adapt7m

Part 5 - Key points of factors affecting potential3m

3 practice exercises

Quiz 430m

Quiz 530m

Quiz 630m

Week

3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Week 3: How the body works

3 hours to complete

18 videos (Total 81 min)

18 videos

Part 1 - Introduction to important body structures4m

Part 2 - Skeletal and muscular system6m

Part 3 - Nervous system5m

Part 4 - Respiratory system4m

Part 5 - Cardiovascular system2m

Part 6 - Key points of important body structures2m

Part 1 - Introduction to energy supply3m

Part 2 - ATP structure and recharging6m

Part 3 - Creatine phosphate (CP) mechanism3m

Part 4 - Fast glycolysis4m

Part 5 - Aerobic energy system3m

Part 6 - How mitochondria work7m

Part 7 - Key points of energy supply3m

Part 1 - Introduction to energy system fuels and diet4m

Part 2 - Nutrient processing5m

Part 3 - Role of vitamins and minerals7m

Part 4 - Nutritional concerns2m

Part 5 - Key points of energy system fuels and diet2m

3 practice exercises

Quiz 730m

Quiz 830m

Quiz 930m

Week

4

Week 4

5 hours to complete

Week 4: Enhancing the athlete’s physical work capacity

5 hours to complete

23 videos (Total 113 min)

23 videos

Part 1 - Introduction to aerobic capacity4m

Part 2 - The VO2max test5m

Part 3 - Comparing the VO2max of athletes6m

Part 4 - Aerobic capacity of young athletes5m

Part 5 - Relative VO2max of trained vs untrained children5m

Part 6 - The child's economy3m

Part 7 - Key points of aerobic capacity2m

Part 1- Introduction to strength2m

Part 2 - Gender strength differences7m

Part 3 - Trainability of strength3m

Part 4 - Strength adaptation and training safety6m

Part 5 - Key points of strength1m

Part 1 - Introduction to the physiology of strength and power6m

Part 2 - Muscle components affecting strength and power4m

Part 3 - Intrinsic sensors8m

Part 4 - Stretch-shortening cycle6m

Part 5 - Strength and muscle fiber type4m

Part 6 - Key points of the physiology of strength2m

Part 1 - Introduction to anaerobic capacity3m

Part 2 - Effect of gender and age7m

Part 3 - Explaining development of anaerobic performance7m

Part 4 - Sport performance insights3m

Part 5 - Key points of anaerobic capacity1m

4 practice exercises

Quiz 1030m

Quiz 1130m

Quiz 1230m

Quiz 1330m

Reviews

4.8

247 reviews

5 stars
87.33%
4 stars
10.85%
3 stars
1.03%
2 stars
0.25%
1 star
0.51%

TOP REVIEWS FROM THE SCIENCE OF TRAINING YOUNG ATHLETES

by KMMay 3, 2020

an amazing course helps everyone to understand the main topic of sports coaching, how to start your coaching journey, and how to be a good coach.

by BBMay 27, 2016

Excellent course!

Will use information to help my general health & wellness.

Also highly recommend to any athlete, coach or anyone engaged in fitness.

by AKApr 1, 2017

This was a very useful course that helped me understand a lot about an athletes body and how to work on it as a coach.

A 'must do' course for all coaches.

by DApr 5, 2020

Great information provided in this course around training youth. It left me wanting some coaching strategies to implement with my athletes.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
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The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

The Science of Training Young Athletes