August 08, 2025

The Young Athlete Development Manifesto

47 minutes

I’ve gotta be honest…I’m frustrated with the current state of coaching.

It seems like nowadays, everybody wants the easy way out.

Just grab the biggest or strongest kid (or team), and off you go.

But what happened to actually developing young athletes from the ground up?

What happened to taking that absolute dog that loves to be in the gym, and making them the most savage athlete they can be?

Well if this sounds at all interesting to you, you’re going to love today’s episode!

Quotable Quotes:

We’re missing so many talented individuals that are late bloomers because we’re not continuing to develop these kids over the long-haul.

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Our goal as a coach is to fill in these movement gaps… The more well-rounded and athletic we can make them, the better off they’re gonna be.

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It’s not just about force production. It’s not about having the best power lifters. But you have to respect the fact that strength and force production ARE valuable

This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast:

The importance of developing well-rounded athletes, rather than just picking the biggest or strongest kids at a young age.

The “plug and play” mentality prevalent in sports, and how it’s trickling from the top-down.

How I structure and lay out a training program for a pro vs. a young, developing athlete.

Why movement variability is so important, and the Bell Curve analogy I use for mobility.

How to program resets that young athlete will actually do!

My thoughts on movement competency in the weight room, and why we shouldn’t just be training bilateral, symmetrical lifts.

Why we shouldn’t be building powerlifters, but still need to respect the benefits of increasing force production.

Rhythm and coordination – why are they valuable? And how you can train them?

Why athletes from “specific” sports should train non-specific movements to diversify their movement library.

How our ultimate job is to build the most savage, well-rounded athletes we possibly can!

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Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Physical Preparation Podcast!

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Thanks so much for your support – love and appreciate you!

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By Mike Robertson

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