Sports performance training is structured training aimed at the physical qualities a sport asks for: strength, speed, agility, endurance, mobility and recovery. That is how IMG Academy describes it. For a young athlete, the questions that matter most are whether the training fits their age, who supervises it, what the coach’s credentials are, and how it sits alongside team practice and rest.
What is sports performance training?
IMG Academy calls it an approach that goes beyond general fitness to focus on sport-specific skills and attributes. The areas it lists are strength and power, speed, agility and quickness, sport-specific conditioning, mobility, and mental focus and recovery. Cleveland Clinic’s Akron General sports performance team describes a similar offer: training plans built around strength and conditioning, run by coaches it says are degreed and certified.
Providers describe it differently, and every one of these descriptions comes from the provider. There is no single standard program. MedlinePlus makes the underlying point in its sports fitness summary: training varies with the sport, and you would not train the same way for pole vaulting as for swimming.
How is it different from team practice or a gym workout?
- Team practice: a gym that sells performance training, X Shadyside, says a team coach is responsible for the whole team and not for what each player individually needs. It describes performance training as a personalized plan from a trainer. That is the gym’s own view of its service.
- Physical therapy: IMG Academy says a sports performance trainer’s role is to bridge the gap between sports coaching and physical therapy. A trainer is not a clinician. If a child has pain or an injury, a qualified clinician is the right first stop.
- General fitness: Cowboys Fit says general fitness centers on appearance and basic health, while performance training centers on movement quality and output. That page is written for adults and gym members, not children.
What does a session actually look like?
Lex Sporting’s sports performance page says sessions vary by age, skill and goals but include various forms of the format below. The descriptions are the provider’s.
| Part of a session | What the provider says it is for |
|---|---|
| Dynamic warm-up | Preparing the body |
| Sprint drills | Linear speed and explosive starts |
| Agility exercises (ladders, cones, shuttle runs) | Rapid direction changes and body control |
| Plyometric training | Power and reaction time |
| Strength training | Lower-body and core stability and force generation |
| Mobility and recovery work | Maintaining flexibility |
Cleveland Clinic’s Akron General program for middle and high school athletes lists 75-minute workouts that combine sport-based movement training with supervised weightlifting. It says coaching is in small groups of no more than six participants. Other providers will differ, so ask for session length and group size in writing. If you want to know what a good warm-up should look like, see what a coach should explain before practice.
What are the 7 movements of sports performance training?
The sources used here do not define a set of seven movements. They group training into areas instead: strength, speed, agility, endurance, mobility and recovery. If a trainer or gym gives you a list of seven, ask what it is based on and who wrote it. A list is a teaching tool, not a standard.
What is the 3-3-3 rule for strength training?
The sources used here do not mention a 3-3-3 rule, so it cannot be explained here. If a coach uses the term, ask them to write out what it means, who it is meant for, and why it suits a child’s age and experience. Our guide to youth strength training questions covers supervision, form and progression.
What is the best age to start?
There is no single age in the sources. IMG Academy gives an example of how it frames youth training: ages 8 to 12 with bodyweight training, movement games and coordination drills, and ages 13 to 17 with an introduction to strength training, agility drills and core stability. Cleveland Clinic’s athlete program is described as being for high school and middle school athletes.
Treat those as providers’ descriptions, not a rule. Readiness depends on the child, not only the birthday. See what research says beyond birthday age, and ask your child’s pediatrician if you have health questions.
What is a sports performance specialist, and what credentials should they hold?
IMG Academy describes a sports performance trainer as a certified professional who designs and supervises athletic training programs. It suggests looking for certifications such as NSCA-CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) or NASM-PES (Performance Enhancement Specialist). Cleveland Clinic’s coach profiles list degrees in exercise science along with the CSCS and, for one coach, an American College of Sports Medicine certification as an exercise physiologist.
The sources used here do not cover sports performance degrees beyond those examples, and they do not say whether any credential is required. Ask to see the certificate and the issuing body, and ask about experience coaching children. Our page on coach credentials parents should verify goes through this.
How much does it cost?
The sources used here do not give a general price. Lex Sporting’s page tells readers to contact its Director of Sports Performance for pricing and availability of private and team sessions. Cleveland Clinic’s Akron General page offers a free trial session for its programs. Prices, trial offers and terms can change, so confirm them directly.
The sources do not include any D1 Training pricing, session length or best starting age, so those questions cannot be answered here. Ask any provider for these in writing:
- The price per session, per month and for any package
- Any sign-up, activation or equipment fees
- How to cancel, and what happens to unused sessions
- Whether a trial session is offered, and what it includes
For the wider picture, read youth sports costs and family pressure.
Is it worth it?
That depends on your child and your goals, and the sources do not settle it. Providers such as IMG Academy and Lex Sporting say their training can reduce injury risk and improve performance. Those are the sellers’ statements about their own services, and a promise like that should not be the reason you sign up. Before you pay, consider:
- What your child’s coach and pediatrician think about their current workload
- Whether your child wants to do it
- Whether it adds to an already full practice and game schedule. MedlinePlus says that if you frequently feel exhausted or are in pain, you may be overdoing it.
- Whether it replaces rest. See a family calendar for practice, games and recovery and our weekly training load log.
MedlinePlus also says cross training, meaning a variety of fitness activities, builds stronger bones. It describes water as the most important nutrient for active people, to be drunk before, during and after workouts.
Is a D1 athlete better than a D3 athlete, and is D1 rare?
The sources used here do not compare college divisions or give figures on how many athletes reach Division I. For accurate numbers, ask the NCAA or a school’s athletic department directly. IMG Academy mentions collegiate scholarships as a goal for serious athletes, but that page does not say how many athletes reach them.
Does it work for a specific sport such as volleyball?
The sources used here have no volleyball-specific guidance. MedlinePlus says training varies with the sport, and IMG Academy says programs should match the trainer’s expertise to the sport and goals. Ask any trainer how they would adapt sessions to your child’s sport and position, and what experience they have with it.
How do I find a program or trainer near me?
Places that offer it include hospital-based programs such as Cleveland Clinic’s, sports clubs such as Lex Sporting, and gyms. Cowboys Fit suggests searching for a certified strength and conditioning coach near you and looking for turf areas and Olympic lifting platforms. The sources used here do not rank providers, so compare them yourself. IMG Academy suggests a movement screen or evaluation as a starting point and matching the trainer’s expertise to the sport.
Questions to ask before you enroll
- What are your qualifications, and may I see them?
- What ages and experience levels do you work with?
- How many athletes does each coach supervise at a time?
- How long is a session, and how often do you suggest?
- What does the first session or assessment involve?
- How do you work with my child’s team coach?
- What happens if my child is sore, tired or hurt?
- What are the full costs, and how do I cancel?
Warning signs
- Promises of guaranteed results, speed gains or scholarships
- No supervision, or one adult for a large group of children
- Pushing through pain
- Pressure to sign a long contract before a trial
Our guide to youth performance training red flags goes deeper.
What if my child has pain or an injury?
Take it to a pediatrician or other qualified clinician. A training program is not a substitute for medical evaluation. Cleveland Clinic describes a separate Return to Sport class for people who are in or have completed physical therapy, coordinated with their physical therapy team. That shows the usual order: clinical care first, then training.
What could not be answered here?
The sources used here do not cover D1 Training, “Athlete Performance Solutions”, a 3-3-3 rule, a standard list of seven movements, or any set weekly dose for children. The adult-oriented Cowboys Fit page says most beginners can start with 2 to 3 sessions a week. That is not a recommendation for a child. For anything specific to your child, talk to their pediatrician and a qualified, credentialed coach.
By YouthPerformanceTrainer.com Editorial Team