Watch Intro Video

Watch this short introduction video about this course!

Learn what this course is about, why it was made and what it has to offer a sport parent or developmental coach.

Take the Course. Become Bulletproofed.

Everything a parent or coach of an athlete in sport needs to know in order to maximize his or her potential through developmental to college or high performance sport. Scroll down to see course curriculum.

  • Informative

    You will learn all of the essential concepts in youth sport programming, including: the types of exercise / training that are appropriate for athletes at each stage of maturity, early entry vs. late entry sports, why specializing too early is harmful to a young athlete (yet strength training - when done properly - isn't), what a properly developed athlete looks like, the paths an athlete will take to high performance (and which one is best) and much, much more.

  • Practical

    Using simple explanations that any parent (or youth sport coach) can understand, Coach Evely draws from his 25 years as an internationally successful professional coach plus his experience as a parent to bring you up to speed on the current best practices in youth sport training and how to manage them when necessary. All presentations are given in a simple, relaxed video format that any parent with an athlete along the developmental pathway will appreciate and find useful.

  • Comprehensive

    Few stones are left unturned in this series of short, informative videos. Recognizing the unique challenges today's environment brings to parenting & coaching young athletes, common questions are examined and answered such as "Should my teenage athlete be lifting weights?" "When should formal training begin?" "What type of training should my 12 year old be doing?" "When should an athlete begin to focus on a single sport?" "This 16 year old is obviously talented... should she be doing the same types of training as the other athletes??"

Derek Evely

Expert in Youth Sport Training, Developmental & Elite Training Systems

EveltrakSport.com Owner & Sport Consultant / Lecturer

Derek Evely

Derek Evely has taken a career path unique in Olympic sport. As an athletics coach, he has coached professionally at all levels along the developmental continuum and is widely regarded as a foremost expert in both youth development programming and elite training methodology. As a coach he has produced three World Junior Championship medalists, two of whom went on to win Olympic medals. He was the development coach for Gary Reed (IAAF World Championships 800m Silver Medalist), Dylan Armstrong (Beijing Olympic Shot Put Bronze Medalist) and Sophie Hitchon (2016 Olympic Hammer Throw Bronze Medalist). He has been a national team coach for both Britain and Canada to every major championship on the global calendar including the Olympic Games, IAAF World Championships and European Championships. He was a High Performance Training Centre Director for British Athletics leading into the 2012 Olympic Games where he coached the youngest athlete on the British athletics team (Hitchon) to her first Olympic final. From 2005 to 2009 he was the Sport Science Manager for the Canadian Athletics Coaching Center. He consults and coaches with federations and individuals worldwide on all aspects of developmental and high performance programming. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and three teenagers.

Course Curriculum

Scroll Through the Module Titles Below for a List of Topics & Content

  • 1

    Concepts Every Sport Parent Should Know I: Preparing Yourself to Be a Sport Parent

    • Introduction

    • Finding an Environment

    • Stepping Aside

    • Developing a Filter - Part 1: Experts & the Intellectualization of Sport

    • Developing a Filter - Part 2: Government Bodies / The Departmentalizing of Sport Training

    • "Putting It All Together": Maximizing Potential, Environment & Coaching"
  • 2

    Concepts II: Progression Basics & Abilities

    • Why Proper Development Is Important: Progressions Part 1

    • Why Proper Development Is Important: Progressions Part 2

    • Abilities: Skill Part 1

    • Abilities: Skill Part 2

    • Abilities: Speed

    • Abilities: Strength

    • Abilities: Endurance

    • Abilities: Flexibility

    • Terms: Volume, Intensity, Density, Load

    • "Putting It All Together": Abilities & Maturation Rates
  • 3

    Concepts III: Youth Sports vs. High Performance

    • High Performance as the End Game for Youth Development Part 1

    • High Performance as the End Game for Youth Development Part 2

    • The Nature of High Performance Training Part 1

    • The Nature of High Performance Training Part 2

    • Developmental Timelines Part 1: Career Peaking

    • Developmental Timelines Part 2: Natural Rates of Development

    • Developmental Timelines Part 3: Abilities

    • What Does The Properly Developed Athlete Look Like?

    • Typical Paths Through Development

    • "Putting It All Together": Progressions & High Performance
  • 4

    Concepts IV: Understanding Specialization

    • General vs. Specific Training

    • Forms of Training to Beware of

    • Multi-Lateral vs. Singularly Directional Loading

    • Development as a Two Stage Rocket / Training Transfer

    • The Importance of Play

    • Specialization

    • Early Entry vs. Late Entry Sports

    • Gender Differences in Youth Training Part 1

    • Gender Differences in Youth Training Part 2

    • The 6th Ability...

    • "Putting It All Together": Exercise & Load
  • 5

    What It Actually Looks Like: How To Spot The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

    • Play, Organized Sport, Formal Training & Beyond

    • A Word on "Work"

    • Skill I: Quality vs. Quantity

    • Skill II: Quality of Instruction & Loading

    • Skill III: Formal Training & Breakdown

    • Developing an Eye for "Speed" (Coming Soon!)

    • Endurance & Running Progressions: What, Where & When (Coming Soon!)

    • Strength & Power Progressions: What, Where & When (Coming Soon!)

    • Breaking the Rules: When, Where & How (Coming Soon!)

    • What to do if You've Missed the Boat: Corrections (Coming Soon!)

    • "Putting It All Together": Transfer & Trainability

Reviews

What Parents Are Saying About "Youth Sports Training: What Parents Need To Know"

5 star rating

Fantastic course

Rossa Martin

Brilliant course. Incredibly well simplified, explained and presented. Finding a coach with a balanced holistic philosophy is crucial for well balanced and h...

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Brilliant course. Incredibly well simplified, explained and presented. Finding a coach with a balanced holistic philosophy is crucial for well balanced and holistic youth sport development. Watch out for the overloading of youth. A bargain at 50 bucks.

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5 star rating

Best course for parents

Lenka Bartosova

Derek goes through each important topic and explains it in perfect sense. It’s great that there is a summary of each module to help you really understand eve...

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Derek goes through each important topic and explains it in perfect sense. It’s great that there is a summary of each module to help you really understand everything and build on it with more information. For me it has been really the best course I’ve sen so far.

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5 star rating

Applicable for all - Foundational knowledge for all paren...

Nathan Bullock

I would highly recommend this course for any parent who is passionate about their child's development. If you are passionate about your child's physical deve...

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I would highly recommend this course for any parent who is passionate about their child's development. If you are passionate about your child's physical development and are confused with the vast array of information that is online, Derek provides an impartial viewpoint on what are the important factors to consider. In this easy to use video format you gain an insight from Derek, who has Olympic level knowledge, insights and experience but is able to explain this to parents without a Degree in the specific topic areas. Hugely invaluable insight, that has impacted our decision making process for our children, thanks!!

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5 star rating

Helpful

Diane Cummins

Thanks for the course. I found it very helpful in setting expectations for our youth program. I am looking forward to the coming soon sections!

Thanks for the course. I found it very helpful in setting expectations for our youth program. I am looking forward to the coming soon sections!

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5 star rating

The big picture

Alain Guettinger

This course is not only a VERY comprehensive resource for sports parents. It is actually a great overview for ANYONE working with developmental athletes (coa...

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This course is not only a VERY comprehensive resource for sports parents. It is actually a great overview for ANYONE working with developmental athletes (coaches and administrators) interested in the big picture. Is it a good idea to participate in multiple sports and what are the pitfalls of early specialization? What's the difference between specificity and specialization? What do elite athletes do in training and why might it be a bad idea to copy their training when working with developmental athletes? When and how should developmental athletes train skills, speed, strength, endurance and flexibility? How can you make sure athletes still have a chance to improve when they're in their twenties and have a long career? These and many other questions are answered in detail by Derek Evely who – from many years working with athletes and coaches at all levels – clearly knows a LOT about these topics and is also very passionate about them.

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5 star rating

Well done Derek !

jessie dosanjh

Covered most of what parents needs to know. Great job !!

Covered most of what parents needs to know. Great job !!

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