Fun-sized: Concepts for reducing youth injuries

Bio-banding and altering training parameters play a role in preventing injury in very young athletes. Tracy Ward explains the developmental basis for these strategies and how to incorporate them into your youth training and rehab programs. Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay  Three processes characterize youth development from birth to adulthood(1): Growth refers to the changes in body composition, proportions, and overall body size. Maturation is the progression towards biological maturity for the body system’s including skeletal, neuromuscular, reproductive, somatic, endocrine, etc. Development covers behavioral adaptations such as cognitive, emotional, social, and moral skills(1). While all three stage