As discussed in previous articles, strength and conditioning (S&C) is crucial for youth footballers looking to improve performance and prevent injury. Yet, many parents and coaches are unsure when and how to introduce this type of training.
The evidence is clear: starting early, around 7 years old, offers young athletes the greatest chance to develop both the physical and mental qualities needed for long-term success in football.
1. A Fun and Games-Based Approach for Younger Players
For children as young as 7, strength and conditioning doesn’t need to be—and shouldn’t be—intimidating or overly structured. At this age, S&C activities can be incorporated into fun, games-based sessions that focus on natural movements. Rather than traditional weightlifting, these sessions should mimic the playful activities that children already enjoy, such as:
Climbing (building upper body and core strength)
Playing tag (improving speed, agility, and cardiovascular endurance)
Hopping, skipping, and jumping (developing leg strength and coordination)
Crawling and balancing (enhancing stability and mobility)
These movements form the foundation for athletic development, and the key is to keep them enjoyable and engaging. As the player matures, the training can become more structured and focus on progressively building strength, power, and explosiveness in a more formalised way, but the playful, varied approach is critical to laying that foundation at an early age.
2. Kids Are Already Doing S&C Activities Without Realising It
What many don’t realise is that young athletes are already engaging in strength and conditioning activities during their everyday play. Whether they’re climbing trees, jumping off walls, or racing against friends, kids are naturally engaging in activities that promote muscle development, coordination, and balance. These are all key elements of strength and conditioning.
By incorporating S&C into a footballer’s routine, we’re simply channelling these natural movements into structured sessions that build on what they already do in their free time. Activities like skipping, balancing on one leg, or even pushing a friend in a game of tug-of-war all mimic the basic movements that underlie strength and conditioning programmes. This early exposure to foundational strength work helps build agility, speed, and resilience in a fun and unpressured environment.
3. Football Lags Behind Other Sports in Strength and Conditioning
While the importance of strength and conditioning is becoming more widely recognised in football, the sport is still playing catch-up compared to others. Sports like tennis, basketball, and track and field have long incorporated structured strength and conditioning programmes into youth development, understanding that physical preparation is just as important as skill work. For example:
Tennis players: Start S&C training early, with a focus on agility, core stability, and explosive power to improve their performance on the court. By the time they reach their teenage years, many have already built a solid foundation of strength and coordination, enabling them to handle the demands of elite-level play.
In basketball: S&C is essential for developing explosive vertical jumps, speed on the court, and the durability needed to withstand the physicality of the game. Youth athletes in basketball begin this type of training at a young age to prevent injuries and enhance their athletic abilities, long before they compete at higher levels.
These sports have long recognised that building a strong physical foundation through S&C is not only beneficial but essential for long-term success. Football, by comparison, has traditionally focused on technical skills and tactics, often neglecting the physical preparation required to excel at the highest levels. This delay has put footballers at a disadvantage, especially when compared to athletes from other sports who have been implementing structured physical training for years.
However, times are changing. As more research surfaces—such as the influential Myer et al. (2013) study outlined below—it’s becoming clear that starting strength and conditioning early not only gives footballers an edge in performance but also reduces injury risks and enhances overall athletic potential.
4. The Long-Term Benefits: Staying Ahead of the Curve
As demonstrated by the Myer et al. (2013) study, young athletes who begin S&C training early reach a higher level of physical performance than those who start later. The study compared youths who engaged in S&C with those who focused solely on sport-specific training and found that early S&C participants showed superior improvements in strength, speed, and agility.
More importantly, those who delayed strength and conditioning training struggled to catch up. Athletes who began training later were consistently behind in their athletic development, with less strength and power compared to their early-starting peers. This disadvantage persists throughout their development, meaning that those who start S&C later will always be playing catch-up, while early movers are reaching higher levels of performance sooner.
This finding aligns with the Youth Physical Development (YPD) Model (example below), which suggests that different periods of physical development (childhood and adolescence) should be optimised with specific training methods. By introducing strength and conditioning at the right time, athletes build the physical base required for long-term success, both in terms of peak performance and injury prevention.
5. Conclusion: Early Training, Long-Term Success
The earlier footballers start with structured strength and conditioning, the better their chances of achieving long-term success. A fun, games-based approach for younger players allows them to develop strength, agility, and balance without the pressures of formal training, while gradually increasing the intensity as they mature. By starting early, footballers not only keep pace with athletes in other sports but also set themselves up for higher performance levels and reduced injury risks.
Football is catching up with other sports that have long understood the value of S&C, and with research like the Myer et al. (2013) study, it’s becoming increasingly clear that early S&C implementation is key to unlocking a player’s full potential. By investing in this type of training early, footballers will always be a step ahead, both on the pitch and in their athletic careers.
The Matchfit Elite Football Athlete provides youth footballers aged 9-18 with a complete structure to follow from home which implements everything discussed above (and more). Click the image below for further details:
References:
Myer GD, Lloyd RS, Brent JL, Faigenbaum AD. (2013). How Young is 'Too Young' to Start Training? ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 17(5), 14-23.
Lloyd RS, Oliver JL. (2012). The Youth Physical Development Model: A New Approach to Long-Term Athletic Development. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 34(3), 61-72.
Hewett TE, Lindenfeld TN, Riccobene JV, Noyes FR. (1999). The Effect of Neuromuscular Training on the Incidence of Knee Injury in Female Athletes. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 27(6), 699-706.
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