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University of Florida

The Science of Training Young Athletes

Seventy percent of kids drop out of sports before their high school graduation. Only 15% leave because they feel they are not good enough. Almost 70% leave because they were not having fun, or due to problems with the coach. Injuries cause 30% to give up sports. This course is packed full of practical sports science information that provide youth coaches and parents with the practical pediatric sports science insights to successfully retain young athletes and develop their sport potential while avoiding injury and overtraining. We begin by examining the multidimensional nature of coaching, the relevant sport motor performance abilities, the impact of growth and development on motor skills, the gene versus practice controversy, and briefly overview the body structures strengthened through training. Then we explore the athlete's energy supply, where this energy comes from, and how it matures along with the athlete. Finally, we examine the development of strength, power, anaerobic capacity, coordination and flexibility through the life span. The optional text manual for this course is available at: http://www.learnitez.com/HighPerformanceScience/manuals/

Status: Coaching
Status: Nutrition and Diet
BeginnerCourse20 hours

Featured reviews

BB

5.0Reviewed May 28, 2016

Excellent course!Will use information to help my general health & wellness.Also highly recommend to any athlete, coach or anyone engaged in fitness.

GS

5.0Reviewed May 29, 2023

The course is really well structured. The topics are clearly open to deeper research and insights for the students but everything is clear and well displayed.

PP

5.0Reviewed May 1, 2020

The course was explained comprehensively.. thank you so much for making this course, I have learned a lot. I can surely use this knowledge in my class as Physical Education teacher

NL

5.0Reviewed Sep 3, 2020

I found the teachings here very useful for my career path. It helped me understand how to treat kids better when teaching them sport and how to take care of them

JR

4.0Reviewed Mar 7, 2025

I enjoyed the course, I was hoping for more technical support in drawing up training plans but I found the science interesting and the format of the course easy to. I would recommend to others.

RA

5.0Reviewed Aug 3, 2020

Very very useful course for any coach anywhere in the world. Many new things learnt. Extremely useful. Thank your coursera for your flexibility and patience.

IK

5.0Reviewed Jan 4, 2023

Un cours exceptionnel, le niveau et la qualité de ce cours est de haute facture. Tout entraîneur ou futur entraîneur gagnerai beaucoup avec cette formation.

GO

5.0Reviewed Mar 11, 2024

This course was a great and interesting course for me as a Professional Lawn Tennis Coach. The insights I have gained from this course are overwhelming, Truly an eye opener!

JS

5.0Reviewed Sep 9, 2019

This class is an excellent resource for coaches of any sport. It will change your coaching perspective and show you how to coach each individual athlete.

SR

5.0Reviewed Apr 15, 2020

Amazing insights into athlete development from an early age! Discovered scientific knowledge which I hope to assimilate into our training curriculum.

AK

5.0Reviewed Apr 2, 2017

This was a very useful course that helped me understand a lot about an athletes body and how to work on it as a coach.A 'must do' course for all coaches.

KG

5.0Reviewed Sep 17, 2022

T​his was an excellent course for people who work with both youth and adult athletes. Solid science. Excellent lecturer. Really glad I took this.

All reviews

Showing: 20 of 319

Porferia Poralan
5.0
Reviewed May 1, 2020
Adaora Asiegbu
1.0
Reviewed Sep 17, 2020
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Reviewed May 27, 2020
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Reviewed Apr 19, 2020
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Reviewed May 28, 2017
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4.0
Reviewed Nov 20, 2019
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1.0
Reviewed Dec 2, 2021
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Reviewed Sep 4, 2020
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Reviewed Feb 23, 2023
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Reviewed Aug 8, 2025