Athleticism for young players - Home

A foundation for physical development

This series helps coaches to develop physical attributes key to player development, using high-value exercises that require minimal equipment. In the first part, Colbert lays out the essential foundations of athleticism that shape dynamic and resilient young footballers.

Part 2

Building more from less

With the foundations in place, Colbert advocates a smart training approach, explaining how to eliminate low-value physical work and integrate high-impact, athletic exercises into compact sessions that complement football training and maximise player development on the pitch.

Part 3

Using dynamic mobility to support athletic development

Colbert turns his attention towards dynamic mobility — the foundation of athleticism. He explains why well-chosen mobility exercises facilitate better movement quality and help young players to express athletic potential more effectively during training and games.

Part 4

Building core strength for better performance

After working on dynamic mobility, Colbert turns to the core, the body’s epicentre for movement, taking us through a series of simple exercises designed to improve core strength and lay solid foundations for dynamic football movement.

Part 5

Creating a powerful lower body to maximise on-pitch performance

Lower-body strength (LBS) creates a stable base to generate and absorb force, aiding sprinting, jumping and quick changes of direction. Here, Colbert guides us through some exercises that build a functionally coordinated lower-body kinetic chain.

Part 6

Explosivity

The previous articles mentioned that remarkable physical feats of today’s sportspersons are an evolution of athleticism foundations developed from a young age. This article draws attention to a standout quality that translates developed potential into maximal athletic prowess.

Core strength: New exercises & progressions

This article and the next two in our series on athleticism for young players introduce new as well as progressive exercises that focus on many of the topics covered in previous pieces.