ISSA Youth Fitness flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Peak height velocity

The period of fastest growth in stature during adolescence, around age 11-12 in girls and 13-14 in boys, when coordination and joint stability may temporarily lag behind limb growth.

Growth plate vulnerability

Epiphyseal and apophyseal cartilage is weaker than adult bone under shear and tension, so repetitive single-plane loading and high jump volume raise injury risk before growth plate closure.

Maturity offset

An estimate of time before or after peak height velocity derived from stature, sitting height, and leg length, used to gauge biological maturity and load tolerance.

Pre-PHV training response

Before peak height velocity, training gains come mainly from neural and coordination adaptations rather than muscle hypertrophy, which increases after pubertal hormone changes.

Youth heat tolerance

Children sweat less and have a higher surface-area-to-mass ratio, so they gain heat faster; intermittent activity, shade, and frequent hydration reduce heat illness risk.

Fundamental movement skills

Locomotor skills like running and hopping, stability skills like balancing and landing, and manipulative skills like throwing and catching, which form the base for sport-specific technique.

Motor learning stages

Skill learning moves from cognitive (conscious and error-prone) to associative (refining) to autonomous (automatic), so instruction density should fall as the skill becomes automatic.

Coordination drill dosing

Short high-quality efforts of roughly 5-15 seconds with full recovery preserve technique better than long continuous repetitions that accumulate fatigue and errors.

Contralateral patterns

Movements pairing opposite arm and leg, such as cross-body marches and skipping, train interhemispheric coordination and suit warm-up content for young athletes.

Balance progression

Balance difficulty increases from double-leg to single-leg, eyes open to eyes closed, and static to dynamic, using firm surfaces before unstable ones.

Object control sequence

Manipulative drills progress from predictable to unpredictable stimuli, for example catching with two hands before one and striking a stationary ball before a moving one.

Demonstration and short cues

Visual modeling plus one or two key words outperforms long verbal explanation, because children learn movement more readily from what they see than from extended talk.

Variable skill practice

Early practice across different speeds, directions, and distances builds adaptable coordination rather than one rigid pattern that fails when conditions change.

Attention span by age

Focused instruction tolerance roughly tracks age, so keep instruction blocks under about 60-90 seconds for ages 6-9 and shorten demonstrations accordingly.

Session template for youth

A brief dynamic warm-up, a short skill or technique block, then game-based application, totaling about 45-60 minutes for most school-age groups.

Time on task

The proportion of session time spent actively moving; maximizing it by cutting lines, queues, and long talks is the main lever for engagement and fitness.

Small-sided games

Reduced player numbers and scaled field size increase ball touches, decisions, and engagement compared with full-sided play, and suit mixed-ability groups.

Autonomy and choice

Allowing children to choose a game, order, or equipment raises intrinsic motivation, and success experiences reinforce continued participation.

Specific positive feedback

Naming the exact behavior being praised is more effective than generic praise, and corrections should be outweighed by encouragement in the session.

Planned transitions

Pre-planned equipment setup and rehearsed transitions cut downtime, which is the most common trigger for lost attention and behavior problems in youth sessions.

RPE and RIR for youth

Rate of perceived exertion and repetitions in reserve scales replace percentage of 1RM, with a 1-3 RIR target keeping sets submaximal and technique-focused.

Youth strength set volume

A common starting point is 1-3 sets of 6-15 repetitions at moderate load, progressing load before adding sets or new exercises.

One-variable progression

Change only load, volume, density, or complexity at a time, and treat roughly 10 percent weekly as a practical ceiling for increases in training load.

Session exercise order

Place skill and speed work first while fresh, strength and power next, and conditioning last, because fatigue degrades coordination and raises injury risk.

Plyometric foot contacts

Plyometric volume is counted in foot contacts per session; beginners start around 30-50 contacts and build gradually only with sound landing mechanics.

Work-to-rest for power

Coordination and power efforts need longer recovery, roughly 1:5 to 1:10 work-to-rest, than aerobic games, since incomplete recovery blunts the training stimulus.

Readiness monitoring

Simple daily markers such as sleep, soreness, energy, and mood flag fatigue; two or more consecutive poor days call for a lighter or skill-focused session.

Planned deload

A lower-load or skill-focused week every 4-8 weeks, and after tournaments or growth spurts, manages accumulated fatigue and growth-related soreness.

Eye-level instruction

Giving one short cue at the child's eye level, using their name, improves comprehension and compliance compared with calling instructions across a room.

Consistency rule

The same rule, cue, and consequence apply every session; unpredictable coach responses undermine trust and raise anxiety in young participants.

Proactive parent updates

Scheduled communication at block start and after assessments covers goals, progress, and load management, rather than contacting parents only when problems arise.

Self-referenced progress

Comparing a child with their own previous best or technique checkpoints, rather than with peers publicly, protects confidence and sustains motivation.