Your Athlete Isn’t Behind

It’s easy for athletes and parents to feel like they’re falling behind.

Social media, early specialization, and seeing other kids train year-round can create pressure to keep up with what everyone else is doing.

But athletic development doesn’t work like that.

Young athletes grow and mature on different timelines, and comparing progress at young ages rarely tells the full story.

Too often, kids feel pressure to specialize or make training decisions much earlier than they should.

Why Comparing Development Can Be Misleading

One athlete may mature physically earlier, while another develops strength or coordination later.

At younger ages, those differences can make it look like one athlete is far ahead of another.

In reality, development is rarely linear.

Some athletes make big jumps later once their strength, coordination, and maturity begin to catch up.

This is why early comparisons often create unnecessary pressure without actually predicting long-term success.

Early in Development

For young athletes, the priority should be building general physical abilities.

That includes:

• Movement quality
• Learning basic strength patterns
• Work capacity
• General athletic development

At this stage, training may feel simple and progress may seem slow.

But people often overestimate what can happen in six months or a year, and underestimate what happens when improvements accumulate over several years.

Consistently doing the basics well is what drives long-term progress.

Maturity

Another factor that often gets overlooked is maturity.

Training requires focus, discipline, and interest from the athlete.

This is one reason we don’t train athletes younger than middle school, and even before 7th–8th grade it’s usually a case-by-case decision based on maturity and interest.

I’ve had parents tell me their third grader needs speed training.

Your third grader probably needs to play backyard football and spend time with friends.

Those experiences are part of athletic development too.

Development Is a Long-Term Investment

The best way to think about training is like a long-term investment.

Small deposits made early will compound over time.

Developing strength, movement quality, and good habits over multiple years gives athletes the best chance to succeed later — especially if they want to compete at higher levels.

Nothing is guaranteed in sports, but athletes who consistently build these habits put themselves in the best position to improve.

The Ares Approach

At Ares, the focus is on developing the athlete over time.

That means:

• Learning proper movement patterns
• Gradually building strength
• Improving work capacity
• Training consistently over the long term

Just as important, training should be something athletes enjoy and look forward to. Creating a positive environment where athletes are excited to train helps build the consistency that long-term development requires.

The goal isn’t to rush progress.

The goal is to help athletes keep improving year after year.

Takeaway Summary 

• Young athletes develop on different timelines
• Early comparisons can create unnecessary pressure
• Movement quality and basic strength matter most early on
• Progress compounds over multiple years of training
• Consistency beats shortcuts

Want Help With Your Athlete’s Development?

At Ares Strength & Performance, every program is built on evidence-based training, real results, and long-term athlete development.

Book a consultation to get started:
🔗 Book a consultation to get started:

Resources & References

• Lloyd, R. S., & Oliver, J. L. (2012). The Youth Physical Development Model.
• Lloyd et al. (2016). NSCA Position Statement on Long-Term Athletic Development.
• Faigenbaum et al. (2009). Youth Resistance Training Position Statement.

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