Strength Training for Kids

[rayrobinson#1]

I was wondering what is okay for young kids to do in terms of strength training. My son takes Jujitsu. He is 7 and has been competing since he was 5. The dojo he uses is about 35 minutes away so he only gets to go to class on average 2 times a week.

His technique is good for a kid his age but I think because he is smaller his strength is not quite the same level as some of the other kids. In the last tournament for example he got his opponent in the guard several times the kid would try to stand up my son would grab him at the ankles and try to turn it into the mount. The other kid was too strong he couldn't convert into the mount. While the match was close eventually the other kid got my son's back and choked him out. He has won tournaments before but the last 4 matches he's wrestled he has been tapped out.

Since he doesn't get to go to the dojo too much I really think he could benefit form some natural strength training so I started letting him do pullups and pushups. I'm thinking of seeing if he wants to do natural body weight squats and some neck bridges too. I let him decide whether he wants to do it which has worked good so far. What would you all recommend to build up strength of a young kid doing jujitsu especially legs and neck?

I apologize for rambling on but since this is my first post I wanted to give some background.

[jwinch2]

The simple answer is yes strength training is fine for young people but there are some considerations to deal with.

The leading expert in the United States with respect to youth strength training and performance is Dr. Avery Faigenbaum at UMASS. He has written multiple books on the topic and published well over 100 peer-reviewed research articles in a variety of scientific journals. He is on the executive board of the National Strength and Conditioing Association and is a Fellow with the American College of Sports Medicine.

I have read one of his two books and have seen him speak on several occasions and he is excellent. I cite him frequently in my lectures to my own students with respect to youth training and performance. I would highly recommend that you pick up one of his books, they should answer many if not all of your questions in this area...


Good luck!

Jason


http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/cgi-bin...-searchus.html

[rayrobinson#1]

Thanks Jason I ordered looks like exactly what I was looking for

[AndrewSimonsen]

With youth wrestling typically they stick to dips, pushups, pullups, situps, bridges, lunges, and situps.