Athlete Development
How often should a young athlete train?
There is no magic number. The right amount depends on the athlete — their age, their sport, their physical development, their current schedule, their goals, and how well they are recovering.
09 / 10
Look at the whole week
Parents sometimes think only about additional training. But an athlete may already have school sport, club training, matches, tournaments, PE, private coaching and strength work. That all counts.
More isn't automatically better
This is something that sits at the heart of ASP's philosophy. Adding training volume doesn't guarantee development. If movement quality is dropping, fatigue is high or the athlete isn't recovering, another session may not be the thing they need.
But consistency matters
The opposite is also true. Development requires regular exposure. You can't expect meaningful change from occasional training. The challenge is finding the right balance between quality, consistency, progression and recovery.
Different ages need different approaches
A 9-year-old doesn't need the same structure as a 17-year-old. Younger athletes need foundation. Developing athletes need progressive physical development. Older high-performance athletes may need more specific programmes and measurement.
What we ask at ASP
Rather than starting with 'How many sessions?', we ask: what is the athlete already doing? What do they need? What are we trying to improve? Can they recover from the total workload? Then we build around that.
How ASP approaches it
More training isn't always better training.
The goal is the right training, not simply more of it.
More training isn't always better training.
The goal is the right training, not simply more of it.
Enquire about ASP athlete development →Not sure what your athlete needs?
That's exactly why we assess.
The ASP Sports Science Combine gives you a snapshot of current performance, highlights what deserves attention and gives you a clearer plan for what comes next.
R750 · Approximately 60 minutes · Wanderers Sports Club
Related: What age should children start speed training? · Should young athletes strength train?