One of the questions I get most often from parents is this: “What should my child be training right now?”
It’s a good question. And the honest answer is: it depends on where they are in their development — not just their age, but what’s happening physically, neurologically, and athletically at that stage.
At Carlisle Performance, our approach to training is built around a Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) model. It’s a framework I’ve had the opportunity to present to coaches and athletic professionals around the world, and it’s the foundation behind every program we run. Here’s how it breaks down.
Stage 1: Foundation (Ages 8–12)
There’s a significant dropout rate in youth sports after early adolescence. One of the best things we can do to keep athletes engaged and progressing is make training feel less like work and more like play. That means low structure, high gamification, and a focus on bio-motor skill development — speed, agility, change of direction, hand-eye coordination, and general coordinative movements.
At F.A.S.T. School, this is exactly what the foundation-level program looks like. Athletes are being taught, but inside an environment that’s competitive, engaging, and age-appropriate. The lessons are real. The learning is happening. It just doesn’t feel like a serious training program yet, and that’s intentional.
Building a broad athletic base at this stage pays dividends for years.
Stage 2: Developmental (Ages 12–15)
This is the stage where things get more complicated, and where intentional coaching matters most.
The developmental stage overlaps with puberty, and with it comes something called Peak Height Velocity (PHV) — the period when athletes grow most rapidly. For boys, this typically occurs between ages 13 and 15. For girls, it’s often a year or two earlier.
During PHV, the body changes fast. Limb length increases, coordination can temporarily decline, and athletes who were moving well may suddenly look awkward or uncoordinated. This isn’t a problem, it’s normal. But it does mean training has to be intentional.
At this stage, we shift to moderate structure and moderate gamification. More importantly, we focus on identifying the “low-hanging fruit” — the specific movement deficiencies or physical qualities that need attention given where this athlete is right now. Cookie-cutter programming doesn’t serve developmental athletes well. Targeted, intentional training does.
Stage 3: Performance (High School, Ages 15+)
By the time athletes reach the performance stage, the equation changes. These are athletes who are serious about their sport — aspiring starters, athletes with college aspirations, kids who are ready to train like competitors.
This stage is highly structured, low gamification, and periodized.
Periodization simply means structured planning — organizing the training calendar so that different physical qualities are developed in the right sequence, at the right time, with a specific outcome in mind. We work backwards from where we want an athlete to be at the end of 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade, and build a plan that systematically develops the capacities to get them there.
Speed. Strength. Power. Conditioning. Movement quality. All of it is sequenced with intention.
I’ve always believed that a productive season doesn’t happen by accident. Neither does athletic development. When the plan is built correctly, the outcomes become predictable.
Why the Stages Matter
Each stage builds on the one before it. Athletes who skip the foundation stage — who jump straight into high-intensity, highly structured training before their bodies and nervous systems are ready — often hit a ceiling later that could have been avoided.
The reverse is also true: athletes who are ready for performance-level training but are still in a low-structure, gamified environment aren’t being challenged the way they need to be.
Understanding where your athlete falls in this model is one of the most valuable things you can do as a sports parent. It helps you ask better questions, set more realistic expectations, and find training that actually matches where your child is — not where you hope they’ll be in two years.
Where Carlisle Performance Programs Fit
Our programs are designed with this framework in mind.
F.A.S.T. School serves foundation and early developmental athletes, building movement skills, coordination, and athletic confidence through structured but engaging training. Learn more here.
Strength, Power & Explosion is built for developmental and performance-stage athletes who are ready for more intentional, progressive training and want to compete at a higher level.
Speed Academy provides structured remote programming for athletes at any stage who want to train consistently outside of in-person sessions.
If you’re not sure which program fits your athlete’s current stage, reach out. That’s what we’re here for.