Wildboar Youth Academy set up

Our Wildboar Youth academy is set up to provide the best opportunities for kids to get into Strength based training, be that to improve and compliment their chosen sport or to explore the Sport of Weightlifting

We are proud to be a talent academy for the South West and Midlands region, one of 12 in the country and in two years have got young guys from never having lifted weights to competing at a national level in weightlifting.

Since we first started working with young people we have been developing a model of best practice. This best practice is ever changing and evolving as we seek to grow our youth academy, provide better experiences, work with more young people and support the development of these young people as they become more experienced and advanced within their chosen sport, or the sport of Weightlifting.

We are constantly adapting our model to fit what we believe provides the best opportunity from someone starting out all the way to someone looking to reach a high level within the sport of Weightlifting

Note: I’m sure you can appreciate the needs of a beginner and a talented young Olympic Weightlifter are very different.

So what does our set up look like?

How does a young person interested in training get involved within our youth academy and what does their potential progression look like within our club?

 

Step 1 -General  Strength and Conditioning

General Strength and Conditioning is our access point for all young people prior to doing any Olympic Weightlifting. This is where we can safely introduce strength training to young people and give them all the foundations to be successful, be that in their chosen sport or within the Sport of Olympic Weightlifting.

From our experience, a young person spending a period of time doing this training is the best way to set them up for success.  We teach them to squat, deadlift, press and do various plyometric movements alongside some conditioning work to provide all round fitness.

We run these sessions every Tuesday and Thursday evenings as well as 3.30pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays.

Step 2 – Youth Development group

Our Youth development group is for those who demonstrate a passion for strength training and show potential commitment to and interest in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting.

This group is invitational and we look for much more than just physical ability when selecting people for our development programme.

Individuals within this group will have the chance explore the sport of Olympic Weightlifting more alongside their general Strength and Conditioning and potentially look to train to compete within the sport at some point. 

This new group gets together on a Friday evening.

Step 3 – Talent development group

Our talent development group is an invitational group for those actively participating within the sport of Olympic weightlifting, are committed to the sport and seeking to or are already at national age group level. 

We do not single these groups out via ability or treat them any differently We have created this tiered system simply because as people evolve within our youth academy their needs begin to differ. Therefore it is key to split up the groups somewhat if we are to maximise physical development.

If you know a young person who would be interested in working with us and getting started within our Strength and Conditioning program then we’d love to help get them started!