This curriculum is laid out to provide key skills within each of the three movement streams that athletes must look to develop over the course of their participation in the IGNITE™ program. Along with these key skills, trouble shooting tips to common movement problems and variations of each skill are provided. This curriculum looks to serve as an endpoint to the athlete’s developmental process while allowing each centre to create its own path to that point.
Movement Streams
Strength Training
Introduces athletes to a number of key bodyweight and strength training exercises that form the core of many resistance training programs. By teaching young athletes proper technique in these movements, training efficiency will increase and the risk of injury will decrease. This will help maximize training time in the weight room, leading to greater improvements in strength and power.
Gymnastics
Provides a unique opportunity for athletes to control, strengthen, and manipulate the body through space and around fixed implements. Developing kinesthetic awareness, mobility/flexibility, landing skills and whole body strength through gymnastics training will prepare an athlete for unpredictable sporting situations and help decrease the athletes’ risk of injury.
Prepares athletes for efficient and powerful movement on land. Improved technical efficiency in these movements will transfer to both sport specific as well as training situations. Technical efficiency in high speed running allows unique opportunities to operate within the force velocity spectrum.
Testing & Monitoring
To monitor the athletes’ progress through the Ignite program, two streams of testing have been developed. First, to measure improvements in technical proficiency, the Ignite Athlete Development Program Core Movement Evaluation (CME) was developed. Second, a battery of physiological tests has been designed to monitor physiological changes within each athlete.
Core Movement Evaluation (CME)
The CME is a technical evaluation of the quality of movement and not a strength testing protocol. Movement evaluation is as follows:
- Walking Lunge
- Dowling Overhead Squat
- Push Up
- Inverted Row
- Introduction to Complex Lift Sequence (Barbell Deadlift → Hang Clean→ Front Squat→ Push Jerk)
Physiological Testing
The physiological tests are designed to monitor the general strength/neurological adaptations the athletes make while participating in the program. The physiological test battery are conducted throughout the session.
Physiological Test Battery
- 30m Spring with 10m Split
- Vertical Jump with Countermovement
- Overhead Jerk