Why Middle School Is the Most Overlooked (and Most Important) Stage in Athletic Development
- Marc Rosamilia
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
If you’ve got a middle schooler who plays sports — or is thinking about it — this post is for you.
Because in all the years I’ve spent coaching athletes of every age, there’s one pattern I’ve seen over and over again:
👉 Middle school is the most important window for athletic development — and the most overlooked.
Here’s why that matters.
🧠 Kids Aren’t Just Small Adults
We wouldn’t give a 12-year-old adult math problems and expect them to figure it out on their own — yet that’s exactly how many youth training programs treat movement, strength, and speed.
They either:
Throw middle schoolers into high school-style training with no modifications, or
Baby them with watered-down drills that don’t teach anything meaningful
The result? Kids either get hurt, burned out, or bored, and they never get the foundation they need.
🔬 The Science of Timing: Why Ages 11–14 Matter So Much
This age range is what experts call a “sensitive window” for athletic development. During these years, kids are more receptive than ever to learning how to:
Sprint efficiently
Build coordination
Train movement patterns
Understand how their body works
It’s a golden opportunity to teach instead of just “work them out.”
When you miss this window, you can still build athleticism later — but it’s harder. Less efficient. And sometimes, full of bad habits that are harder to undo than they are to build right the first time.
📉 The Problem: What Most Programs Miss
Most middle schoolers get one of two things:
Too much intensity, too soon (usually in high school weight rooms or sports tryouts), or
Too little structure or guidance, leading to missed opportunities
They’re expected to compete before they’re taught how to train.
They’re expected to move fast without ever learning how to move well.
That’s not their fault — it’s a gap in the system.
🔑 The Solution: Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD)
LTAD isn’t a buzzword. It’s a model used around the world by top youth sport systems, and it’s built around one simple truth:
“Do the right things at the right time, based on where the athlete is in their development.”
LTAD for middle schoolers means:
Teaching proper mechanics
Building confidence through competence
Using strength as a skill
Celebrating effort over comparison
And helping them build a base that sets them up for high school and beyond
💡 Final Thought:
Whether your child is in a sport, trying to get better, or just trying to feel more comfortable in their body — the middle school years matter more than most parents realize.
And the more we can teach, guide, and encourage at this stage — the more long-term success they’ll have, in sports and in life.
So the next time someone tells you “they’re too young to train” — remember:
They’re not too young.They’re too important to ignore.
— Coach Rose & Coach Convey
Camp runs July 7–25 | 9am-12pm
Open to rising 6th–8th graders
Comments