Upcoming course information
| Start date | 17 November 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates and Times | 17 鈥 19 November 18:30 鈥 20:30 24 鈥 26 November 18:30 鈥 20:30 |
| Duration | 2 weeks |
| Cost | Full price - $299.00* Early bird - $249.00+ |
| Delivery | online |
| Registrations close | 13 November 2025^ |
About the course
Are you eager to help young athletes not only excel in their sports but stay injury-free and passionate about physical activity? Whether you鈥檙e a professional in the industry, or parent to a budding young athlete, this course gives you the opportunity to explore the essential principles of Youth Athletic Development (YAD), broken down into six dynamic, bite-sized modules.
With the option to attend as many or few of the modules as needed to support your goals, you鈥檒l dive into the fundamentals of:
- Boosting Physical Performance: Discover techniques to help young athletes shine in their sports.
- Preventing Non-Contact Injuries: Learn strategies to keep young athletes safe and resilient.
- Fostering Long-Term Participation: Encourage a lifelong love for sports and physical activity.
So what鈥檚 unique about this course?
Despite the growing competition and physical demands in youth sports, there's a surprising lack of quality information tailored specifically to young athletes. Most programs focus on adults or elite athletes and lack the scientific integrity or practical application required to make a difference at the grassroots level. Combined with a propensity to ineffectively train young athletes as mini-adults, there鈥檚 a lack of guidance to develop the physical resilience crucial for a child's overall health and sustained engagement in sports.
Looking to fill the gap, this course addresses the unique challenges faced by young athletes, and the implications of biological growth, gender differences, the anatomical and structural changes that drive movement and the psychosocial elements associated with exercise in this population.
If you鈥檙e passionate about the physical and mental well-being of Australia鈥檚 next generation of athletes, register now to help equip them with the tools for success.
^Registrations close 13 November 2025, unless capacity is reached prior to this date.
*Students and group bookings may be eligible for a 10% discount. To discuss, contact: FoHshortcourses@canberra.edu.au
+Early Bird registration close 1 October 2025
Who this course is for
- Sports Coaches
- Parents involved with their children鈥檚 physical development process
- Fitness and Strength and Conditioning Coaches
- Physiotherapists
- Exercise Physiologists
- Physical Education Teachers
Career potential
As the global Youth Athletic Development space continues to grow it brings with it increased opportunities to work with aspiring young athletes in areas of coaching, strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, physical education and more.
It is essential that these roles be filled by individuals who possess a sound knowledge in paediatric exercise science and the fundamentals of athletic framework in youth populations.
Learning outcomes
- Understand biological growth and maturation and how it impacts physical and athletic development in youth.
- Understand the biomotor qualities that influence athletic abilities in the youth population and the role of purposeful play.
- Implementing the progressions of exercise for warm-up, speed, power, resistance training, and conditioning within the context of the young athletic population.
Learn from industry experts
Dr Kaushik Talukdar
Kaushik is a lecturer in exercise anatomy and physiology at UC. He has extensively worked with young and elite athletes as a strength and conditioning coach for over 15 years including preparing them for Cricket World Cup, Commonwealth games, Paralympic and several world championships across sports in New Zealand. His PhD was first to investigate kinetics and kinematics and the effect of various training modalities on sprinting in young female athletes across maturation. Kaushik has taught strength and conditioning courses across the globe.
Course structure
Module 1
Long term athletic development
The influence of growth and maturation on long term athletic development.
- Chronological vs. biological age
- Assessments of biological growth (Peak height velocity)
- Developmental models and window of opportunity
- Biological differences in gender in the second decade
Module 2
Movement Preparation
The art and science of warm up.
- Multidirectional locomotion
- Priming the nervous system through play
- Dynamic stretching and activation guidelines
Module 3
Speed
Optimizing speed and acceleration in young athletes.
- Acceleration mechanics
- Speed based movement preparation and coordination
- Deceleration mechanics
- Cognitive speed development through play
Module 4
Power
Developing power in young athletes.
- Landing mechanics
- Horizontal and vertical jump progressions
- Play driven power development
- Upper body power progression
Module 5
Resistance Training
Fundamentals of Resistance Training in young athletes.
- Movement competency in resistance training
- Vertical and horizontal upper body push and pull progressions
- Lower body knee and hip dominant (bilateral and unilateral) progressions
- Trunk training progressions
Module 6
Fundamentals of Conditioning
Fundamentals of Conditioning in Youth.
- Energy systems
- Importance of game-based conditioning
- Practical individualisation strategies in youth
Hear from our students
I have never been so engaged in an online course as I was for this one, it was truly fascinating! I learnt a lot and I am looking forward to applying it to my work.
It was great, and it helped me understand how to move from my research role focused on grants and publications to something that can have a real impact on health policies and people.
Fabulous! I would recommend anyone interested in Public Health Advocacy no matter your experience or background to complete the course!
A thorough and comprehensive overview of public health advocacy and health promotion. They had guest speakers almost every session which included those who are currently working in the field and those who have vast domestic and international experience in health policy.
After completion
Once you鈥檝e finished the Fundamentals of Youth Athletic Development short course you will earn a certificate of completion from 海角射区鈥檚 Faculty of Health that you can share on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
Contact us
If you would like to know more about this short course, please contact us to have all your questions answered.
Contact us
UC acknowledges the Ngunnawal people, traditional custodians of the lands where Bruce campus is situated. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of Canberra and the region. We also acknowledge all other First Nations Peoples on whose lands we gather.