Why Early-Season Training Matters for Young Athletes

At Pivot Sports Performance, we hear the same story from athletes year after year:

“I didn’t feel properly fit until halfway through the season.”

Just this week, we had a young footballer come through our doors who told us exactly that. He’s a talented player, works hard, but by his own admission, he got his early-season training wrong. Instead of balancing his conditioning and strength, he focused on hypertrophy (muscle size) without a plan to maintain fitness. By Round 1, he was already behind — and it took months to catch up.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common challenges we see in youth and developing athletes, especially in footy.

The Problem: Starting the Season on the Back Foot

The pre-season period is crucial. It sets the foundation for the entire year. But many young athletes fall into one of two traps:

1. Chasing muscle growth without conditioning
   Building size can be important, especially for ruckmen and tall players. But if conditioning work isn’t maintained, athletes start the season looking strong but struggling to keep up with the pace of the game.

2. Focusing only on running
   On the flip side, some players hammer the kilometres but neglect their strength. This leaves them vulnerable to fatigue, niggles, and injuries as the season grinds on.

Without proper programming, the result is the same: athletes spend half the season trying to catch up to where they should have been in Round 1.

Why Strength and Conditioning Matters

Strength and conditioning (S&C) is about balance. It’s about making sure athletes have the right mix of:

• Strength – to win contests, absorb contact, and stay resilient through growth phases

• Conditioning – to maintain intensity across four quarters

• Speed and agility – to break lines, change direction, and finish strong

• Recovery – to manage fatigue and avoid injury

When these elements are programmed properly, athletes don’t just “survive” a season — they thrive from the very first bounce.

How We Fix It at Pivot Sports Performance

At our Bundoora and Ringwood locations, we start every athlete with our Elite Athlete Blueprint testing ($297). This isn’t just a fitness test — it’s a deep dive into performance markers that matter for sport:

• Strength levels

• Movement quality

• Conditioning capacity

• Speed and change-of-direction ability

From there, we create a clear, individualised plan. No more guesswork. No more wasted training sessions.

Then comes the Athlete Performance Membership ($117/week), which includes:

• Unlimited small-group training sessions with elite-level S&C coaches

• A program tailored to each athlete’s sport, position, and season stage

• Retesting every 5 weeks to track progress and keep improving

• Access to our recovery suite (ice baths, compression boots, theraguns, flexibility programs)

• Half-price physio consults and free gym membership

It’s everything a young athlete needs under one roof.

The Result: Confidence From Round 1

Imagine the difference it makes when your son or daughter walks into Round 1 knowing they’re fit, strong, and prepared. Instead of spending half the season catching up, they can focus on doing what they love — playing footy at their best.

That’s the advantage of getting early-season training right.

Ready to Prepare Properly?

Don’t let another season slip by. Book your athlete’s Elite Athlete Blueprint testing session today and set them up for success.

📍 Available at both our Ringwood and Bundoora locations.

👉 Book Now at Pivot Sports Performance