At what age do you start training young athletes? At YPT we like to start training athletes around 13 years old. This does not mean an athlete cannot start training earlier. However, from my experience, athletes who reach the age of 13 are a little more physically able and MENTALLY mature enough to handle the training programs. YPT does occasionally run programs for athletes in the 10-12 age group focusing on basic concepts to prepare a foundation for future training. Back to top
	Do you test/evaluate athletes/clients before joining a group? College and professional athletes may be measured in various tests depending on what their teams require. We do not test our high school/middle school athletes as we feel tests reward the genetically gifted and sets athletes up for failure. We encourage athletes to focus on their own individual improvement against themselves, not their peers. We also feel most tests required by coaches are irrelevant to their sport and educate our athletes as to why this is so. Some athletes/clients are evaluated utilizing the Functional Movement Screen developed by physical therapist Grey Cook in order to identify muscle imbalances and inefficient movement patterns so they can be corrected through proper training. Back to top
	My son/daughter has never trained before. Will he/she be placed in a beginner group or mixed with more advanced athletes? Ideally we will try to place all athletes of the same ability level in the same time slot. However, often times due to numbers and scheduling conflicts this is not always possible. That being said, we have never had a problem integrating beginners with intermediate and advanced athletes; in fact our experienced athletes end up taking our younger athletes "under their wing" and assist them in learning the program. Back to top
	Are groups available for adults not necessarily training for sports but rather looking to just improve their overall health and body composition? Yes! YPT runs group training programs in the mornings and evenings. These are one-hour sessions designed for those looking for a solid training program that are a little less comprehensive than the athlete groups. Back to top
	My son/daughter plays baseball/softball. What "baseball/softball specific" exercises do you do to improve arm strength? Despite what you may read or hear, there is no such thing as "sport-specific" exercises. At YPT we educate our athletes that such things as improving arm strength or becoming faster are based around our principles of becoming a stronger, more stable, mobile, and more powerful athlete. We train the body from the inside-out and from the ground up; a total body approach. The only aspect of training that is "sport-specific" is the conditioning component. Proper conditioning is based upon the energy demands of the sport. In other words, we condition our football athletes differently than our soccer or tennis athletes, and so forth. Back to top
	I've heard that female athletes are more susceptible to knee injuries. Does your program address these special needs for female athletes? Yes, female athletes are more susceptible to knee injuries, especially tearing of the ACL. All of our programs are developed with an approach of injury reduction first. All athletes are educated on the importance of learning proper technique and are progressed accordingly. When it comes to female athletes, an emphasis is placed on strengthening areas of the lower body, including specific muscles of the hip region as well as the hamstrings, as weaknesses in these areas can result in knee pain and instability which in turn leads to injury. Back to top
	Do you have to be an athlete to train at YPT? At YPT we consider everyone an athlete, even if you are just playing the game of life. We train individuals from all walks of life, whether they are professional athletes or stay-at-home moms or seniors. Everyone is welcome at YPT! Back to top