The best examples of periodization for youth athletes: examples & tips that actually work

Instead of starting with theory, let’s jump straight into real examples of periodization for youth athletes. Then we’ll unpack the logic behind them.

Imagine a 13‑year‑old soccer player who plays on a travel team in the fall, futsal in the winter, and school soccer in the spring. If you don’t plan, this kid is basically in “go hard” mode all year. That’s how you get overuse injuries and burnout.

With periodization, the same athlete cycles through lighter phases, building phases, peak phases, and recovery phases. The training still looks like normal youth sports practices, but the examples include simple adjustments: fewer high‑intensity drills in certain weeks, more strength work in others, and clearly planned rest.

Below are several examples of periodization for youth athletes: examples & tips across different sports and ages that you can adapt right away.

Example of periodization for a 12–14‑year‑old soccer player (full-year view)

This is one of the best examples of how to smoothly structure a busy youth athlete’s year.

Off‑season (8–10 weeks, early summer)
Training shifts away from constant competition. Two to three days per week of organized work is plenty.

• Emphasis on general athleticism: fun games, tag variations, basic sprint mechanics, jumping and landing skills.
• Light strength training using body weight, resistance bands, and medicine balls.
• Short, playful small‑sided games instead of full matches.

Pre‑season (6–8 weeks before fall league)
Intensity starts to climb, but volume stays reasonable.

• Two to three soccer practices per week plus one short strength session.
• More focused drills on acceleration, deceleration, and change of direction.
• One day each week with slightly higher conditioning (repeated sprints, small‑sided games with time limits).

In‑season (10–12 weeks, fall league)
The key tip here: don’t try to “get fit” during the season; maintain and sharpen.

• Two practices per week, one game on the weekend.
• Strength work reduced to one short, 20–30 minute session focused on movement quality and injury prevention.
• One lighter practice each week with technical skills and lower‑intensity play.

Transition (2–4 weeks after the season)
This is the most ignored phase in youth sports and one of the best examples of where periodization protects kids.

• Time away from structured soccer: pick‑up play is fine, but no heavy schedule.
• Fun activities: biking, swimming, hiking, or other sports.
• Any organized training is low‑key: mobility, basic strength, and easy ball work.

This example of periodization respects growth, school stress, and social life, while still supporting performance.

Basketball: examples of periodization for youth athletes in a long winter season

Youth basketball seasons can run from November through March, and many kids jump straight into spring AAU. Without planning, that’s five or six months of pounding on developing joints.

Here’s a simple way to organize training for a 14‑year‑old guard playing school ball and some club tournaments.

Early pre‑season (September–October)

• Two days per week of skill work (shooting, ball handling, finishing at the rim).
• Two days per week of strength and movement training: squats, lunges, push‑ups, band rows, plus landing mechanics.
• Conditioning mostly through drills, not long-distance running.

In‑season (November–February)

• Three team practices plus one to two games per week.
• One short strength session focused on maintaining strength and joint stability (e.g., split squats, single‑leg RDLs, core work).
• Every 3–4 weeks, plan a “deload” week: slightly shorter practices, fewer sprints, more shooting and decision‑making drills.

Post‑season transition (2–3 weeks)

• Very light structured training: one fun open gym, no heavy conditioning.
• Mobility and light strength work to reset the body.

Spring AAU (if they play)

• Treat this as a mini‑season, not a continuation. Reduce strength volume and keep one day per week fully off.

This is one of the best examples of periodization for youth athletes in a high‑impact, high‑schedule sport. The structure allows for performance peaks during tournaments while controlling overall weekly load.

Track & field: examples include speed, power, and recovery blocks

Track gives some of the clearest examples of periodization for youth athletes: examples & tips, because events are easy to measure.

For a 15‑year‑old 100m/200m sprinter:

General preparation (8 weeks, winter)

• Three days per week of training.
• Short sprints (20–40m), basic plyometrics (skips, low hops), and general strength.
• Volume a bit higher, intensity moderate.

Specific preparation (6 weeks)

• Sprint distances gradually increase (40–80m), but total volume per session may decrease.
• More explosive plyometrics, like bounding and higher box jumps (with great supervision and technique).
• Strength training shifts to more power: lighter loads moved quickly.

Competition phase (8–10 weeks)

• Fewer sprints per session, but more all‑out efforts.
• Meets are treated as the main high‑intensity days.
• One or two low‑intensity technical sessions between meets.

Transition (2–3 weeks)

• Easy runs, low‑impact cross‑training, and light strength.

This example of periodization shows how intensity and volume trade places: early phases use more volume with moderate intensity; later phases use less volume but higher intensity.

Swimming: a classic example of periodization with clear peaks

Swimming programs have used periodization for decades, and they provide real examples you can borrow for other sports.

For a 13‑year‑old competitive swimmer:

Early season (September–November)

• Several practices per week, but intervals are moderate.
• Technique work is heavy: starts, turns, breathing patterns.
• Dryland training focuses on shoulder stability, basic core strength, and hip mobility.

Mid‑season (December–January)

• Some weeks are higher volume and intensity, followed by lighter weeks.
• Practices include race‑pace intervals, but not every day.
• Dryland remains, but volume is reduced slightly.

Championship phase (February–March)

• Total yardage drops.
• Race‑pace work stays, but with more rest between efforts.
• Dryland is trimmed to short activation and injury‑prevention work.

Off‑season (spring/summer break)

• Less pool time, more variety: water polo, open‑water swimming, or even time completely away from the pool.

This is one of the best examples of how to “taper” youth athletes without extreme methods: simply reduce volume, keep some intensity, and prioritize sleep and recovery.

Multi-sport kids: examples of periodization when the calendar is chaos

Many youth athletes play soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball or track in the spring. Periodization for these kids looks different.

Instead of a classic single‑sport annual plan, you think in micro‑seasons and adjust weekly load.

Real example: a 12‑year‑old who plays fall soccer and winter basketball.

• During fall soccer season, basketball is limited to one skill session per week with no heavy conditioning.
• When soccer ends, there’s a 1–2 week transition with lighter activity before basketball ramps up.
• Across the entire year, strength and movement training stays at one to two short sessions per week, adjusted for game volume.

The key tip: in any given week, look at total high‑intensity days. For most youth athletes, three to four intense days (including games) is plenty. Everything else should be lighter or fully off.

This flexible approach gives examples of periodization for youth athletes that respect real-life schedules instead of pretending kids are full‑time pros.

Simple periodization tips for youth coaches and parents

Theory is nice, but here are practical tips that show up again and again in the best examples of periodization for youth athletes.

Start by mapping the year on one page
Write out school terms, sports seasons, exams, and holidays. Then lightly mark:

• Off‑season or lighter phases
• Pre‑season build‑up phases
• In‑season competition phases
• Transition or recovery phases

Even this basic map already moves you toward better planning.

Use “hard–medium–easy” weeks
Instead of pushing hard all the time, rotate intensity:

• A harder week: more intense practices, maybe an extra conditioning block.
• A medium week: normal schedule, no extra load.
• An easier week: shorter practices, more skills, less conditioning.

This pattern is backed by research on training load and injury risk. Organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommend managing weekly and seasonal loads for youth athletes to reduce overuse injuries and burnout.

You can read more about youth sports injury patterns and overuse risks at the CDC’s youth sports pages (https://www.cdc.gov/sportsafety/index.html) and in guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics summarized by the NIH (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5532199/).

Protect at least one full rest day per week
No practices, no games, no “just a quick workout.” This is not being soft; it’s smart physiology and mental health. Mayo Clinic also emphasizes rest as a key part of healthy youth sports participation (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/children-and-sports/art-20047432).

Respect growth spurts
During rapid growth (often around ages 11–14), kids may feel clumsy, sore, or unusually tired. That’s a great time to:

• Shift toward technique and movement quality.
• Reduce intense jumping or sprinting volume.
• Keep strength training, but with lighter loads and careful supervision.

Prioritize movement quality over load
In almost every example of periodization for youth athletes that works long term, coaches obsess less over heavy weights and more over how kids move: landing softly, cutting safely, controlling the trunk, and aligning knees and hips.

Common mistakes when applying periodization to youth athletes

Seeing a few successful examples of periodization for youth athletes can tempt adults to copy elite programs. That’s where things go sideways.

Some common pitfalls:

Copying college or pro plans
Youth athletes are still growing, juggling school, and often playing multiple sports. They don’t need 6‑day training weeks, double sessions, or “grind” culture.

Never scheduling a real break
Year‑round club plus school sports plus extra camps means no transition phases. Even two weeks of lighter activity after a long season can make a huge difference in mood and injury risk.

Chasing fatigue instead of progress
If the goal of every session is to leave kids gasping, there’s no room to progress intensity or volume logically. Periodization is about planned stress, not constant exhaustion.

Ignoring sleep and school stress
Exams, late nights, and social stress all affect recovery. During exam weeks, it’s smart to shift to more skill work and lighter practices.

How to build your own simple youth periodization plan

You don’t need a PhD to use these ideas. You can create your own example of periodization for a youth athlete with a few steps:

Start by choosing the biggest competitive goal of the year. Maybe it’s the spring track championship or the state soccer tournament. Work backward 8–12 weeks from that date to plan:

• A build‑up phase with gradually increasing intensity.
• A peak phase where volume comes down but quality stays high.
• A post‑event transition phase where activity is lighter and more varied.

Then fill in the rest of the year with:

• General athletic development: strength, speed mechanics, coordination, and fun play.
• At least one lighter month each year where there is no main sport season.

Use the real examples of periodization for youth athletes above as templates, not rigid rules. Adjust for your athlete’s age, training history, and interest level.

FAQ: examples of periodization for youth athletes

What is a simple example of periodization for a 10‑year‑old?
Think very broad phases. For a 10‑year‑old playing recreation soccer:

• Spring: 2 practices and 1 game per week, no extra conditioning.
• Early summer: 2 days per week of general play and basic strength (body weight, games, obstacle courses).
• Late summer: 2–3 weeks of slightly more focused soccer skills plus fun conditioning games.
• Fall: another light season, then a few weeks off from structured soccer.

How many days a week should youth athletes train in a periodized plan?
Most pre‑high‑school athletes do well with 3–4 active days per week that are more structured, plus informal play. During heavy competition phases, those 3–4 days might be mostly practices and games, with just 1 short strength or movement session.

Do all examples of periodization for youth athletes include strength training?
Not always, but the best examples usually include some form of strength and movement training two times per week at most ages, even if it’s just body‑weight work. Research summarized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association shows that well‑designed youth strength training is safe and beneficial when supervised properly.

Is it okay for youth athletes to play sports year‑round?
They can be active year‑round, but that’s different from competing in the same sport year‑round with no breaks. Periodization encourages variety and planned lighter phases. Many pediatric and sports medicine groups recommend at least 1–2 months per year away from a single main sport.

How do I know if my periodization plan is working?
Look for patterns: fewer overuse aches, more consistent energy, and better performance at the times you’re targeting (like playoffs or championships). If a young athlete is constantly sore, moody, or dreading practice, that’s a sign the overall load might be too high, and the plan needs more recovery built in.

Periodization for youth athletes doesn’t have to look fancy. The best examples of periodization for youth athletes are simply thoughtful, flexible schedules that balance training, competition, and real rest. Start small, adjust as you go, and keep the long‑term development and well‑being of the kid at the center of every decision.