Book your place
This programme is due to launch from the week commencing 13 January 2025.
Days/times:
- Females (school years 7-9 and 10-13): Mondays, 17:30-18:30
- Males (school years 7-9 and 10-13: Wednesdays, 17:30-18:30
Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Carnegie Strength and Conditioning Academy
A programme delivering strength and conditioning sessions whilst providing a supportive community for youth athletes.
The Health and Performance Hub at Leeds Beckett University has established a Strength and Conditioning Academy that provides a structured environment to enhance physical fitness, minimise injury risk, and foster a supportive peer community.
Participants benefit from world-class facilities, expert staff, and extensive academic resources, ensuring top-quality training, support, and development.
The programme focuses on tailored training, with coaches designing sessions specifically for youth athletes rather than adapting adult programmes. Recognising the importance of gender-specific programming, we will offer gender-specific sessions, including male-only and female-only options.
Acknowledging that sports training alone is insufficient for developing comprehensive strength and neuromuscular fitness, the programme combines training with structured strength and conditioning to enhance physical capabilities, reduce injury risk, and support sustainable high performance and long-term health.
Overall, this exclusive programme promotes both athletic and personal growth.
Movement literacy: Prioritising proper movement patterns is essential for long-term success and injury prevention. Developing fundamental movement skills, such as squatting and jumping, enhances neuromuscular coordination and lays a solid foundation for strength and power training
Tailored training programmes: Coaches should create training programmes specifically for youth athletes, focusing on fundamental movements before introducing increased stimuli for adaptations. This approach ensures that the training meets the unique developmental needs of younger athletes
Enhances overall physical development: Solely relying on sports training is inadequate for developing integrated strength and fitness. A combination of sports training and structured strength and conditioning enhances physical capabilities, reduces injury risk, and supports sustainable high performance
Psychosocial awareness: As youth athletes mature, psychosocial factors become increasingly important. Introducing movement competency early can help address issues related to confidence and body image, fostering a positive attitude towards physical development
Prevention of late development issues: Early strength and conditioning training ensures that athletes do not miss critical developmental windows, facilitating consistent physical preparation throughout each developmental stage
Frequency: One-hour strength and conditioning session per week
Gender specific sessions: Separate sessions for males and female youth athletes
Age group sessions: Separate curriculums for school years 7-9 and 10-13
Session Focus/Goals
School year groups 7-9:
- Development of athletic motor skills
- Fun and inclusive activities
- Enhanced movement patterns
- Introduction to good training habits
- Supportive community building
School year groups 10-13:
- Increased tolerance to training loads
- Injury risk reduction
- Education on appropriate training intensities
- Supportive community building
This programme is due to launch from the week commencing 13 January 2025.
Location: The Carnegie School of Sport, Headingley Campus, Leeds Beckett University (LS6 3QS)
Days/Times:
- Females (school years 7-9 and 10-13): Monday 17:30-18:30
- Males (school years 7-9 and 10-13): Wednesdays 17:30-18:30
School years 7-9 session:
- Cost per session: £10
- Block cost: £80 per eight-session block
School years 10-13 session:
- Cost per session: £15
- Block cost: £120 per eight-session block
Parents need to sign up for a minimum eight-session block, with options to pay for multiple blocks.
Leeds Beckett staff receive a 25% discounted rate.
Youth athletes aged 11 to 19 years old (school years 7-13)
Featured experts
Featured experts
Dr Ffion Thompson
Postdoctoral Research Fellow / Carnegie School of Sport
Dr Ffion Thompson is a postdoctoral researcher in youth athlete development and a UKSCA accredited coach, specialising in evidence-based strength and conditioning for young athletes. She has extensive experience in elite sports, including her roles as Women's Head of Athletic and Physical Development for Wales Lacrosse and Pathway Strength and Conditioning Coach at Leeds Rhinos Netball, where she prepares athletes for high-performance demands. Additionally, as the Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach at Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate, she has demonstrated her expertise in fostering youth athletic development, helping young athletes build a solid foundation for lifelong health and performance. Beyond coaching, Dr Thompson is an active member of the leadership team at the Centre for Child and Adolescent Physical Literacy, where she contributes to research and initiatives focused on improving movement competency and physical literacy in children and adolescents.
Dr Jake Beech
Postdoctoral Research Fellow / Carnegie School of Sport
Dr Jake Beech is a postdoctoral research fellow in sports coaching at Leeds Beckett University, where he leads the Women's Professional Game Academy Injury Surveillance Project in collaboration with the FA. Additionally, he is a strength and conditioning coach for the U15 and U16 England Women's National Teams, overseeing the direction and alignment of physical performance content in the FA Top Talent Pathway. Dr Beech also worked alongside the FA to develop a tailored physical development framework for female football players aged 8-16 across England. His expertise in talent identification and physical performance development plays a critical role in enhancing the pathways for aspiring athletes within the football community.
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