SCHOOLS + SPORT CLUBS
HOW CAN ARC HELP SCHOOLS + CLUBS?
ARC can tailor and deliver strength and speed clinics for athletic development, injury prevention programs, and education workshops to schools and sporting clubs, built on the latest sports science and adapted to the age, stage, and sport demands of your athletes.
We provide:
✔ Clinics integrated into existing training sessions or delivered as stand-alone workshops
✔ Evidence-based education for athletes, coaches, and parents
✔ Practical strategies athletes can take home to reduce injury risk and improve performance
✔ Sport- and age-specific programming that supports both health and athletic development
Delivery formats (pick what fits your program)
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Integration model: We attend regular team trainings for 4–12 weeks, installing warm-ups and strength or speed blocks coaches can maintain.
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Stand-alone intensives: 60–120-minute workshops (before/after school, during training, or pre-season blocks).
COACH + PLAYER INJURY PREVENTION
Implement and customise to sport and age group: plug-and-play neuromuscular warm-ups for injury prevention and athletic development.
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Deliver program to teams and train coaches in delivery
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Aerobic, agility, strength + balance exercises, focused on the hip–knee–ankle chain, + single-leg stability + controlled plyometrics
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Progressions/regressions
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Emphasis on compliance (injury reduction is highest with adherence).
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Teach “niggles policy” and graded return steps.
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Supply all education resources
STRENGTH + POWER CLINICS
Building developmentally appropriate strength foundations and explosive power, these clinics safely progress, so athletes convert strength + power into real speed on the court or field.
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Progressive strength foundations: squat/hinge/lunge/push/pull/core; single-leg stability
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Delivered on-court/field or in a gym, with bodyweight → bands → DB/KB progressions so teams can continue independently.
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Built-in injury-prevention components
SPEED + AGILITY CLINICS
These clinics build acceleration, max-velocity, deceleration, and change-of-direction control—progressed for age and stage—so athletes move faster, cut sharper, and stay safer.
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Build linear acceleration, maximal speed, and game-relevant change of direction.
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Agility/COD: deceleration, re-acceleration, cutting, curved runs, reaction drills.
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Testing & re-testing (e.g., 10–20 m splits, T-Test/505/Illinois as appropriate) with report-backs for coaches and athletes.
NUTRITION + LOAD MANAGEMENT
These sessions deliver practical fueling + recovery habits, with growth-spurt + load management to help athletes sustain performance, reduce risk, and balance demands.
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Fueling + hydration for performance + recovery
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Growth-spurt energy needs
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Coach module: spotting under-fueling/RED-S red flags, building “fuel-friendly” training schedules and sideline plans
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Sleep/mood/soreness check-ins
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Load spikes, taper/deload weeks, and adjusting around school/club/rep overlaps
ARC Injury Prevention Clinics
Despite the fact that Neuromuscular training (NMT) injury prevention warm-up programs have shown they can reduce youth sport injuries by up to 68%, low adoption and adherence to the programs means injury rates are not declining.
Youth athletes are not “mini adults.” Their bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons are still developing, which makes them more susceptible to overuse and acute injuries. When young people get injured, the consequences extend well beyond missing training or games:
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Short-term: Pain, time away from sport, lost confidence, and missed school/social activities.
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Medium-term: Higher risk of re-injury, reduced fitness, and increased chance of dropping out of sport.
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Long-term: Repeated injuries in adolescence are linked with early arthritis, chronic pain, and reduced physical activity in adulthood.
By embedding injury prevention into school and club programs, we can significantly reduce these risks and improve both safety and performance.
What the Science Shows
HOW INJURIES OCCUR:
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Overtraining & repetition: Too much repeated load on bones, muscles, and tendons.
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Inadequate recovery: Not enough rest between sessions for tissues to repair, and not enough sleep.
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Low strength & conditioning: Tissues can’t handle the loads being placed on them.
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Growth spurts: Bones grow faster than muscles, tendons, and ligaments, which creates tension that predisposes stress injuries.
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Bone stress mechanism: Exercise causes more bone breakdown than rebuild when load is too high + rest too low → micro-damage accumulates → higher fracture risk.
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Scar-tissue healing: Injuries heal with scar tissue, which is weaker/less elastic → higher chance of future injury.
TRAINING VOLUME & SPECIALISATION:
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Research highlights a strong link between training load and injury risk in youth athletes.
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Sudden spikes in training load (start of season), and lack of strength and conditioning also increase the chance of injury.
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Youth who specialise in one sport too early (before ~15–16 years old) face higher rates of overuse injuries compared to those who play multiple sports.
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Multi-sport athletes build broader movement skills, reduce repetitive strain, and are often more resilient in the long run.
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Early sport specialisation does not correlate with long term elite achievement in sport.
COMMON INJURIES IN YOUTH SPORT:
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Sprains + strains: Lower extremity injuries dominate. Predominantly, ankle and knee sprains and strains/tears, and leg/thigh muscle and tendon strains, particularly in court and field sports.
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Overuse injuries (tendinopathies, stress reactions) are on the rise with early sport specialisation and year-round play.
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Growth-related injuries are especially common during adolescence, where the bone grows quicker than the muscle and tendon.
These injuries are not career-ending, but if ignored, they limit participation, reduce performance, and increase re-injury risk.
ARC’s Risk Reduction Strategy
Our clinics apply proven methods from global gold-standard injury prevention programs such as Football Australia PERFORM+ and SHRED Basketball Injuries.
✔ These programs have been shown to substantially reduce major injuries, with a 36–39% reduction in overall injury incidence, including knee and ankle injuries in youth athletes.
✔ Consistency matters: the warm-up exercises must be performed at least twice per week to be effective.
✔ Compliance is critical: athletes who consistently adhere to the program experience the greatest reduction in injury risk.
The program components include:
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Aerobic, agility, strength + balance exercises, focused on the hip–knee–ankle chain, single-leg stability, hamstrings/calves, core, and controlled plyometrics.
Alongside these structured warm-up protocols, ARC clinics reinforce the key pillars of risk reduction:
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Evidence-based warm-ups: Integrated into every training session and game.
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Gradual progression: Avoid sudden spikes in load; taper appropriately.
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Recovery: At least 2 rest days per week, plus 8–10 hours of sleep per night for teens.
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Nutrition and hydration: Supporting tissue repair and energy balance.
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Multi-sport participation: Avoiding early specialisation to reduce repetitive strain.
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Technique and coaching: Correct form, safe progressions, and prioritising quality over quantity.
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Load monitoring: Tracking mood, sleep, and soreness to guide safe training.
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Growth-spurt considerations: Adjusting training load, adding mobility, and monitoring tightness and fatigue.
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Injury “niggles” policy: Any pain greater than 3/10, movement alterations, or visible swelling = stop, modify, assess, and rehabilitate before returning.
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The Fitness-Fatigue Model (see below).
The Fitness-Fatigue Model explains how every training session produces both a positive fitness gain and a temporary fatigue cost.
Performance on any given day is the net result of these two forces:
Performance = Fitness – Fatigue
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High training loads increase fitness, but also raise fatigue – which can temporarily suppress performance.
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Deloads and tapering reduce fatigue, revealing fitness gains and allowing athletes to peak.
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Too much fatigue masks fitness and increases injury risk.
The art of planning is managing both sides of the equation.
Source: Australian Athletics
KEY TAKEAWAY
The science is clear: most youth sport injuries aren’t just bad luck—they’re largely preventable. When training loads are balanced, seasons include variety, and strength, agility, and movement skills are developed, risk drops and performance rises.
With the right strategies in place, clubs and schools can:
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Reduce injury rates and protect athlete wellbeing
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Keep kids participating longer in sport they love
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Enhance performance through better movement, strength, and resilience
Contact ARC today to organise a tailored clinic for your school or sporting association.
Together, we can help young athletes play safer, play stronger, and play for life.
