Get Faster. Get Stronger. Make The Team.

To progress from local club to academy or rep level, young athletes need structured physical development alongside their sport-specific training.

Athletic Performance Matters specialises in strength and conditioning programs for 14–18-year-old athletes in AFL, soccer, and basketball. Programs are built by analysing the physical demands of the sport, then tailoring training to the athlete's age, training experience, available time, and equipment access.

Program Structure

What's Included in Each Program

One program = 6 unique training sessions (one for each week of the 6-week block). Each session is 30–60 minutes, delivered via Google Sheet with exercises, sets, reps, and video demos.

What programs do you offer?

Each program targets one physical quality: speed, power, maximal strength, hypertrophy (getting bigger) or fitness.

• SPEED PROGRAM Develops your athlete's ability to accelerate quickly, reach top speed, stop safely, and change direction efficiently. We train starting mechanics, braking technique, and cutting patterns. Bottom line: they get to the ball first and beat opponents in races.

• POWER PROGRAM Teaches explosive movement through jumping and advanced running drills. We progress from double-leg jumps to single-leg variations, then hops, bounds, and skips. This bridges the gap between being strong in the gym and being explosive on the field. Best for athletes who are strong but need better reaction time, jump height, or sprint technique.

• MAX STRENGTH PROGRAM Builds foundational strength using four essential movement patterns: pushing, pulling, squatting, and hip hinging. Think bench press, rows, squats, and deadlifts, or push ups, pull ups, single leg squats and bridges (age and experience dependent). This is the base for all athletic qualities—you can't be powerful, fast, or resilient without being strong first.

• HYPERTROPHY PROGRAM Uses the same four movements as max strength but focuses on building muscle size. Appropriate for athletes who need to be bigger to compete at higher levels or fill out their frame as they mature.

• FITNESS PROGRAM Improves cardiovascular capacity through sprint intervals (HIIT), steady-state runs, and tempo work. This allows athletes to recover quickly between efforts during games and maintain performance late in competition when others fade.

Each program addresses a specific athletic need—we can discuss and test which combination suits your teen’s sport and development stage.

How Many Programs Does You Need?

• 1 program = train once per week (e.g., one strength session per week for 6 weeks)

• 2 programs = train twice per week with variety (e.g., two different strength sessions per week, or one strength + one speed)

• 3+ programs = train 3+ times per week across multiple qualities or with more variety within one quality

If you wants to train the same quality multiple times per week (e.g., strength twice weekly), they need multiple programs to ensure variety and appropriate progression.

Most families start with 1–2 programs.

The Secret Ingredient - Linking Multiple 6-Week Programs Together

Completing consecutive programs ensures your teen peaks when the season starts, not months before.

Example: Speed Development Across 4 Blocks (24 weeks)

• Program 1 (General Prep): Build running fitness and basic acceleration technique

• Program 2 (Specific Prep 1): Introduction to other speed qualities including deceleration, maximal velocity and change of direction

• Program 3 (Specific Prep 2): Increased variation and complexity of all qualities

• Program 4 (Pre-Competition Phase): Speed fine tuned for match conditions.

Training volume decreases and rest periods increase across programs to develop higher-quality movement without fatigue. Specificity increases so training closely mirrors match demands by program 4.

When a players commit to a full off-season, this entire progression from program 1 to 4, is designed around you —creating a complete roadmap to ensure you are primed for round one.

Add-On Services (Not Included in Standard Programs)

• In-person coaching (Brunswick) — technique correction and exercise demonstration (limited availability)

• Video form checks — submit recordings for feedback between sessions

• Performance testing — baseline measurements for speed, power, and fitness relative to age/sport norms (in-person or online)

Decision Guide

Start here: What does you need most right now?

→ Not sure / want assessment first
Consider performance testing to identify priorities

→ Clear goal (e.g., get faster)
Start with 1 program focused on that quality

→ Multiple goals (e.g., speed + strength)
Start with 2 programs (2 different qualities)

→ Wants to train one quality multiple times per week
Order multiple programs for that quality

→ Full off-season commitment
Plan 3–4 consecutive blocks to peak at season start

→ Want in-person support
Add coaching sessions (Brunswick only, limited spots)

Next Steps

Preferred

• Complete this simple form indicating the services you were thinking about - and we’ll call you back

OR

• Just send us an email and we’ll start from there: support@athleticperformancematters.com.au