The BCI Summer FUNdamentals Camp

WHO: 7-11 year old children

DISCOUNT: 10% Discount for those who sign up before Memorial Day for a total of 4 or more weeks during the summer.  Discounts for additional family members are possible as well.

WHEN: 3:45 – 4:45, Monday – Friday from late-May to early-August (basically when public schools are on summer break)

WHERE: BCI Sports Performance and Fitness, 9582 Madison Blvd Suite 16 & 17, Madison, AL 35758

HOW: Call 256-856-9660 or email at [email protected] at least 1 week prior in order to complete waiver and billing paperwork

WHAT: Combination of coached games, drills, and sprints designed for kids to enjoy movement and explore their capacities.  We follow the Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) model (see below) to provide age-appropriate physical activity in a safe manner to develop future athletic potential.  Here are a few videos of our classes:

Video #1: https://youtube.com/shorts/RGVtyQAubsc?feature=share

Video #2: https://youtube.com/shorts/_pxWe1osSGE?feature=share

Video #3: https://youtube.com/shorts/BHzuQVFqfNE?feature=share

Our facility is conveniently located off of Madison Boulevard right of I-565 near Huntsville International Airport.  We have a 20-year history of making athletes great and helping adults with weight loss.  Our three youth programs (FUNdamentals for 7-11yo, Acceleration for 12-14yo, and Elite for 15-18yo) follow the LTAD model in the afternoons.  For adults we offer semi-private (Hybrid) and group training (MetBlast) at convenient times throughout the day.

The FUNdamentals Program is for youth 8-11 years old and follows the Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) model which is described here:

WHAT: At this age young athletes should be having fun and exploring movement. Be careful to place adult expectations on a child. Emotional ties to sport and physical activity as a whole are being formed at this age and FUN should be the name of the game.

WHY (aka: “the science”): As you can see there is some overlap between the categories of “Fundamentals” and “Learn to Train” when dealing with athletes in this age group. We have taken the liberty to develop a modified LTAD approach here while staying true to the principles. At these ages Speed, Agility and Power can be developed by including a wide variety of games, races , obstacle courses and other means that require a child to start, stop, change direction all in a confined space or environment.

We also begin to teach athletes the basics of speed mechanics and introduce “UNLOADED” movement patterns like squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, crawling and carrying for certain athletes. We expose athletes to monkey bars, rope climbing and other movements like jumping, galloping, rolling, and tumbling to mimic the type of free play children use to get before the technology age. The development of these abilities at a young age transfer to better performance later in life.

HOW: We combine “free play” and structured skill training sessions daily with this group of athletes. Games are a great way to get “buy in”, have fun and get maximal effort. Playing a game of tag has all the components of a structured “agility” drill. The difference is kids will be more creative, and will maximally accelerate, decelerate, and control their body in a more realistic manner that transfers to sport. At this age too much structure slows them down literally and figuratively.

Games are a big focus of what we do but we also provide structured drills to improve context and understanding of ideal mechanics and position while addressing all the functional patterns a young athlete must be good at…squatting, lunging/stepping, hinging, pushing, pulling, carrying, and crawling.

At this age we rarely provide any external load. Their body weight provides a great stimulus and if we choose to load a child in this program the loading will be less that what their “book bag” weighs.

Getting “strong” and working to the point of full exhaustion is NOT a priority for this age group. FUN, effort, relative strength (bodyweight), proper attitude and focus matter and should be the priority. This program does a great job of fostering these qualities in the participants.

WHAT NOT TO DO: Athletes in this window of development should not train to failure, use heavy training loads, or be trained and treated like High school, college or professional athletes. Just because someone can make your athlete tired and exhausted it does not mean they got better.

WHAT TO DO: You MUST find a qualified practitioner to help your child at this age. Do not assume that children are unbreakable. There are many unqualified “coaches” of young athletes who have good intentions but have no understanding of the consequences of training a child incorrectly at this age.

WHAT #BCIFAMILY/ PARENTS SAY: “Both our daughters have been coming to BCI for over a year at this point. Not only have they improved their athleticism, but they look forward to training at BCI and love working with the coaches! Our entire family trains at BCI. If you’re looking for a place that you can trust with your young athlete look no further!” –Tremand Dunham

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 256-856-6990

Website: www.bodycreationsinc.com