Guides · Clubs · 9 November 2026 · Thomas Schüller
Club training: managing load by group
How club coaches manage the load of whole groups, use attendance and take differences in development into account.
In a club hardly anyone trains alone. A coach with twenty children cannot keep twenty individual plans. She can, however, record the load of the group: duration and average effort per session, plus attendance. This shows who has trained a lot and who little.
Differences within the group
Children of the same age can be years apart in physical maturity. Malina and colleagues and the consensus statement of the International Olympic Committee on youth athletic development advise adapting load and expectations to this and avoiding early specialisation.
What helps in practice
Split the group into two levels for intensive parts, record attendance and plan a gradual return after holidays or illness.
With team and season
The tool manages groups, attendance and load per group and plans the sessions of the season.
Key point: In a club, management works through group, attendance and gradual return; maturity counts more than the year of birth.
References
- Foster, C. et al. (2001): A new approach to monitoring exercise training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 15(1), 109-115.
- Bergeron, M. F. et al. (2015): International Olympic Committee consensus statement on youth athletic development. British Journal of Sports Medicine 49(13), 843-851.
- Malina, R. M. et al. (2015): Biological maturation of youth athletes: assessment and implications. British Journal of Sports Medicine 49(13), 852-859.