Recognising the spurt
Measure standing height monthly. More than roughly half a centimetre per month is an active growth phase; more than a centimetre is rapid. Support that with practical markers: outgrown boots, sudden clumsiness, more frequent niggles, and morning stiffness that was not there before.
This window typically lasts six to twelve months, and it is where growth-related injuries cluster.
What to keep exactly as it is
- Session frequency, two strength sessions a week.
- The core movement patterns: squat, hinge, single leg, push, pull.
- Calf and Achilles work, which becomes more important, not less.
- The warm-up, including hopping and landing.
What to hold steady
Progression. This is the key change. Rather than adding load or volume every fortnight, keep the training dose roughly constant while the body changes underneath it. The athlete is already coping with a substantial new stimulus, the growth itself.
Sport volume follows the same rule: this is not the moment to add a second team or step up an age group's fixture list.
What to emphasise more
- Single-leg control and balance, which deteriorate as limb lengths change.
- Landing and deceleration quality, with lower jump heights and more attention to mechanics.
- Isometric holds, which build tolerance at attachment points with less irritation.
- Calf, quadriceps, hamstring and hip flexibility work alongside strength.
- Trunk control, particularly in extension-heavy sports where back pain becomes more likely.
What to pull back
- High-volume plyometrics and repeated maximal jumping.
- Heavy spinal loading, especially with any technique breakdown.
- Maximal testing and one-rep-max work.
- Sudden increases in sprint volume.
Warning signs to act on
Morning stiffness that is worse than the day before, pain that is now present during warm-ups rather than only at the end of sessions, a limp after games, or point tenderness at the heel, shin bump or kneecap tip. Each of these means the current dose is ahead of current capacity.
The response is a temporary reduction of about a third in high-impact volume, more isometric work, and a reassessment in one to two weeks, not stopping altogether.
The payoff on the other side
Athletes who maintain strength work through a growth spurt typically come out of it noticeably more powerful, because they are applying developing force production to a longer, heavier frame. Those who stop tend to spend the following season catching up.