LOAD MANAGEMENT for YOUTH Athletes | Optimizing Training & Preventing Injury with Kara Kessans

The amount of exercise and volleyball specific training an athlete performs in a given day, week, month or year can be an indicator of the physical stress and strain on the body. Kara Kessans, Head Athletic Trainer for U.S. Women’s National Team, walks coaches through what physiological load is, its role in physical training and preparation of an athlete, and ways they can monitor load to ensure safe training. 00:00 Introduction – What Is Training Load? 00:02 Understanding Load, Intensity & Duration 00:31 Adaptation Curve – Positive vs. Negative Training Effects 01:44 Periodization – Planning Training to Avoid Overload 02:20 Macrocycles & Microcycles Explained 03:07 Youth Volleyball Challenges – No True Offseason 04:44 Applying Load Management Across Club & High School Seasons 07:00 Weekly Training Examples – Light, Moderate & Hard Days 08:38 Measuring Load with RPE & Wearable Technology 13:00 Key Takeaways – Balance, Adaptation & Recovery #Volleyball #TrainingLoad #SportsScience #InjuryPrevention #AthletePerformance