When your main sport season comes around, there never seems to be enough time.

It's why we admire true student-athletes, and their ability to handle two huge responsibilities simultaneously.

Youth athletes are engaged in off-season strength training more than ever before, yet most do nothing to hold onto those gains when their season starts.

Some simply don't have time, others stay away for fear of injury.

Even those who try may stop because of the soreness, or the challenge of making real progress with limited energy.

The funny thing is, though, there's a solution to all of these concerns.

A tactic that can preserve strength, lower injury risk, and minimize soreness, all while taking up very little time.

It's called isometric training.

Although it's been around forever, trainer Jay Schroeder re-popularized isometrics about a decade ago.

He took a walk on college football player named Adam Archuleta to NFL stardom, primarily using this method.

This style of strength training is simple.

You are holding either your bodyweight or an external weight in place somewhere between the top and bottom of an exercise.

Doing so puts an added stress on your tendons, which adapt to handle higher strength loads down the road.

And it enhances joint integrity, making you more resistant to injury.

There is, admittedly, one pretty big downside...

It hurts!

Historically, spring is a big youth sports injury season.

So we've been implementing lots of isometric training with our kids lately.

Not surprisingly, we've observed an equal increase in dirty looks and salty dispositions from those executing them.

But if its going to help our athletes remain healthy and play well at the end of the season, while their opponents fade, then it's all worth it.

In-season training is a major performance advantage for youth athletes, if for no other reason than most others aren't going that extra mile.

And when every minute is precious, know that you'll only need 1-2 hours per week to receive all the benefits.

It's 100% safe and effective, provided it revolves around:

• Isometric strength

• Targeting flexibility or stability weak links

• Explosive power

• A moderate amount of full speed sprinting

What it shouldn't include is:

• Weightlifting for muscle building

• Excessive pounding on the legs (high intensity plyos)

• Too much of any one thing - arm strength for example

Smart teams and athletes use this to gain a major long-term edge on the competition.

Not only by playing better that season, but in starting their off-season training at a much higher level.