What Exercises Improve Kids’ Athleticism?

1. Fundamental Movement Skills: Running, Jumping, Throwing

Research consistently shows that basic locomotive and object-control skills dramatically improve coordination, motor planning, and speed in young children (Oganisyan et al., 2024; Rata et al., 2020).

These include:

• sprinting & change-of-direction

• hopping, jumping, bounding

• overhand & underhand throwing

• catching & kicking

These skills form the foundation for almost every organized sport.

2. Age-Appropriate Strength & Conditioning

Kids do not need heavy weights to build strength. Instead, they benefit greatly from:

• bodyweight squats

• push-ups and planks

• step-ups and lunges

• resistance band exercises

• light plyometrics (skips, hops, jumps)

Under proper supervision, these activities improve:

• coordination

• balance

• force production

• agility

Pediatric strength training is safe when appropriately scaled and provides measurable improvements in confidence and athletic readiness (Long et al., 2024).

3. Structured Youth Athletic Programs

Programs like IAAF Kids’ Athletics incorporate games, relay races, and skill stations. Evidence shows these programs improve:

• running speed

• jumping performance

• throwing coordination

• overall physical literacy
  (Čillík & Willwéber, 2018)

These programs also keep training fun and engaging — a critical factor in long-term athletic development.

4. Speed, Strength, and Throwing Drills

Research indicates that structured exposure to simple speed drills, basic strength work, and throwing activities can meaningfully improve physical capacity (Toledo Sánchez et al., 2021).

Examples include:

• shuttle runs

• medicine ball throws (lightweight)

• bounding and skipping drills

• balance and stability exercises

These build a versatile foundation for any future sport.