Inner Athlete

17/09/2026

Should young athletes specialise early—or can playing multiple sports build a stronger foundation for long-term success?

In Episode 153, host Trent Pirihi sits down with Bryce Walker and Connor Egan to discuss their journey from Australian junior lacrosse to competing in the US college system.

Bryce and Connor share how playing multiple sports throughout their development helped build their athleticism, movement skills and competitiveness—and how they eventually made the transition towards prioritising lacrosse.

In this episode, we cover:

✅ The pathway from Australian youth sport to US college athletics
✅ The benefits of playing multiple sports while growing up
✅ When young athletes should consider specialising
✅ The role of strength and conditioning during the teenage years
✅ Balancing school, sport, training and recovery
✅ Advice for parents supporting young athletes through their sporting journey

A great listen for young athletes, parents and coaches interested in long-term athletic development and what it takes to progress from junior sport into a high-performance environment.

🎧 Listen or watch the full episode:

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-153-from-australia-to-us-college-sport-building/id1727892339?i=1000790226882

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6she3zZy1nuAHyeIfX06pU?si=EF7kJalYTyylaILmQNgWbg

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcmTM_CXU_E

Should young athletes specialise early, or can playing multiple spo...

16/09/2026

“It’s been a real relief as a parent to have other people on your team to help you with all the challenges along the way.”

When Indi first came to Inner Athlete at just eight years old, she was already involved in multiple sports and experiencing recurring injuries. Her flexibility was well ahead of her strength, so the goal was to build the strength she needed to stay healthy and keep doing the sports she loved.

Since starting at Inner Athlete, Andrea has seen Indi become stronger, experience fewer injuries, and grow more confident in understanding and looking after her body.

🎥 Hear from Indi’s mum, Andrea, about how Inner Athlete has supported her strength, confidence and development across multiple sports including dancing, cheerleading and swimming.

Ready to help your young athlete become stronger and more resilient?
Take the first step with our Quick Start Trial, which includes:
✅ Movement & performance assessment
✅ Personalised coached session
✅ Consultation to review results & next steps

Book here: https://inner-athlete.com.au/quick-start-trial

16/09/2026

THE POWER OF PRESENCE IN YOUTH SPORT

What young athletes need most isn’t perfection, it’s you.

Your steady presence becomes the anchor they rely on in high-pressure moments.

Performance coach Kathryn Green breaks down why showing up, listening, and encouraging without added pressure can transform a child’s sporting experience.

14/09/2026

As a parent, you want your daughter to feel strong, confident and capable when she steps onto the court, field or track.

But those qualities don’t suddenly appear when she gets older.

Strength, speed, coordination, confidence and resilience are built over time.

Investing in her athletic development early can help her feel more prepared as sport becomes faster, more physical and more competitive — while also giving her the foundations to better handle the demands placed on her growing body.

This isn’t about pushing girls harder or specialising earlier.

It’s about giving them the physical tools and confidence to keep enjoying their sport, compete with belief and reach their potential.

Build the athlete first. 💪

Strong. Confident. Capable. Resilient.

Want to give your daughter the right foundations? Our 3-session Quick Start Trial is a great place to begin.

11/09/2026

Goals give training purpose.

Whether you're a young athlete striving to make the next team, a parent wanting to support your child's development, or an adult looking to build strength, improve fitness, move pain-free, or perform at your best - having a clear goal gives every training session meaning.

The most successful athletes don't just train hard; they train with intention. Goals provide direction, create accountability, and help turn small daily actions into long-term results. They give you something to work towards on the days motivation is high and the days it isn't.

What's important to remember is that goals aren't fixed. As you grow, learn, and achieve new milestones, your goals should evolve too. What starts as building confidence in the gym might become making a representative team. Improving general fitness might become running your first event. Every achievement creates a new opportunity to keep progressing.

For parents of young athletes, helping your child set realistic, meaningful goals can be one of the most powerful ways to build confidence, resilience, and a lifelong love of physical activity. The focus shouldn't just be on outcomes — it should be on the habits, skills, and character developed along the way.

At Inner Athlete, we help athletes of all ages identify what matters most, create a clear pathway forward, and build the strength, speed, fitness, and confidence needed to reach their potential.

Set goals. Find purpose. Keep progressing.

Inner Athlete - Bayside's premium strength and conditioning for youth athletes.

10/09/2026

𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 – 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 ⚡️
Potentiation refers to using a short bout of strength or explosive exercise to temporarily enhance the performance of a movement performed afterwards.

💡 The goal is to prime the nervous system, increase muscle activation, and prepare the body to produce force quickly — without creating enough fatigue to negatively impact performance.

Why use it?
• Increase neural readiness
• Improve rate of force development
• Enhance explosive power
• Prepare the body for high-speed movements
• Bridge the gap between the warm-up and competition

📋 How to use it:
• Keep the volume low and the intent HIGH.
• Use exercises that are relevant to the demands of your sport.
• Allow enough recovery between sets so fatigue doesn't outweigh the potentiation effect.

👉 This type of circuit can be used before training or competition to prepare the nervous system and get athletes feeling fast, powerful, and ready to perform. For our swimmers at , we use sessions like these in the lead-up to their state and national competitions

☝️ Try this session:
• 6–8 exercises
• 3–5 sets
• 3–6 reps
• Full recovery between efforts
• Focus on quality and explosive intent

09/09/2026

"Nikki is achieving her goals, increasing her strength, and injuries have been minimal."

In just four months, Nikki has noticed fewer niggles, increased strength, and more stamina to run out a full match. Her training has been tailored specifically to the demands of hockey and the goals she wanted to achieve.

Every young athlete's needs are different. With the right sport-specific training, they can build the strength, resilience, and physical confidence to keep performing and progressing in their sport.

🎥 Hear from Nikki's mum, Francine, about how specialised training has supported Nikki's hockey journey.

Ready to help your young athlete become stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for their sport? Start with our Quick Start Trial, which includes:
✅ An individual movement and performance assessment
✅ A personalised, coached training session
✅ A consultation to review their results and next steps

Book here:
https://inner-athlete.com.au/quick-start-trial

09/09/2026

Long-term athlete development isn’t about early success — it’s about staying in the game. 🏃♂️⚽️

For parents, it can be tempting to focus on results, performance, and how quickly your child is progressing. But the bigger picture matters.

Youth athletes don’t need to be the strongest, fastest, or best player at a young age. They need to enjoy moving, develop confidence, build good habits, and gradually learn the skills that will support them as they grow.

When young athletes feel supported rather than pressured, they’re more likely to enjoy training, stay motivated, and continue participating in sport long-term.

The goal isn’t to create the best 10-year-old athlete. It’s to help create a confident, capable athlete who still loves sport at 18, 25, and beyond.

Develop the athlete. Protect the person. Keep sport fun.

09/09/2026

🏃♂️ Performance and injury prevention are two sides of the same coin.

Parents often think their young athlete needs one type of training to become faster, stronger and more powerful, and another to reduce their injury risk.

But the right training develops both.

The strength that helps an athlete hold their position also helps them tolerate contact.

The movement control that improves their change of direction also helps them manage the forces placed on their knees, hips and ankles.

The conditioning that helps them perform late in a game also helps them maintain better movement when fatigue sets in.

As young athletes become faster and more powerful, the forces placed on their bodies increase. That’s why their ability to absorb and tolerate those forces must develop too.

No program can prevent every injury. But individualised, progressive training can help young athletes build the physical capacity to meet the demands of their sport and stay available to perform.

Because the goal isn’t simply to help them perform better.

It’s to help them build a body that can handle performing better.

Want to understand what your young athlete needs to work on?

Book their three-session Quick Start Trial:
https://inner-athlete.com.au/quick-start-trial

06/09/2026

🏁 THE SEASON IS OVER. NOW THE REAL DEVELOPMENT BEGINS.

The final siren has sounded.
The season is done.
So… what’s next?

For young athletes, the end of the season is one of the best opportunities of the year to develop.

It’s the time to step back, assess what worked, address what didn’t, and build the physical qualities that will help them perform better next season.

💪 Get stronger
⚡ Get faster
🦘 Improve power & explosiveness
🏃 Build speed & movement quality
🧠 Develop confidence & resilience
🩹 Address injuries and physical limitations

Because if an athlete finishes every season with the same weaknesses, the same niggles and the same physical limitations…

Next season can look a lot like the last one.

At Inner Athlete, we use the off-season to identify the areas holding young athletes back and build a plan around them.

Whether that means developing strength, improving movement mechanics, building capacity around previous injuries or simply giving an athlete the physical foundation they need to handle the demands of their sport — this is the time to do it.

Don’t wait until pre-season to start preparing.

Use the off-season to build the athlete you want to become next season.

🚀 The season might be over. Your development doesn’t have to be.

Start them young. Build them strong.

Inner Athlete - Bayside's premium strength and conditioning coaching for youth athletes.