Preseason conditioning may seem unnecessary for young athletes. But the general fitness-improving programs improve children’s abilities to participate in their sport and succeed. Many young athletes are simply unprepared, both mentally and physically, for their sport. A six to eight week program has been shown to reduce injuries among preteen athletes by about 50 percent. Many youth coaches agree that programs focusing on general fitness allow young athletes to succeed more often and in a greater variety of sports later in life.