With winter sports starting up we should start thinking about how much an athlete should be specializing in one sport, and how much time they should be training off the field. With more and more kids playing sports year-round, the importance of strength and conditioning has taken a back seat to sports skills. More and more kids are specializing in one sport at a younger age with their thought, as well as the parents, that to get better at a sport you must practice that skill over and over. This is not correct kids need a variety of sports to excel at overall athleticism as well as a well-planned strength and condition program to follow in and out of season. We understand that in both the parents and the kids head if they practice a sport and get better at that specific skill they are more likely to get a scholarship to a college dramatically decreasing the amount they have to pay. Practicing one skill over and over will either burn the child out and they will lose interest in that sport, or it could cause an overuse injury such as an elbow or shoulder injury from throwing a baseball year round. But it is actually the opposite if parents and kids focused more on their off-season and the importance of strength and conditioning more kids would succeed at the sports they play. It is time for parents to take a step back and think, are you doing your kids a favor having them play a sport year round or are you actually doing more damage than good? Help your child succeed in all sports and incorporate an appropriate strength and conditioning program throughout their off season.
H.K.
AOTM Rebecca Spencer