Recently I was invited to be part of the coaching staff at a kayak racing camp for juniors. I learned a lot through the camp - not only about coaching, or about the personalities of athletes with whom I'll likely have an occasional coaching relationship for some years to come, but also about making it fun.
Typically at these camps, you plan 3 workouts a day, for the duration of the camp. Young athletes invariably give it their all at the start, but eventually start to get tired of the routine, it's not unusual to see some tears, and you definitely don't help them deliver their best.
However - if instead of 3 hard core workouts, you sneak in 2 or 3 'anti-workouts' like a hike up a mountain, paddleboard relay, rock climbing adventure or similar, they'll work harder than ever - and not even think about how hard this 'special' activity really was. The net result *will* be athletes who are more energized, perform better in their other workouts, and generally have a much better experience.
Even Olympic caliber athletes enjoy a day off to do something unusual, and many spend months in their 'off' season doing something completely unrelated to their primary sport - skiers go surfing, paddlers go mountain biking, riders go swimming. The goal is simple - use muscles that are not normally used for your sport, maintain a high level of fitness, and mentally remove yourself from the triggers and actors required for high level competition.
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Given the above, why in the world would you put any kid through a year around diet of one and only one sport? Far too many elementary age athletes are scheduled 'to excel' with specialty camps in the off-season, power camps during the pre-season, tournaments every other week for 3 months, and -if they aren't 'good enough', another round of leagues, individual practices, speed camps, technique camps, power camps. Pretty soon, mom and dad have shelled out a year's tuition at the state university -- for an 8 year old!!! And what did the kid really want to do? Get skates and a stick so he/she could go play on the park rink with their buddies. It happens far too frequently. Sports like hockey, figure skating and gymnastics seem to be the worst for this, but all sports can attract parents who are convinced that their little darling is the next incarnation of... well, whomever. And they *might* be right. But by focusing all their efforts on one sport, they increase the chances for asymmetrical injury, burnout, a very narrow social circle, and a loss of the fun of childhood.
It's hard in these days of helicopter parenting, tiger moms and wolf dads to find a chance for kids to play. I don't mean 'play dates' with scheduled activities. I mean PLAY. I realize that in most larger communities you don't have the option to go roaming wild in the woods, but at least go to the park and just play. Climb trees, swing, slide, jump, run, get messy, take chances. And occasionally, get hurt. And make stuff up - invent. Instead of soccer practice, kids will figure out soccer golf, with a tree, hydrant or sewer grate as the pin. Or invent a game where the ball has to pass around 2 trees, under the bench, over the porta-john, and through the arch before it can go in the 'goal' - an overturned garbage can. Or create 'kick ball cricket' with local rules to fit the field. I read the other day about a new soccer concept that features an irregular field, mounds, and other 'natural' features. "Great" I thought. And then continued to read how they were forming "LEAGUES" for this great new anti-competition format for sport. Sorry, leagues = competition. You can't escape that fact, no matter how cool the concept is.
So what to do? As parents, there are a couple of things:
- Agree not to worry about 'making the best team'
- No double scheduling (soccer and baseball, hockey and soccer, paddling and gymnastics, etc) that run concurrently or have major overlaps.
- Take the money spent on specialty camps while at the elementary level and spend it on a good summer camp experience. Your kid will gain independence, learn new skills, social interactions, nature, and who knows what.
- Commit to not overcommitting. You can't bake cookies for Matt's soccer on Tuesday, bring pizza for Jon's baseball Wednesday and drinks for Lyssa's volleyball on Thursday. Learn to say 'no'. You can bring the drinks next week. Your kid won't suffer, and if they do, you are in the wrong group.
- Make school the priority. There are only a handful of athletic scholarships available, and unless your backstory includes pro athletes, better not count on it.
- Insist on an off-season. Pro and elite athletes in the prime of their careers take 4-8 weeks off at the end of the season. Why shouldn't young athletes and their families?
- If the coaching isn't what you expect, be sure your expectations are aligned with reality. I've seen parents get upset because their U-7 coach wasn't teaching strategy - to a bunch of kids who were more interested in the dandelion puffs than scoring goals. The coach focused on 3 passes, and taking a shot - even if it was had no hope of succeeding - just to keep everything interesting. Parental expectation fail.
- And if, after checking your ego at the door, the coaching still isn't up to par, talk to the coach. Find out their goals. Offer to help. If you really don't like it, offer to coach next year.
- Finally, one thing I took from coaching youth lacrosse - "Respect the game". No yelling at the other players, riding your team, yelling at the coaches, officials, volunteers. Cheer for everyone. If you can't do that, go sit in your car! THIS IS ALL FOR FUN and for the KIDS!
~marsh
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