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Health & Fitness

Are You Overscheduling Your Athlete?

Basketball practice, baseball lessons, strength training, homework, after-school programs, and dinner...how does a parent balance it all without overscheduling their youth athlete?

In my time working at RBI, I've seen players come to me for instructional baseball lessons after a speed & agility training session at Premier Athlete Training and just prior to their basketball team's practice at Mass Premier Courts.  It is very common to have lessons with players who will wear a game/practice uniform of their soccer or basketball team to their BASEBALL LESSON as they are either coming from or on their way to that other athletic commitment. 

While I support being out of the house and active over sitting on the couch watching TV show after TV show or playing video game after video game, there has to be a line drawn.  Here is a basic guideline I would suggest for parents when setting up their children's athletic schedules.  Please note that this is simply a suggestion and a GENERAL outline.  The thoughts behind this guideline are to put the athlete in a position to succeed in season, while keeping the long-term goals of total physical development and maintaining the passion for all sports and physical activities.

Youth Athlete Scheduling Guidelines

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- 1 main sport per season (ie football in the fall, basketball in the winter, etc)

- Off-season "training" in the upcoming season's sport.  For example, you can register your athlete for weekly instructional clinics and/or private instructional sessions.  This should be kept at 1-3x per week depending on age, skill level, and the player's passion for that particular sport.  Parents should also consider how physically demanding the in-season sport is as well as the amount of practices + games there are each week.

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- Be sure to schedule 1-2 OFF days.  This means NO SCHEDULED ACTIVITY.  Kids can still go out and play ball with their friends in the back yard or in the neighborhood after school and I stress the "PLAY" aspect of this activity.  Let the kids structure their own games with their own creative rules, etc.

- Older players (12+) should begin to add resistance training into their routines.  This will aid in the prevention of injuries as well as enhance performance. 

These recommendations are geared towards players who take their athletics seriously.  I would tend to look at these guidelines as more of a maximum amount to schedule rather than a minimum.  Of course each player, parent, and family's situation is going to be unique and you can use this guideline to fit to your family. 

There are two non-sports related things that I do believe parents should build into their family's schedule and that is family dinners and homework.  While I'm sure most families have designated homework times, I do think there should be a set number of minimum days that the family has dinner together.  Many families have gotten away from this "old-school" ritual, but I truly see this as something that helps each family improve their communication skills as well as keeps each member of the family involved in each other's lives.

Have a question about this post?  Email me at jbreen@rbiacademy.com!

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