Give Them A Break

 

This one is going to make a few folks unhappy.  And maybe a few more folks squirm a bit. 

But what I’m about to write about is backed by science, experience, and common sense—the magical triumvirate that reaches beyond argument.

And no less an authority that Dr. Jim Andrews has made this topic his late career mission.  If you don’t know who Dr. Andrews is, let me introduce you.  He’s only the leading sports orthopedist in history. Sure, that’s my opinion, but people who know that arena are likely to agree with me.

 Dr. Andrews is the founder of Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham and co-founder of the American Sports Medicine Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to injury prevention, education, and research.

Even in semi-retirement, he serves the University of Alabama, Auburn University, and the Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.  Among his celebrity patients are Bo Jackson, Charles Barkley, Roger Clemens, Michael Jordan, Drew Brees, Triple H, and Brett Favre.

 Dr. Andrews’ research has pointed to a drastic increase in injuries among young athletes.  “What we’ve seen is a five- to sevenfold increase in injury rates in youth sports across the board. The systems out there in youth sports, particularly travel ball, have been important financial resources for the people who run them. Parents spend a fortune keeping their kids in a year-round sport, with travel and everything else. What’s happening is, the tail is wagging the dog. The systems are calling the shots: If your son or daughter doesn’t play my sport year-round, he or she can’t play for me. Never mind that your kid is 12 — I need year-round dedication.”

 And therein is the problem.  Youth sport injuries are rampant. I’ve seen the same thing.  Most of the injuries among young athletes are overuse injuries, although there has been a definite uptick in more catastrophic injuries as well.  12 year olds with ACL tears used to be rare—now they happen at an alarming rate.

 Before you call me a hypocrite, let me tell you that I have two grandchildren that play a single sport year-round. High school to club and back again. And my own kids narrowed it down to a single sport before they finished high school.

I get it. I will also say the system is flawed. Let me offer a couple of solutions. The best advice is to let your child play multiple sports.  Sports specialization early is a huge mistake. It just doesn’t work. They won’t develop the athleticism to truly excel at sport, regardless of what sport they ultimately settle on.

But, if your child has narrowed their sports participation down to one sport, then let them take time off.  Every year.  2-3 months, minimum. And use that time to get stronger, faster, better.

 

Dr. Andrews final advice: “Give them time off to recover. Please. Give them time to recover.”