Your child is not a professional athlete, so they shouldn’t train like one!
According to the Center for Disease Control, more than half of youth sports injuries are preventable. Specializing in one sport at an early age is one of the leading causes of overuse and acute sports injuries. Children should be encouraged to participate in ONE sport each season and should be encouraged to participate in a VARIETY of sports throughout childhood into adolescence. Research shows that varying sport exposure can decrease the risk of both overuse and acute injuries. Here are a few important rules to follow to help keep your child safe:
Your child should not participate in a competitive sport more hours per week than his or her age in years, up to 16 hours per week.
Kids need at least two days of rest from sports per week.
Children should play on one competitive team at a time.
Training in a single sport more than 8 months out of the year increases the risk of injury and burnout.
Specializing in one sport should be delayed until late adolescence (around 16 years old).
Adequate sleep is important for recovery and is a key player in injury prevention.
Kids ages 3-5 should sleep 10-13 hours per day
Kids ages 6-12 should sleep 9-12 hours per day
Teens ages 13-18 should sleep 8-10 hours per day