The Off-Season Advantage for YOUTH ATHLETES
Today's youth sport culture emphasizes high-level, competitive play from a young age. Many hop right from school sports into summer leagues -- and this is on top of juggling multiple clubs during the year. While elite athletes have certainly started a trend towards young participation as a driver for success, year-round intense play with no break or movement variety can also drive overtraining, overuse injuries and early burnout.
Summer is a prime season to allow your youth athlete to rest and recover -- and this may mean more than you think. Rest is not just lazing around, it is about rebuilding your body and mind from the stresses of the last season to improve overall athlete resilience.
Take time for real rest
You will not set back athletic performance or development by allowing your youth athlete to take several weeks off. The body needs physical rest to repair. When it is continuously stressed, say by long training hours or multiple games per week, athletes of any age are likely to break down physically, leading to fatigue or injury. Several weeks off can allow physiological stress levels to stabilize and lower back to baseline levels for enhanced resilience once training resumes.
Invest in recovery and overall health
During busy sports seasons, the emphasis can be on high-level game play and working through low-level aches and pains. Summer brings a great opportunity for youth athletes to focus on rehabilitation and recovery. Take time to address any lingering injuries or concerns from past seasons and commit to working with a sports medicine professional to address any underlying imbalances or deficits so your youth athlete is at their strongest when they return for the fall season. Prioritizing adequate sleep, proper nutrition and hydration is a great way to encourage recovery from injuries while also teaching good habits that your youth athlete can continue into the sports season.
Don't underestimate the value of play
Rest isn't just lack of movement, it is movement without mental pressure -- or play. Play releases a powerful cocktail of feel-good hormones -- dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, among others -- which help regulate mood and improve overall wellness. Youth athletes should be encouraged to find play regularly in their off-seasons. This can look like trying a new sport they are interested in with no pressure for success, getting outdoors for hiking and kayaking or participating in other recreational activities, like spike ball or frisbee. This time allows for a mental reset and can also improve motor awareness and coordination as athletes learn to move in patterns that may be different than their dominant sport.
Get comfortable in the gym
Busy sports schedules can push strength training to the side for many youth athletes, but strength training is crucial for longevity and performance. Summer off-seasons are a great time to focus on strength training without adding extra physical demand during an active sports season. When starting out, focus on core lift technique and comfort with movement patterns. From there, it is important to follow the advice of a strength and conditioning professional to incorporate injury prevention, advanced movement patterns and plyometrics safely and productively into your youth athlete's routine.
Focus on conditioning and skill acquisition
While game play does improve general fitness and sport-specific skills, the emphasis on performance can make it hard for athletes to focus on cardiovascular capacity, agility or skill acquisition in-season. Summer can be a great time to shift focus from game play to general health and skills. All sports can benefit from a strong cardiovascular base -- even power sports rely on the cardiovascular system for recovery. Focus on low-intensity steady state cardio and short sessions working agility and skill drills to improve the qualities that will help your youth athlete perform at the next level when game play resumes.
Ramp frequency and intensity as you approach preseason
Fall sports start with a bang -- and if your youth athlete isn't prepared, double sessions in the heat can take a huge toll on player health. As you get closer to the fall season, start to encourage more intense activity that mirrors the demands of their sport. This will help prepare the body for practice and sport-specific movements and limit risk of injury from unanticipated physical stress on the body. It is important to use this time to acclimatize to physical activity in the heat as well. Our bodies take around two weeks to adjust to exercising in hot weather. Gradually increasing training duration and intensity in the heat can be a great way to build tolerance and limit risk of heat illness once practices resume.
For athletes of any age or skill level, rest is not a reward, it is a requirement for healthy, high-level play.
At FIXXED, we understand that rest is more than no activity. We are a sports-performance physical therapy and bodywork clinic that provides rehabilitative and recovery services for athletes of all ages. We understand that high-level performance depends on the body's ability to recover and adapt and provide a variety of services, including dry needling, cupping and instrument-assisted soft tissue, combined with personalized injury prevention and strengthening to help your youth athlete keep their head -- and health, in the game.
