I get a lot of questions from clients regarding which sports
or activities are best to enroll their kids in if they want to raise mini athletes. The answer is more complex than you would think -- many factors come into play when deciding which sports a child should embark in.
I’ve coached 1000’s of kid’s from all over the world in a variety of settings and I often see the same practices among
parents. Below is a list of guidelines I use to counsel parents on
their kid’s involvement in physical activities.
-
Ask your child which sport they would like to
start with. Many kids will have a natural affinity towards a sport, either
because it comes naturally to them or because it looks fun.
-
Choose to put your child in multiple sports if
they are under 10-12 years of age. Specializing in a particular
sport too early could be detrimental to their development, leading to physical
burnout, repetitive strain injuries and loss of interest in the sport.
- The skills and stimuli involved in
playing multiple sports at the same time or in opposite seasons are crucial
for building athleticism. Choose sports that develop all assets of athleticism:
speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, strength etc. The abilities a child
develops from an accessory sport can lead to gains in sports that may be their
main focus in the future.
-
Choose team sports as well as individual sports.
Half of the benefit a child gets from playing sports is learning to
become a teammate and all that goes into winning and losing as a team.
Contrarily, some kids can tend to hide in the shadows in a team setting.
Allowing them to compete as an individual will create an environment that
challenges them to express themselves physically and ultimately lead to a more
mature young athlete.
-
Don’t choose sports that are all “one-sided”.
Repetitively using only one side of the body for a sport (ie: tennis and golf)
can lead to muscular imbalances and discrepancies in strength while the child
is developing.
-
Promote your child to be ambidextrous. If your
kid picks up a golf club and naturally swings left handed but wants to bat
right handed in baseball, so be it. This will help even out the muscular
imbalances mentioned above as well as create a mutual coordination from side to
side.
-
Choose at least one sport that involves developing speed. Speed is known as the most important factor when it comes to excelling
and dominating at many sports. Allow your child to participate in
track and field if possible. Track will set the foundation of physical assets
needed for all sports including aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, speed,
power development and strength.
Dr. Adam Reynolds
Co-founder/Chiropractor
Active Release Techniques Provider
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Certified Golf Fitness Instructor
adam@catalyst-health.ca
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