It's a good practice to make sure kids avoid excessive workouts

The Baltimore Sun

DEAR CAL -- For younger kids - say, under-10s or under-12s - where should parents draw the line on excessive practices?

My 9-year-old daughter plays soccer and has practice twice a week for 75 minutes per practice and plays a 60-minute game on Saturdays. For her age and up to about 12, I think this amount of practice is fine. Meanwhile, her boy classmates who play football have practice five evenings a week for 120 to 180 minutes per practice and then play a 60-minute game Saturday. I contend that the football coaches are unknowingly burning out their kids, but they say I don't know what I'm talking about and brag about all their return players and how popular the program is. Perhaps they're right, but my sense is that a lot of these kids will be burnt out by the time they hit middle school and they'll either find other sports or, worse, will give up on organized team sports completely.

What happened to youth sports being about fun and playing "for the love of the game(s)?" What are your thoughts, and what does relevant research suggest for kids under 10, 10 to 12, 13 to 14 and 15 and up?

D.J. White, Thurmont

DEAR D.J. -- Your question is very interesting. Practices and games are a hard balance to strike in youth sports. Games are fun. They are the reward for all of the hard work that goes into practice. All kids love to play games, and it is important to provide young athletes with the opportunity to compete in games - not only for their enjoyment, but also so they can track their progress and see how they stack up against other kids their age. Games provide coaches with feedback about their approach in practice as well as what the team needs to work on in future practices.

While games are fun, practices are where kids improve the most. The environment can be controlled to allow the players to work on the areas that need the most attention. I've talked to experts on youth sports who tell me that youth teams should strive for a three-to-one practice-to-game ratio to ensure maximum skill development while still providing the kids with an opportunity to compete and do something they enjoy. Because of field and time constraints (faced by parents and coaches alike), attaining that ratio can be difficult. Still, it is important to make sure that youth teams practice more than they play. If practices are well thought out, incorporating small groups, constant movement and a variety of activities, there's no reason they can't be as fun - or more fun - than the games, anyway.

Getting back to the heart of your question, I think that practices at the youngest age groups should be designed with the kids' attention spans in mind. At age 10, kids probably can handle practices of 60 to 75 minutes on a consistent basis. If they seem really energized, you might be able to stretch that to 90 minutes. The 12-year-olds probably can average 90 minutes and can possibly handle more based on how they respond on a given day.

Physical and mental burnout are legitimate concerns, but the length of the season - the combination of many weeks of practices and games - as well as a lack of time away from the sport, are what present the biggest concerns to me. The key is to monitor the kids. If they are excited to be on the field and look forward to practices and games, everything is fine. But if they start to dread going to practice and seem to be going through the motions during games, I would consider giving them a break.

Have a question or issue arising from your involvement in youth sports? Send it by e-mail to askripken@baltimoresun.com.

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