Excessive training of children may lead to bone, muscle or tendon injuries (Pixels)
At a time when more than 60 million American children and teenagers were participating in organized sports, based on competition and winning awards and titles, the “American Academy of Pediatrics” issued research in 2016, which showed that “70% of them drop out by the age of 13 years, Either to feel drained, stressed, or injured, or exhausted, or to lose enjoyment.”
But to help them recover physically and psychologically, researchers recommended encouraging children and teenagers to take time off from competition and training for at least one or two days a week, and to stay away from participation for two to three months annually.
Read also
list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4
Why does your child pull his hair without warning?
list 2 of 4
How do you support your child to become the best version of themselves?
list 3 of 4
Signs that your child has a toxic friendship
list 4 of 4
Environmental deprivation child... symptoms similar to autism and differ in treatment
end of list
While warning of the danger of pressuring children to commit early to sports and practice them throughout the year, the academy warned that they may suffer from “stress due to excessive training, which leads to poor sleep, academic difficulties, and social and family problems.”
For her part, sports medicine specialist Dr. Rebecca L. Carl, said that children “need time for homework, family responsibilities, free play, and time to rest,” pointing out the mistaken perception that overtraining is the most effective way for a child to achieve athletic success in the future.
It is a good idea to encourage children and teenagers to play organized sports while giving them time to rest (Pixels)
Benefits that may be negated by fatigue and excessive pressure
It is a good idea to encourage children and teenagers to play organized sports, as it has many benefits. Dr. Cassidy Davelar, the main supervisor of the research, confirms that it is beneficial at the level of motor efficiency, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, healthy weight, and endurance.
It also “strengthens social bonds, improves academic performance, and helps teach important life skills, such as teamwork and communication, conflict management, and how to learn from mistakes,” says psychiatrist Sarah Orrick, to the “Fatherly” website.
Although these benefits can last a lifetime, “they may not be achieved if the sport is excessively stressful, and may even be eliminated altogether if stress causes children to stop participating.”
A survey conducted last year also reported that many children “quit sports because they did not feel they could meet the performance or appearance expectations common in the media and social media.”
That's why most parents invest a lot of time and money into pushing their children toward professional, award-winning sports, "without realizing that in doing so they may be causing their children to leave sports altogether," says Dr. Cody Moffat, chief of sports medicine at Children's Hospital of Nebraska. For USA Today.
He attributed this to "the pressure that makes sports for many children less fun and more linked to the concept of success in the eyes of adults," and they want to remain active, play and have fun with their friends, without caring about winning or losing.
When do children benefit from stress?
On the other hand, and despite the prevailing impression that stress in general may negatively affect children’s health, performance and productivity, research conducted by Staffordshire University in the United Kingdom last year showed, “Stress is not always a bad thing, but rather young athletes can use it better to their advantage, to increase their enjoyment of games.” Competitiveness and acquiring lifelong coping skills.
Dr. Paul Mansell, the study's lead researcher, found that child and adolescent athletes can maintain their mental health and improve their performance when they begin to feel fatigued, by using simple cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.
Helping young athletes reach the recommended 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily may make them better cope with stress and contribute to reducing negative feelings about competition. It helps improve their athletic performance, and benefits them on and off the field.
7 ways to make sports beneficial and motivating for children
And what parents can do about it, Dr. shared. Moffat, authors of the American Academy of Pediatrics report, made the following recommendations:
If you want your kids to keep playing sports, they should enjoy doing it more than you enjoy watching them (Pixels)
1- Having fun is more important than pressure to win prizes
Dr. Moffat advises a healthy relationship with sports, “in which the child remains physically active, competes in an atmosphere of teamwork and sportsmanship, and learns how to win and lose gracefully.”
“If you want your children to continue playing sports, they should enjoy playing it, more than you enjoy watching them,” he says, by enhancing their independence and allowing them to discuss successes and failures in games, turning them into memories and experiences to learn from in life.
2- Correct understanding of the meaning of sporting success
Parents become angry when their children lose in sports, even though this is against the child's best interests; Experts say, “Loss is good for building character,” and it can make the child make a greater effort and perform better the next time, “if we talk to him calmly, without blaming him or someone else.”
3- Avoid excessive training
The report indicated that extended training periods without sufficient recovery time could harm the child, lead to decreased performance, increase the risk of injury, and affect the child psychologically.
4- Do not underestimate injuries
Excessive training of children may lead to bone, muscle or tendon injuries. Children also feel pressure from coaches and parents and are anxious not to let their teammates down. It makes them continue to participate, despite feeling some pain, or wanting some rest, which emphasizes the importance of rest when injured or feeling pain, until complete recovery.
Extended training periods without adequate recovery time can harm the child and lead to decreased performance (Pixels)
5- The importance of sleep and nutrition
Experts describe sleep, 8 to 10 hours, as “one of the most important medicines” for recovery and performance enhancement in children. Besides making sure they get enough protein, carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and even fats.
6- Monitor signs of fatigue
According to the report, “fatigue is one of the leading causes of attrition in youth sports.” Its most common signs include “loss of interest or motivation in sports, sleep disturbances, fatigue, anxiety, lack of concentration, and decreased academic and athletic performance.”
7- Inclusiveness instead of focusing on sports only
There is nothing wrong with children trying a different activity after the season ends, and it does not have to be a sporting activity. It may be an artistic activity - for example - that refreshes them physically and mentally.
Source: Al Jazeera + websites