The kids are alright, right?
Thinking about training your little one to become a professional athlete so you can retire and live of them?
Ah the dream for some parents......
Well, here's me trying with my 2-1/2 year old daughter Lucy a wee while ago
(professional surfer, yes please!)
So before you ramp up getting your little ones into 10000 hours of training in from age one...., here are a few thoughts from us.
Getting your 10000 hours in and specialising in one sport from an early age sounds like a a great recipe, but more and more research is telling us otherwise.
Kids who solely specialize in one sport are at risk of developing muscle imbalances and are being exposed to higher volumes of structured training and higher intensity workouts.
This type of training leaves less time for rest and recovery (essential for growth and development during these crucial years) and can be a cause of kids burning out, losing motivation, and injuring themselves.
ACC reports that since 2008, sporting injuries among under 14s have surged by 60%!
So what can you do?
Encourage kids to try multiple different sports - this helps develop a variety of physical skills such as co-ordination and balance which will be useful in any sport they choose.
Different activities also help to build friendships and hopefully help them discover what their talents are and what they love to do.
You could try a different sport each year or season when they are young and most importantly, make sure they are having fun. If they enjoy what they are doing, they are more likely to stick with it and continue to get better at it.
Parents: keep an eye on your child's training volumes and ensure that they are not training excessively or participating in too many competitions.
Rest and recovery are essential for injury prevention especially in developing bodies.
As a general rule, the number of hours of structured sports training and competition should be less than a child’s age (e.g. less than 10 hours per week for a 10-year-old).
So although early sports specialisation seems great in theory, your child is actually better off trying all sorts of different sports to develop different skills, friendships, find what they love doing and most importantly have fun!
