This month’s article was supposed to be about proper squatting technique; however I recently read an article in TIME magazine which focused on young athletes at the age of 9-12 who train for sports with hopes to becoming a great athlete one day. The article focuses on how training improperly at a young age could be detrimental to the child’s proper development in the long run if done improperly.
I will write on this topic, referencing the article from time to time as this is an important topic to many athletes we train and should serve as strong information for the parents of these athletes.
The age range being focused on is kids in the age range of 9-12. An athlete who is training hard at this age lends him/herself to chronic injury. Most of the strain will be taken by the bones. At this age, bone growth and growth plate development is very important and can be very sensitive to different types of training.
Once specific type of training which can cause problems is plyometric training. The constant pounding of the joints, while performing multiple jumps, can injure the growth plates if done improperly or in too much quantity. Others include but not limited to weight training, practice, sprinting etc. It is not always the type of exercise, it is the manner which it is being performed and at what level. For instance, a 9 year old should not be performing any advanced or heavy movements when training with weights or plyometric techniques.
Be assured at Fast Twitch Training our staff is very aware of the problems faced at this age. There are many benefits to the type of training we do, and our programs are not only sport specific, but age appropriate as well. No athlete within these age ranges is asked to push beyond a comfortable training level, like our older and more developed athletes sometimes do. In our programs, at this age range, it is about mechanics, educating the athlete properly and developing their skills within the guidelines so when they are ready to advance they will have a greater edge on the competition.
Monitoring your child for pain in the joints and joint fatigue is a great way to check for warning signs of any acute injury. Asking a professional (not a coach) is always a good idea. A professional could be a family doctor, Certified Athletic Trainer or a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists. An Athletic Trainer and Conditioning Specialists are both found in Fast Twitch Training employees.
To touch on some common injuries in sports at a young age when dealing with growth plate issues, 3 sports will be highlighted:
- Baseball: Pitching is not a natural motion and can damage the rotator cuff and cause little league elbow which is a stress injury that leads to growth plate issues along with arthritis.
- Football: Moderate weight training can help build bone density, but when coaches heap on too much weight, young football players can suffer stress fractures in the lower back
- Soccer: A heavy combination of high stress muscle-training and too much running can cause a host of injuries, like tendon tears, shin splints and damage to the knee cap.
Many of these injuries are brought on by coaches who are not educated in sports injuries or trainers who do not have a college degree in the sports medicine field with a Certified Strength and Conditioning credential after their name.
As a parent make sure to stay involved with you child’s training, and as an athlete at this age be sure to talk to your parents about your current condition and any pain you may have.
