Editor’s Note: This is part seven of our seven-part series on sports and kids.
I recently turned to Bianca Edison, M.D., a sports medicine specialist with the Jackie and Gene Autry Orthopedic Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, for some insight on how to prevent our kids from experiencing sports burnout. In this nine-part series, we explore the pressures to excel that kids in L.A. face, how to recognize burn out, what to look for in a team and much more.
What is your advice on helping kids enjoy their sports activities in a safe and healthy way?
I encourage parents to have an ongoing dialogue with their child(ren) and coaches to ensure that everyone is on the same page in terms of how their child is participating and performing, and work together to keep the sanctity of that youth at the center.
In those conversations, everyone should discuss:
- Optimal ways to work and train smartly with plans to take strategic breaks to focus on cross-training or rest.
- Checking in and encouraging the athlete to speak up when something doesn’t feel right or when they are concerned for their own or their teammate’s health/safety
- Celebrate not just the wins, but also the failures, recognizing that growth that comes from the journey and not from an outcome.
Our sports medicine team at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles seeks to spread and cultivate the message that the primary focus of sports for young athletes should be to have fun and learn lifelong physical activity skills.
Early diversification and later specialization provide for a greater chance of lifetime sports involvement, lifetime physical fitness, and possibly elite participation.
In addition, the strongest athlete is the one who speaks up when something is wrong and looks out for not just themselves but for their teammates as well.
There can be a healthy and constructive approach to youth sports to help teams and individuals grow in meaningful ways to ensure longevity in sports participation and in life. If we all adopt a shared mission of keeping kids playing sports in a healthy and meaningful way, that guiding principle will help keep our kids healthy, happy, and loving activity, which will help strengthen current and future generations.
