In this installment of LIVE Fitness I arranged an interview with Dr. KM Brown to discuss the most effective ways to prepare young athletes for sports.  Here is part one of the interview...

 

Q:  Dr. Brown, you are a Consultant for Child Development / Physical Education with Move Theory.  What is the Move Theory?

A:  The Move Theory is really an idea I had a few years ago, it is the theory that guides most of my decisions.  The meaning is really a couple of ideas wrapped into one.   First, the obvious surface meaning, the theory that children must experience play and movement to complete their education.   The second, further below the surface, is that we must begin with theory but guide that theory into practicality to move toward solutions that will truly benefit children.  Neither theory nor practicality alone is sufficient. 

 

Q:  Last bit of background I need from you is regarding the IYCA, International Youth Conditioning Association.  This is how I got in contact with you and of which you are the Executive Director and Advisory Board Chair.  Tell me a little about this organization and its goals in youth fitness and athletic development education.

 

A:  My role in the IYCA really is that of educator.  I along with Brian Grasso, Tony Reynolds, and Dr. Toby Brooks create and shape educational content for this organization.   I began with the IYCA when it was little more than an idea and a loose network, back in 2003.  Brian, I and others like Lee Taft and Tony Reynolds (including Sara Nylander behind the scenes) constantly revised and grew our ideas based not on what we wanted to see, but what kids truly need from us.  Our goal has always been to be kid-centric, not ego- or coach-centric.  We have really always been about the preservation of play and movement in the lives of children.  But we knew to accomplish our mission, we had to train the trainers.  Once Nick Berry and Pat Rigsby came on board, we quickly learned that nothing we did would make the impact it needed unless we 1) also showed members how to run businesses and work with other organizations, and 2) got the word out effectively and to a wider audience.  I think that we have become wildly effective in doing all of the above.  The wonderful thing is, we are still growing and learning every day.  I cannot wait to see what we accomplish on behalf of children in the next 10 years. 

My goal for this interview is to help educate athletic directors, coaches, parents, and young athletes as to the most effective way to advance skills, increase performance, and prevent injury in youth sports.  I have determined that there are two basic schools of thought, 1) have athletes play a single sport year round, or 2) play a sport seasonally, but enhance abilities in the post, off, and pre season.

Q:  Dr. Brown, you are directly involved in youth fitness and training, could you tie an approximate percentage of athletes who follow the year round sports versus those who follow a seasonal sports calendar.

 

A:  I don't really have data on how many kids specialize vs. follow a seasonal sports calendar, but I would like to redirect your question if I may.  I believe that the important issues are:

 

When a child specializes:   If the young athlete is in the later teen years, and has had a breadth of experience in play and sports, then this may not be such a big deal.  The key is to ensure that the training for that sport allows for development of a complete mind and body.  The idea is to train not only what's used in the sport, but also spend time training the types of movements, and even movement speeds, that aren't used in the sport.  Furthermore, it is paramount that the young athlete has plenty of gaps where there is freedom and time to decompress during the year.   For young children, before puberty, this should never happen.  I couldn't care less here about the rationale that people use for ice skating and gymnastics, saying that to reach top performance children must specialize early.  That is a rationale that has much more to do with the egos of coaches and parents vs. the wants and needs of children. 

 

Whether we are discussing competitive or total specialization:  Is the young athlete only playing one sport competitively, but playing others for fun with friends?  The biggest problem with specialization is that coaches (generally) get hyped up about repetition.  Repetition causes repetitive stress injuries.  It is fine for a child to pick one sport to be competitive with and play the rest for fun, though with how youth sports are being conducted now, the level and volume of competition is way too intense.  So, it is my fear that though the child is getting the variety of movement, they are still going to burn out from the sheer amount and intensity.  Furthermore, the child must also have free play time that is not so structured.  Once we get into that space of a young athlete "living and breathing" this one sport, we are on dangerous ground, both for this young person's psyche and for their sport performance.  This is why Andre Agassi hated tennis. 

Q:  Now I would like to delve deeper into the year round single sports approach to skill and performance development.  Can sport specific skills be improved through playing the game over and over?

 

A:  In the short term, yes, sport specific skills are improved through linear (unwavering) dedicated practice.  But the overwhelming portion of the research done in this area shows that long term, distributed practice is superior.  For our purposes here, this describes a model in which the movements are repeated at different intervals interspersed with other experiences.  To give a real life example, the child will become better at throwing a baseball right handed in the short term if they are throwing right handed baseball pitches over and over.  But long term, the child will get better at throwing a baseball right handed by throwing left handed, throwing a football, learning to move their bodies better overall, and maybe even throwing the Frisbee.  The idea here is that the brain / body connection gets better not by doing, but by understanding the movement.  This happens best through comparison and contrast.  This only happens through variety.  Remember that Michael Jordan played outside in general, and also played baseball at a high level.  Remember that Lebron James played high school football.  Pete Sampras is a more than competent basketball player. 

Q:  How is an athlete's performance effected by year round sports participation?

 

A:  Physically, the athlete can become "stale" and injured.  The performance can actually get worse.  But, as I describe above, this depends on how the situation is handled.  Psychologically, it can just, to put it bluntly, get boring!  Kids don't like boring!  But they often can't tell this to parents who they know are hanging on their every accomplishment. 

Q:  About a year ago I watched an HBO "between the lines" special on which they discussed the youth baseball specifically pitching.  According to the show, young pitchers can and do injure their arms by pitching too much.  Please explain "repetitive use injury".  And why is this type of injury particularly harmful in young players?

 

A:  Repetitive use injury is an injury in which a joint and its supporting structures begin to wear down and are damaged by performing the same movement over and over again without breaks or variety.  What happens internally is that the healing powers of the body cannot catch up with the amount of activity and become overwhelmed.  This injury is harmful to any athlete, but especially to young players because they are still developing.  Not only are the structures in their bodies still developing, but the connections between their nervous systems and bodies are developing as well.  A repetitive use injury can forever alter the abilities of a young athlete, and can put a ceiling on their development. 

Q:  What are ways to recover from these type of injuries?

 

A:  The only ways to recover from these types of injuries are rest (relax, hang out), nutrition (eat whole natural foods regularly), rehab (see a physical therapist, and then a youth fitness specialist - have them work together if possible), and time.

Q:  How does year round sports participation affect these type of injuries?

 

A:  Year round participation in a single sport makes these types of injuries much more likely.   All we really have to do is look at the words: repetitive…stress…injury.

Q:  Hard throwing can hurt the shoulder and elbow, in basketball Osgood Slaughters effect the knees of young players.  What are some other over use conditions you know of and what sports are they associated with?

 

A:  I think we need to get away from naming conditions, and just know that repetitive stress can happen in any joint (including the stress fractures in the spine often seen in gymnasts and divers).  The key point to take away from all of this is the need for variety, freedom and rest. 

Q:  Are there any other comments you would like to add, good or bad, concerning year round sports?

 

A:  My last comment on this would be that we started to mess things up when coaches got famous.  You should never be focused on me except to verify my credentials and experience.  Watch your kid enjoy playing.  Tremendous success has been met in games / leagues where parents weren't there judging the kids' performances.  This is not for you to show off how great your kid is.  This is their play time.  The coach should only be there to guide, not control.  Year round sports participation also comes from this adult oriented feel.  The coach wants to create a winning program.  The parents want their kid to be the best.  They want their kid to be part of the elite.

....to be continued.

 

This brings us to the end of this installment of LIVE Fitness.  Look for the next LIVE Fitness article where will I continue my interview with Dr. Brown as we continue to discuss the best way to prepare young athletes for sports.

 

If you have specific question you would like answered or if you have comments and/or questions send an e-mail to FitnessTrainingCoach@msn.com

 

Until next time,

Glenn Karisch

ISSA Certified Youth Fitness Trainer

 

 

The views and information presented in this article do not reflect the opinions of Lee County Live or its advertisers.  They are the creation of the author and are presented for entertainment and informational purposes only.  You should consult your doctor before you begin any exercise or training activity, change your diet, begin a sport, or consume any dietary supplements.