The benefits of children participating in sports are evident: children learn new skills, become part of a team, make friends, improve confidence, become fit and healthy and most of all, have fun! Young players in popular Irish sports like soccer, football, hurling and rugby may train up to four or five times a week or more and these highly competitive atmospheres see driven young athletes truly maximising their physical and mental ability.
However, there are drawbacks too, and too much exercise and excessive training can cause injury, decreased motivation and apathy towards a sport. While parents should always support their children's’ athletic pursuits, they must also recognise and be vigilant so that kids don’t push themselves too far and face injury or burnout.
Older kids and teens in competitive sports may push themselves to the limit when it comes to training. According to leading physical therapists and clinicians, overtraining can have a serious effect on a young athlete's body and these injuries are on the rise in Ireland. Because children are still developing, overuse and continual stress on growing muscles can lead to injury, and without proper care this can have long term issues on a young person’s body. One of the most common problems that arise with overtraining is Burnout. Burnout occurs when youths respond to too much stressful activities and by decreasing their participation in the sport or they worsen performance despite intense training.
Overtraining and burnout have many symptoms including muscle pain, injury, decreased motivation, mood swings and fatigue. Kids and teens exhibit similar symptoms when they are exhausted both mentally and physically. Here are some common experiences that may open a player to risk.
Age, sport and types of training vary but experts agree that young players should train under these guidelines:
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