My beef is that we trust our children’s coaches as their trainers. My perfectly healthy and very athletic son, was a part of an extraordinary amount of military up downs, (going from standing to a push up position and knees in back to standing) during which he hurt his perfectly healthy shoulder in October and it still bothers him during his favorite sport of baseball in June, it has never been the same! So what is going on??
What you should be aware of is that the people coaching your kids are college students, math teachers, and maintenance men, with minimal teaching and testing in conditioning. Have you ever been to
your kid’s football or soccer practice? They run your kids and put them through punishing up downs as a rite of passage and a memory from their past. What you do not know is that most of them are NOT qualified to train your kids and do not even have CPR training. Schools pull teachers whose only experience is high school play back in their day. Your children are coming home with wrong information on how to stretch, train for their sport and actually get better! They run and learn plays and they are not being developed as athletes, as a matter of fact they are getting hurt because their coaches are not trained trainers or physical education teacher not even close!!
Who coaches your kids? Is it a disgruntled old varsity player who never played or trained a day after 12th grade or a Father stepping up because nobody else will, what gives them the right to put kids through a workout without training? I would never begin to imagine I could go on the trading floor tomorrow just because I watch it on TV!!!! Or I was needed because nobody showed up for work that day. I certainly wouldn’t show up to perform surgery as a doctor because I fantasized about it and felt I missed my calling, so why is it right for unqualified untrained men and women to coach and train our kids because they play fantasy baseball or played in 10th grade???
What we can do is take responsibility of our kid’s trainings on our own! We can:
· Sign up for some private strength and speed trainings at our local gyms by qualified and highly trained people.
· Give our kids great instruction and base training,
· Buy DVD training videos age sport and position specific,
· Ask your kids school coaches for advice and training tips
If it is all too much money get a group together and hire a trainer who will let you split the cost. It is worth your children’s future joint health and longevity on the field of play. You can also ask your children’s coaches EXACTLY what are their qualifications to train your kids. You are allowed!!! Be the advocate of your children on and off the field, think about hour many hours you trust to their Coaches…..
