Avoiding Athlete Burnout in Youth Sports - Craig Sigl
Channel: Mental Toughness Trainer
Date: 2011-07-28

http://www.mentaltoughnesstrainer.com

Avoid burnout in youth sports http://www.mentaltoughnesstrainer.com/2011/11/how-to-develop-mental-toughness/

I have been hearing a lot lately about burnout and wanted to make sure I address this issue, because it is completely avoidable...

Does your athletes know they should be working out, running laps or getting themselves to practice, but complain they don't feel like it?  

Maybe their coach is pushing them hard to work on their game, because they see really talent. 

They may be facing the classic signs of burnout and it can start out with pressure from coaches, parents or peers.   It may also come from specializing in one sport too early and not playing all the sports they love.

Now there are plenty of coaches and experts that say athletes need to specialize at an early age and work hard at it, exclusively, year-round.  

The truth is this works great for some athletes, but for others it absolutely does not and it is certainly not the only road to achieve greatness. 

Let's look at a famous player who started at a early age..Tiger Woods. He started playing at the age of 2 and dedicated his life to becoming a great golfer.  

Clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wHkA_983_s)

Tiger loved golf so much that his dad would let him hit balls or go to the course to practice only after he had done his homework and chores.  

There was no pushing him to practice - Practicing golf was a reward to Tiger! Talk about dedication.  Tiger took that work ethic and built himself up to one of the game's best. 

On the other hand, there's an Australian golfer, Greg Norman, who didn't even start playing golf until he was 16 years old. He went on to win 70 tournaments on the professional tour and was ranked #1 for 331 weeks straight.  

Now, it is true that once Norman started playing golf, he went all out to be a great golfer, working on his game every chance he got.  But he loved all sports and competed in rugby, swimming, cricket and squash all throughout his youth.  

Some coaches believe that being a well-rounded athlete in the younger years, actually gives you an advantage, when you do eventually specialize in your chosen sport.  

The big question, "what age to specialize" is ideally going to be up to the athlete.  When they will feel in charge and make the choice, they will most likely want to practice without pressure from their coach or parent. 

Somewhere in the mid-teens is probably the best time to make that decision by allowing them to follow their heart's desire. 

Too many kids, who may otherwise have been great, end up quitting, because they just get tired of the pressure, the injuries, and the overbearing workouts if they are not completely bought into it! 

If your athlete is as dedicated as Tiger was to his sport and really enjoys it, then by all means, they should go for it no matter what age they are at.  

But, if they are playing one sport, but love other ones and want to try them too, then maybe a little balance in their life is the right thing.  Make sure they are being honest with you and feel comfortable to speak up about what they want. 

They should not be playing their sport for someone else. If they play it for themselves, then their natural talents will shine.  

Visit http://www.teenmentaltoughness.com to download FREE: 

"The 10 Commandments For A Great Sports Parent" ebook
and  "Master The Pressure" a GAME-CHANGING guided visualization for teen athletes.