Backyard Sports Timeout – Where our coaches field parents’ questions about Team Sports and offer ways to make it the Fun, Enriching Experience it’s supposed to be
Q: My daughter got hit in the face with a softball during one of her games and now she’s petrified to play. How should we protect our kids from unnecessary injury and when they do get hurt and don’t want to play anymore, should we back off?
A: I believe there are two types of sports injuries when kids play. There are physical injuries, such as those resulting from freak accidents. For example, it’s not uncommon to see a child getting a foul hit to the face or a slide where she fractures a leg. The other type of injury we are seeing a lot more of today are caused by repetitive motion. These injuries result because kids’ bodies are being impacted for extended periods and they are not physically ready for this overuse.
The coaches and leagues should certainly teach children proper skill form, but parents need to be observant and confident enough to stand up and say, “You know what, this is too much activity for my kid.”
What’s happening with kids is that they’re practicing and playing so many games with so many expectations that the idea of play is just being worn out of them. All the joy and fun stuff that they used to be able to extract from it, is being taken away from them at too young an age. That’s the reason why I think kids are giving up, because they play so much, they’re bored.They’re giving up because they’ve been pushed beyond a healthy limit and they wind up failing because of it. This causes frustration and when kids get frustrated they pull back.
The Big Takeaway: When kids are being pushed so much they have nothing left to give, they become careless. When they don’t care, they get sloppy with their form and this sloppiness and lack of care can lead to injury. Is it time for you to take a step back and figure out if your child is playing sports or committing to a physical grind that will eventually turn her off from sports completely?
Backyard Sports provides weekend and after school sports instruction and game play for boys and girls ages 4-16 years old. Our programs are designed for EVERY child who desires a positive and healthy sports experience. #CompetitiveSportsDoneRight