Dangers of Youth Sport

In class we discussed the various different dangers that youth sport subjects kids to.  From a young an early age, we as a society often find ourselves pushing children from ages 5-12 to endless limits to achieve certain goals, attributes and skill levels.  Children are often forced to work long hours, playing year round which leads to countless injuries and pressure both mentally and physically.  Lyle Micheli of National Center for Sport Safety discusses some of the same principals in his article "Sport Training - How Much is too Much?"  The main point stated is that over training actually has the opposite effect of what we want for our youth, as children will most likely burnout from countless hours of repetition, losing their love for the game.  Children should on average train and practice no more than 18-20 hours a week, and any injury should be handled with utmost care and caution.  Kids who are forced to push and play through injuries by parents or coaches often do more damage to their pre-existing injury and can run the risk of permanent damage.  Some basic signs of over training include irritability and unwillingness to cooperate with teamates, noticeable fatigue and decreased ability to achieve training goals.  While youth sport is a great way to maintain lifelong fitness, and provide leadership opportunities, it can easily be the culprit for unnecessary injuries and physical/mental stress if not balanced correctly.

http://www.sportssafety.org/articles/how-much-training/