Keep Playing, But Play Wisely
It's really important to encourage your teen to be active. Fitness declines steadily from the ages of 13 to 18, according to research cited by the American Medical Association (AMA). And athletics remain an important track to physical, psychological, and social health. Half of all juvenile sports injuries are preventable, reports the AMA. Paying attention to a child who complains of a sore knee or elbow is one way to help prevent injury; another is to pay attention to how kids are coached on the playing field.
Dr. Robert M. Malina, Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University, believes strongly that parents must watch what's going on, check out trainers and leagues, visit practices unannounced, and most importantly, pay attention to the coaching their child is getting.
"Good coaches know the states of mind and body of the kids who play for them," says Dr. Malina. A good coach who understands adolescent physiology and psychology can be hard to find, however. Parents should learn how local organizations screen and train coaches. The National Association for Sports and Physical Education publishes coaching standards, but adherence is voluntary. Parents might obtain copies to see how leagues and individuals measure up. Coaching is teaching, Dr. Malina says, that should address a child's ability, size, weaknesses, and maturity.
"Coaches must understand and cope with the physiological, psychological, and social changes of puberty. They must know how to direct [young athletes] because of the normal variations in puberty," says Dr. Malina. Boys in particular "run a potential risk because of large size differences" among teens. A 6-foot, 180-pounder plays against the kid who's 5'4" and 100 pounds: injury is almost inevitable. Parents should ask coaches and leagues how they adjust for size, especially in football and hockey. "The less developed kids have a much higher injury risk. The key is thinking about how to equalize that."
Another important part of any sport is the warm-up. Parents should pay attention to whether or not their children's coaches are instructing their players in how to stretch properly and adequately both before and after play. Proper conditioning can help prevent injuries.
If an adolescent wants to play a sport like football, recommends Dr. Metzl, "even if they're less mature skeletally, I tell parents to get their kids started on strength-training programs. It's better to have them play than not. We have to get our kids active. Whatever sport they want to do, they should do." High-repetition, low-weight strength training builds bone density, decreases injury risk, and if they do get injured, kids who strength train have a quicker recovery time."
If coaching is teaching, parenting is about learning. A parent's preparation is the best preventative medicine for a middle or high school athlete. The serious injuries in the news become much less random the more parents, teens, and coaches are conditioned to health and safety.