Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Breaking the pattern

It's still old school out there.

There are new ways to train. Smarter ways. Limiting exposures to young joints. Keeping them happy, motivated AND progressing. It can be done.

We need more people to stand up to coaches who are still working the way they did in highschool. For example.

What I am talking about is limiting exposures. Developing joints need exposure to develop properly. Exposure to balance, power, and coordination moves.

They do, however, need to be protected from overexposure. Some coaches think that the young body can bounce back from anything so they push until there is nothing left. This is not good for anyone at any age.

Just in the little time that I have had working with young athletes in a professional capacity I have seen just this kind of attitude. Start young, work em hard.

Here is a little twist on that theme. Tiger Woods is often cited for this "start em early". Take a guess at what happened a few ago. He lost, for the first time, after leading after 54 holes, to a golfer who only started golfing at the age of 19. Tiger "started" when he was 3!

Obviously talent factors into this. But NOT age and NOT early specification.

I don't think there is a better example of taking the time to develop an athlete over time. Play everything, have fun, and don't train to break down.

Train to learn.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy your activity!

In health,

Todd

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