How To Recognize the Signs of a Young Athlete at Risk of Burning Out
Back in the day, youth sports was all fun and games. These days, not so much. Being a young athlete can be tough. Kids these days don’t arbitrarily get months, weeks, or even days off to recover.
The fact of the matter is that if a young athlete maintains an unhealthy routine, they will eventually burnout. Therefore, it’s your job as a parent to make sure this doesn’t happen. Don’t assume your child is different than the thousands of other kids who burn out every year.
It’s not humanly possible to go 12 months a year non-stop at full capacity. It’s much better to get your child into a sustainable rhythm that supports a routine they can maintain over the long run.
Don’t follow the crowd, don’t keep up with the Joneses, and ignore the trolls. The short run rarely matters. Yes, your child may lose some ground in the short run. Yes, their teammates and competition may temporarily make more gains in the short run. Yes, your child may even lose out on an opportunity or two in the short run. Who cares.
If you see signs of burnout, the only thing that matters is that you acknowledge these signs, then take appropriate action before it’s too late.
8 Warning Signs That a Young Athlete is at Risk of Burning Out
- There has been no official “off-season” of 30 days or more over the last 12 months. An off-season is defined by no competitions, no “live” play or drilling, and practice no more than once a week.
- Your child has not got the opportunity to sleep in late and/or have non-sports related fun days on average 4 out of the 8 weekend days a month, over the last 12 months
- 80% or more of the family vacations over the last 12 months have had a competition or training component incorporated or wrapped around the experience.
- Spirituality is part of your family culture, yet time for spiritual activities are regularly sacrificed for training and/or competition.
- The only time your child gets to spend face to face with friends outside of school is during practice, training, or at competitions
- Your child’s schedule is full of so many activities (practice, private coaching, tutoring, tournaments, performances, camps, etc.), that they have no time to spend with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
- Injuries and/or sickness occurs more often than normal and you suspect that your child may be faking once in a while.
- Your child is becoming noticeably irritable, disobedient or it’s becoming difficult for you to manage mood swings. Even more so if this is happening specifically before, after, or during practice