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What Every Parent Should Know About Sports Training

Begin the Process EarlyParents College Sports

If your child is serious about playing college sports then he should begin the recruiting process during the early years of high school. Putting off sports recruiting until the last year of high school is not unheard of, but it may be frustrating for the athlete to build relationships with college coaches in such a short amount of time.

Student-athletes have many items to consider throughout their high school career–one of the most important is how dedicated they are to continually improving their game.

Dedication and Disciplined

Many high school athletes have mixed emotions when it comes to athletic training. Having the motivation to train all year long for a sport that’s only a few months out of the year takes dedication and discipline. Is your child prepared to train properly in order to make it to college level of play?

Learning to train properly is a vital building block for eager young athletes who want to show what they are made of. If your child is serious about sports training make sure she is aware of the ups and downs that can occur from too much or too little training.

As a parent, it’s important to educate your student-athlete about the importance of safety in all areas of off season training, including the weight room and sports they may become involved in during their down time.

Train to Prevent Injuries

An enthusiastic athlete can lose all or a part of a season with incorrect lifting technique or strenuous training that is too much too soon. This can damage a player’s chances of playing college sports at a top competitive level.

Start Off with an Expert

Make sure that your student-athlete is evaluated by his or her coach and preferably a professional trainer or strength coach who is familiar with their sport. Too much sport specialization at an early age can lead to overuse injuries in athletes (think shoulder injuries in volleyball players and knee or hip injuries in football players).

As a seasoned parent you most likely will have experience and knowledge when it comes to weightlifting gone wrong. Remind your child that training is essential, but too much could be damaging to your developing student-athlete.

Be There to Guide Your Student-Athlete

If you’re a parent who has played sports, then you will be better able to stress the importance of training in the off season and the importance of training correctly. Young student-athletes are at times inexperienced and do not know the correct way to lift weights or the right muscle sequences to work on, which will be most beneficial to their growth as an athlete.

The important idea to remember when young athletes are training is that they are training to prevent injuries and strain. Remind your child that they do not have to use the weight room as an Olympic athlete–they need to listen to the professionals and train safely.

Cross-Training Companies

There are many companies out there that claim to have specialized expertise in cross-training for specific sports. A quick Google search will land dozen of companies. With so much competition out there it’s good to do your homework. Ask your child’s coaches/ trainers what they think about your child increasing their sports training. If your child is considering one of these companies, make sure to ask the right questions and to learn the most you can about the company.

The main point in sports training is to give the student-athlete a leg up in regular season play. Making sure that they are safe and practicing good off-season training routines will help in developing an aspiring college athlete.

Read more… How to use sports training to help your child with their recruiting process.

If you have questions or comments about sports training please use the comments section below or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

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