Train Kids Like Kids

I was training a private soccer client this weekend when I observed something that stopped me in my tracks. While my client and I were getting our workout in, a family of 3 came sauntering down to use the track. The kids must have been between the ages of 5 and 8. I figured they’d be coming down to play, ride their bikes, or even sit on the turf while Dad got a workout in. To my horror, I watched the dad take these young kids through a high-school level track warmup, followed by a full-fledged running workout that included technique coaching and harsh criticism. I was appalled. To make matters worse, about half way through, another family with a kid around 8 years old popped in to join them. While the Dad’s caught up, I observed the children run away and start playing with the equipment that had been left out on the turf. When the Dad’s finished catching up, they were unable to get their kids to return to the workout.

I don’t tell this story to chastise or belittle the parents in this situation, their hearts and intentions are in the right place: they want their kids to be active, happy, and healthy. This story does, however, highlight the importance of my philosophy to training kids:

Kids Need to Train Like Kids

This means training kids in a way they enjoy, with plenty of games, friendly competitions, and challenges that are within their ability to overcome. Why put kids in sprinting lines when we can create games that force them to sprint? Why have young kids lift weights when we can develop obstacle courses that challenge the same muscles? Why would we make training boring for kids when with a little bit of creativity, we can make it the most fun they’ll have that day? The answer to all these questions is obvious, we shouldn’t and wouldn’t.

Training kids like kids not only develops their fundamental athletic skills that will help them succeed in sports and life, but it also develops their confidence, love for activity, and helps them develop a positive relationship with movement and exercise that will carry forward the rest of their lives. Imagine the kind of experience these kids would have had if they came down to play, and just happened to get a workout in.

Training kids like high-level athletes dramatically increases the risk of injury, burn-out, and helps them develop a negative relationship with activity. Even at elite-level developmental academies, such as European Soccer or Scandinavian Hockey, the kids do not train this way. They develop their athleticism by playing multiple sports (mandated by the academies) and “training” their athletes like kids.

If you want your kids to safely and effectively train in the way they are supposed to, then give our Little Athlete Academy a shot. We train kids like kids and develop their fundamental athletic skills in a way they absolutely adore. Learn more by clicking here.