Tips to avoid injuries and burnout

Sarah Walls, a personal trainer and owner of SAPT Strength & Performance Training, Inc., offers these tips that parents and coaches can use to help young athletes:

• Avoid playing only one sport. Being a multi-sport athlete will create a change in season, allow them to stay engaged without being bored, and help the body recover to avoid repetitive injuries.

• Listen to their feedback. If the child is younger than 14-15, he could express consistent complaints of fatigue or disinterest, which means that he would need a break. For athletes older than 15, it may be more an issue of adjusting to using recovery methods. But in either case, these are initial signs of an athlete who is becoming burnt out. This needs to be addressed so he or she can come back to the sport in a more refreshed way mentally and physically.

• Stress a healthy lifestyle. Encourage young athletes to get plenty of sleep; follow agerecommended guidelines from their doctor. Also, encourage healthy eating habits to help them feel better, recover faster, keep their mind fresh, etc.

• Keep it fun and enjoyable. Trying to deemphasize competitiveness if they are feeling burnt out. Look at overall communication over the sport; shift the focus on being fun not as much competition.

• Focus more on strength. Engage in strength training to reduce risk of injury, increase recovery time, and come back to the sport stronger so they can be better and have more fun. A research study published in 2017 in the journal Sports Health reported that overuse injuries are preventable, and that muscular imbalances after accelerated growth periods predispose young athletes to overuse injuries. They recommend modifiable risk factors such as flexibility, strength and training volume should be regularly monitored to help prevent the injuries.

• Pull back on pressure. External pressures high school athletes can feel from parents and coaches about college and sports could decrease interest, which would lead to a burnout.