"Train Like the Pros"?

This is a common marketing line, intended to inspire parents to sign their young athletes up for sport-specific training. It sounds great, right? Not so fast.

Here's my issue with this: the majority of young athletes have yet to master the skills of acceleration, deceleration, force production and reduction, or change of direction; does it make sense to enroll them in a program designed for professional athletes? Or even college athletes?

I've witnessed this multiple times. College students, who happen to play soccer or lacrosse or field hockey at school, are hired by one local company to 'train' young athletes in their sport. There is no evaluation. There is no movement skill work. There is no concern that the college athletes have no education in working with children, nor do they know how to correct incorrect movement. They simply know the drills their coaches had them perform last season, and presume that the kids (who must be athletic, right?) will, pardon the line, Just Do It.

I don't believe it's any different for professional coaches. They have a specific skill set, tailored to a specific sport and age group. Does that make them a great coach of young, developing athletes? Honestly, it really depends. Some coaches simply have the ability to adapt their teaching styles to any group, but I believe that is rare. Nonetheless, a professional program is unlikely to be suitable for a young athlete.

This all makes sense, yet parents continue to buy in to the hype. I get it; it's sexy. Any parent would love to say that their child is "working with professional Coach Whomever." We need to remember, however, it's about the kids; not about the coach. While we are fortunate enough to live in one of the two states in the US that still has a physical education requirement, junior high kids are still spraining ankles when the PE teacher has them run 'suicides.' High school athletes, especially girls, are still suffering season-ending ACL tears. Putting a young person into a program designed for much older, more physically mature athletes is asking for trouble.

We all know the phrase, 'learn to walk before you try to run.' We forget, though, that crawling, standing, and balancing all precluded walking. Ultimately, the goal is to allow kids to be active for life, regardless of their involvement in organized sports. Before considering a 'train like the pros' program for your child, be sure that he or she will be taught my someone who has been educated in teaching aspiring athletes the movement skills they will need to minimize their risk of injury. Be sure that there is an evaluation. When you meet the coach, be sure that he or she talks to your child as much, if not more, as he or she talks to you. Still not sure? Ask for referrals.

"Train Like the Pros"?

Let's get them out of college first.