From the perspective of a Strength and Conditioning coach, I see deficiencies in athletes that are sometimes out of their own hands. People are creatures of habits. Athletes need to be a step above. It is easy as a parent to get caught up in the sport specific aspect of your athlete. But start trying to have an impact off the field/court and watch your athlete take leaps and bounds.
One thing an athlete will be forever grateful for is the impact sports have on the development of characteristic traits. Take my high school baseball coach as an example. We can all reflect back on something someone said that has stuck with us for our entire life. Here is mine:
Gathered as a team in the weight room before a team lift, coach told us something that sits with me to this day. In the moments of the season, a coach cares about skill and talent. But in the grand scheme of things, they want to see you develop into the best person you can be. Describing how we could have the worst season of our lives, he emphasized that he knew his job was accomplished as long as we grow into hard working men that show up early, listened, and put our heads down and work hard. This mindset can carry a young athlete through to a successful life.
Between the life lessons and sport specific skills, coaches will take care of developing your athlete. As a parent, the best thing you can do is set up your athlete to be a creature of habit and structure. Here are 3 essential components to set your athlete up for success:
Sleep
At points throughout a session I like to talk to my athletes and figure them out. One of my favorite questions to ask is:
"What time did you go to bed last night? What time did you wake up."
I cringe at the answers of, "Well.... I stayed up playing playstation until 3am and I woke up at 9am to come to the workout." That right there is 6 hours of sleep. Or we have the kids that do get their 8-9 hours of sleep, but that entails waking up noon. Which we will cover later in the article. Get them on a routine of an early sleep schedule and an earlier rise time. If you can do this all while covering their 8-9 hours of sleep, they are optimizing a major component of success. Take a look at this chart made by YLMSportScience.
Injury risk sky rockets with diminished hours of sleep.
Not only is risk of injury a problem with less sleep, but performance outcomes are drastically impacted as well. At 6 hours of sleep, an athlete may only give a fraction of effort. I don't want to see kids at 75%. I want to see kids at 100%. In sport, 75% is not going to fly. Sleep allows athletes to better recover, gives their body the proper time to grow and develop, and keeps a sharp mindset. I can tell who my 6 hours of sleep guys are just by taking a look around while going over that days workout.
This is where creatures of habit shows its face. Start them young on a schedule. Watch it have an impact as they develop through life. Those same guys that lack sleep in high school, will show up to a 6am practice in college after going to bed at midnight. Now as a college athlete, that injury risk increases even more. The performance outcomes are cut drastically.
These habits then carry into their adult lives. Being well rested, attentive, and focused, will carry your athlete to their maximum potential.
2. Timeliness
"If you are on time, you are late. If you are early, you are on time."
It can be challenging as a parent with such a hectic world to get your athletes to practice and games. But getting them there early will make a huge impact. Strolling in just on time does not allow them to fully prepare themselves to perform. No matter what, weight room, practice, or game, they should always be early and prepared. Not only does this benefit an athletes mindset, but it improves outside perspective. An athlete that comes early and puts in the extra work does not go unrecognized. That habit carries into life having an impact on the people around you.
*Funny problem: I am excessively early for everything as I live in fear of running poles at practice for being late.
Early will forever be better than late!
3. Food
Let me start by saying this. The topic of food seems intimidating. It is actually very simple at the high school and college level. In this article, I want to cover the high school side of it.
We can refer back to the sleep example. A kid goes to bed at 3am, wakes up at 9am for a 10 o'clock lift. Not only are they running on 6 hours of sleep, but they probably neglected breakfast. Or maybe even worse, the kid that got his 8-9 hours of sleep but woke up at noon. Say they have a lift at 1 o'clock. They woke up at noon, meaning not only did they miss breakfast, but they are also missing lunch. This is so common it is almost scary. 2 essential meals of the day are bypassed leaving no fuel or energy for the athlete along with likely leaving them far too short on calories for the day.
If they have a good sleep schedule, they can then have a good food schedule.
Breakfast doesn't have to be big, but it does have to be a priority. Whether it is before school, practice, a lift, or a game, in needs to be a priority to fuel your athlete. You don't have to put a high school athlete through a diet or count their calories. You just have to be smart and teach them good habits. Examples such as eggs and whole grain toast with yogurt and granola (don't forget that eggs can be pre prepared and frozen, taken out the night before! Super convenient!) Breakfast wraps that can be prepared and frozen in advance. Cereal and a fruit like an apple or banana. It is not time consuming and will have a major impact on an athletes attention and performance.
The problems with schools are that many are strict on snacks and water. Bringing a healthy snack and having water on hand is important as many kids get hungry between meals. It may not be easy to have but it can be done!
Lunch ties in greatly to snacks. Say an athlete has lunch at 11am and practice after school. That is far too long without any food consumption. In that case, a snack may not be necessary between breakfast and lunch. But it is certainly a must between lunch and practice! Lunch is not a hot pocket and a Pop Tart. Give them some variety and something that will benefit them in the long run. A sandwich on whole grain bread with some cut up veggies and ranch to dip. Or if they have a microwave, put together some burrito bowls with lettuce (rice and meat can be frozen).
Then came the dreaded dinner time in between 4 practices for 3 kids as you kick each one out of the car without stopping. I know it is not easy. But try to find alternatives to frequent fast foods. Your body is like a car, without the proper fuel, you are doing it more harm than good.
When it comes to nutrition always remind your athlete that they don't need any magic pills or supplements. Food and sleep are the best performance enhancers on the market!
Take the steps outside of the sport itself, to develop your athlete into a person that will leave you proud for a lifetime! Not only will they grow as an athlete, but they will grow as a person.
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