At What Age Should my Child Begin Training?
Deciding when an athlete is ready to begin formal off-ice training is a complex topic. By “formal off-ice training” I am referring to a structured, personal and intensive program that is specifically designed to improve their hockey performance. At any age, light off-ice activities can be fun and beneficial for young athletes, but there comes a time when, in order to continue playing hockey at a high level, off-season training needs to become a very serious part of a hockey player’s development.
Past and Present Misconceptions
When it comes to young children and competitive sports there will always be many controversies. The debate on what age an athlete is ready to begin training, specifically “weight training” is one that has been going on for a very long time. It has been said that weight training will stunt the growth of the participants and that elite competition will negatively impact the development of the athletes. The problem with a lot of these accusations is that they are based opinions and not necessarily on fact or scientific inquiry.
The understanding of our development both physically and mentally has come a long way even in the last few decades. New methods of research have emerged and many studies have been documented on the subject. Though a definitive consensus on many of these issues may never be reached, we are continually piecing together truths from the myths that surround organized youth sports.
Science
Just as it pertains to adults, in order to create adaptations in the body, a change in the environment needs to occur. For normal bone development, it is important that the bones are used or stressed. In this case, training will aid in the proper skeletal development of the youths. For muscle development, the same principle applies. Create an environment where the muscles have to grow stronger to compensate for an increased demand and improved strength will follow. The epiphyseal plate or growth plate of the bone is very important during development. In an adult, this portion of the bone is sealed, but during growth it is 2-5 times weaker then the rest of the bone and if fractured, can cause negative long term effects on bone maturity.
A phenomenon occurs in youth athletes that go beyond just muscles. In many instances, a youth athlete will train and from this training become stronger and be able to lift more weight, but this adaptation occurs without any further growth in the muscles. The reason behind this improvement lies in the Nervous System. When we are developing, millions of neuronal connections are being created all over our bodies. When training, we are aiding healthy and efficient development of these links from the Central Nervous System (The brain and Spinal Cord) to the muscles (part of our Peripheral Nervous System). So in our developing athlete, the brain is able to recruit the muscles more efficiently after adapting to the training situation.
Recommendation
Now comes the tricky part, the part where I answer the question that I posed to you in my title, “What Age Should My Child Begin Training?” Unfortunately the short answer is it is impossible to say unless I know exactly where along their development your child is. I cannot say that at age 13, everyone is physically fit to begin intensive training. But what I can tell you is that there are many indicators that you should be looking for in your child that will greatly help your decision. Physical activity is beneficial during development, this much we know, though how much and of what variety differs greatly between individuals. The best way to look at this is by separating the indicators into two groups, (1) Physiological and (2) Motivational.
1. Physiological:
The age of your child is important, but the chronological age can throw you off course because, as I am sure you know from personal experience, puberty does not start for everyone at the same time. In normal development, ages 12-14 have begun to enter puberty and are at a critical time for growth. This can be either aided or hindered by training. Over training is a huge issue with this age group and there are many injuries (Osgood Schlatters, Low Back Injuries, etc) that can result if the athlete is pushed to far. Some tips to prevent these overtraining issues are:
1. Avoid drastic increases in exercise intensity
2. Ensure that proper equipment (mainly proper shoes) are worn
3. Avoid exercising on hard surfaces such as concrete
4. Provide athlete with information about over-training
5. Have a someone who is knowledgeable and qualified supervise the training
As for what type of activity is good for beginners, as long as proper form is followed and a progression is used for weight, some strength training, balance, agility and light plyometrics can be implemented. As for plyometrics, be careful because of the very strenuous nature of this type of exercise. I recommend that it only be used once or twice a week, with a lot of rest between sets and with a minimum amount of repetitions. Stress should be placed more on muscular endurance with strength training. Keep the number of repetitions high and the weight low to ensure that the athlete’s body becomes accustomed to the exercises and they learn proper form. Agility and balance drills are great for young athletes and with a little creativity can become a very enjoyable part of their workouts.
2. Motivational:
A great deal of passion and motivation is needed in order to participate in a training program. Now, all of a sudden, you are asking this player to workout in the off-season when they can be out with their friends? This can cause a major conflict and in many cases cause the player to burnout and lose interest in their sport. As well, if the player is not motivated, the workouts will be a waste of time because the effort that is needed to achieve the benefits from them will just not be there. So it is very important that, as a guardian you are aware of how the athlete feels about (a) putting more time into improving their fitness/skill levels, (b) pursuing a future in their sport and (c) participating in the training program in general.
If you feel confident that they genuinely have the desire and are physically ready to take the next step in improving their performance then it may be time to start your youth athlete into a structured training program.