Sports just went from 0 - 100! The country is starting to reopen and athletes are beginning to return to practice and games. This means most kids had well over a two month lay off from training and sport. One arising problem is that coaches are now trying to make up for their time lost during the spring and early summer. Basketball, soccer, baseball, and softball teams are all trying to cram what they missed into a shorter compact summer season, and they are all doing it at the same time.

In order to make it to everything required this means multi-sport athletes are potentially bouncing from 2-3 practices a day and playing even more games during the week and on the weekends. While this is a heavy workload under any circumstance, doing so after being stuck in your house for two months will be problematic. It is highly likely that we will see injury rates spike across the country at all levels. Youth, High School, Collegiate, and Professional sports, if time is not allowed to properly condition athletes before putting them in game-like environments. We can’t expect our now untrained athletes to rapidly turn it on, and meet or increase the workload they were previously at.

As a parent and athlete, you don’t always have the luxury of setting your schedule and don’t want to be “that kid” that isn’t part of the team. Here are a few tips to help you navigate a busy summer of sports, not only to help you stay injury-free but to perform at your potential: 

1. Sleep: The benefits of sleep are pretty well known. It is especially important for youth athletes that need to recover and perform day after day. Sleep is potentially the number one thing athletes can do to improve recovery. Strive to sleep for 7 - 9 hours a night at a minimum. In addition to total sleep time, environment and timing are important, too. Sleep in a cool, dark room and turn your phone off or put it in another room (Yes they still make alarm clocks). Strive for a consistent bedtime between 10 p.m. - 11 p.m. for maximum benefits and recovery.

2. Nutrition: Now is not the time to try and lose weight, reduce calories, or go carb-free. Athletes HAVE to be consuming as many calories as they are expending at a minimum while practicing and playing this much. Pre-planning will go a long way here. Plan out your meals the night before so you always have something to eat. Try and plan for your heavier meals after training or practice to aid in recovery, and make sure to have plenty of snacks if you will be bouncing from practice to practice. If you are unsure of how many calories you need, reach out to us. We can get you on the right track. From what we have seen, if you are a youth athlete, you probably are not consuming enough calories.

3. Hydration: .5 ounces per pound of body weight is usually a good starting point for hydration. This should be increased significantly when working out, practicing, or playing games in hot weather during the summer. Drink more water! Creating a hydration schedule or setting reminders on your phone is a good way to remember to drink enough water.

4. Strength Training: Strength training is a huge component for creating a durable athlete. Strength training strengthens your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones (all things that can get injured). A common thing we see is that athletes stop training during the season, leaving them much weaker by the end of the season than they were at the beginning. Most novice youth athletes can actually continue to increase strength in season, which is key for performance and injury prevention, but you can’t always just keep hammering like it is the off-season. I would recommend working with a coach that understands programming, periodization, and can put together a plan that is cohesive with your increased practice/game schedule.

5. Cooldown: What you do after practice and games can make a big difference in recovery and how you feel the next day. Take 10 - 15 minutes to stretch and foam roll. Spend extra time with the roller on tight or tender spots. For $25 - $30 you can buy a stretching strap and a foam roller. It is well worth the investment.

6. Be Smart: Understand and set long term goals for yourself. Be true to those goals and have honest conversations with coaches and leaders about what is best for you. At the end of the day, no one is going to remember the 5th game of the 3rd summer ball tournament next year, hell, probably not even next week. What is more important? To thrive in summer ball or be healthy and peaked for when your real season starts and the games actually matter? Be smart and learn to listen to your body if you need a break or recovery day.

These tips should always be a priority for athletes if they are serious about their craft, but they are more important now than ever. Paying extra attention to sleep, nutrition, hydration, training, and stretching will allow you to stand out over others, stay healthy, and make the most of your lost time in sports.