Burnout in youth sports is a threat to the physical and mental stamina of young athletes. As competitive youth athletics engages younger participants each year, the threat of, both, physical and mental burnout in young players grows more imminent. Over involvement in competitive leagues has long-term consequences for kids, if after the first 12 years of their lives they abandon organized sports or, perhaps, physical activity completely. This alarming situation is compounded by the growing competition between youth sports and modern technology, which is driving youngsters to become sedentary, often in the form of sitting in front of a computer for hours at a time. Unfortunately, once young victims of burnout quit sports, they rarely return. This startling predicament of modern youth sports can be attributed to the actions of parents and coaches.

Parents who enroll their children in too many sports or multiple leagues for one sport end up constructing a trap that will inevitably catch up with their kid. These children are often bound by impractical time constraints, almost literally living out of their family vehicles in order to accommodate their hectic schedules. Parents must find a reasonable balance for their children and help budget their time. Youth coaches can also share the blame for the dilemma. Coaches who allow their practices to become drudgery can get feelings of resentment from their players. Conducting short, stimulating, fun practices that convey skills in the form of spirited activity can turn practices into a positive experience for young players. If players leave practice, unmotivated to show up at the next one, something is amiss.

While burnouts result from participation in too many sports, as well as enrollment in too many leagues for a single sport, the latter scenario may pose greater danger for the player. Having a child play in numerous leagues in order to specialize their talents often leads to physical harm. Using the same muscles over and over again without varied activity can introduce problems with the child’s growth platelets. This kind of damage can persist into long term health issues.

Consider a twelve year old youth baseball player who is involved in two leagues and is a pitcher. Suppose the pitch count slips away from an attentive coach or parent, or the coach sneaks in a few extra innings for a game that “the team needs.” If this realistic scenario repeats itself enough, the perfect formula is created for serious arm injury. It is not difficult for parents to overlook this outcome when they are blinded by their personal motivations. Perhaps the parent is looking to vicariously relive their childhood. Hopes of a college scholarship seven years down the road could also drive a parent down this dangerous path.

So what is the correct formula? Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this question. All kids are different and some are more physically resilient than others. Parents need to prioritize their children’s physical and mental well-being over their own emotional and monetary incentives. A lifestyle that emphasizes a balance between school, extracurriculars, and free time, is probably the best thing for all kids in the long run. And if you, as Parents, or your kids, who participate in youth sports leagues always seem tired, maybe this is an indicator to slow down. Remember, kids also need some free time away from organized sports to be creative in their backyards or the schoolyard. The burnout factor is something parents and communities need to pay attention to. Competition is great, but the overindulgence might be doing more harm than good.

Marty Schupak, President of the Youth Sports Club, has coached youth sports for 21 years and has run more than 1,500 youth sports practices. He is the creator of 22 sports instructional videos including the best selling “Championship Soccer Drills”,”48 Championship Basketball Drills”, and “The 59 Minute Baseball Practice.” He is also author of the popular book, “Youth Baseball Drills.” For samples of his videos, go to http://www.VideosForCoaches.com Contact him at  [mailto:YouthSportsClub@aol.com]YouthSportsClub@aol.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marty_Schupak http://EzineArticles.com/?Burnout-in-Youth-Sports&id=1773135

The biggest problem every athlete has is learning how to create unshakable confidence under pressure. Most sport psychologists will never tell you that virtually all athletes have the exact same reaction when they are not performing well.

First, they become frustrated and a bit angry.

Second, they lose their confidence, worried they’re going to get worse and worse.

Third, they tell themselves to ‘get over’ their loss of confidence put pressure on themselves to feel better, fast.

None of these reactions leads to consistent, magnificent athletic performance.

Performing your best under pressure in sport is a matter of emotional self-mastery in the key moments of competition.

Mastering Fear and Performance Anxiety

To be confident under pressure, you must know how to handle your fear, frustration, and performance anxiety.

Why? Because these negative feelings have to potential to destroy your ability to trust yourself under pressure.

For example,

(a) Let’s imagine that you are playing tennis and you start hitting your shots into the net.

(b) Instantly, you become upset, because you want to be more consistent. Frustrated, you try and guide or steer the ball, which interferes with your technique enough to erode your game.

(c) By knowing a better way to handle your anger than trying to steer the ball, you can prevent this from happening again. Instead, you have a better plan for how to deal with your anger. As a result, your emotional climate does not change; you play even better after your bad shots.

(d) As you get better at mastering fear, you become more unflappable, more consistent under pressure, and more impressive to everyone– especially yourself.

By understanding exactly how to manage fear and frustration when you perform poorly, you can become immune to virtually any distraction.

Since you found this article, you probably already know that there many self-help and sport psychology techniques out there. You’ve probably even tried some of them.

The problem is that most of these techniques don’t work.

Why Many Sport Psychology Techniques Fail Long Term

Affirmations, positive thinking, and visualization (or whatever) pump you up temporarily, but the moment you stop doing them, your fear and performance anxiety come back.

This is because you are using a lone “technique” that may or may not fit the competitive situation you are facing.

Let me give you an example…

Have you ever been told by a coach or sport psychologist to re-gain your confidence by thinking more positively?

Did it work?

I’m betting that it worked sometimes, but other times, it only made you more frustrated and anxious.

There are times in competition when positive thinking is the wrong technique. In these situations, you’re better off not pressuring yourself to be positive. Here’s why: being positive means finding something good in the situation, e.g., ‘It’s great that I lost that competition because I need a day off.’

The problem with trying to be positive in all situations is that there may not be anything good about the problem you are facing. Trying to force a positive reaction in such a situation will only deflate you.

Case in point:

Rather than telling yourself to be positive when things are collapsing around you, a better idea is to ask yourself for optimism instead.

Optimism is not being positive.

Optimism is the ability to find hope by believing that the challenges you are facing are temporary.

If you follow football, you know that the New England Patriots got off to a rocky start back in 2006.

One cause was the subpar play of Tom Brady, New England’s Superbowl MVP quarterback. Brady finally admitted that the trade of a top receiver and the loss of other offensive players upset him and the team.

But, like the champion he is, Brady viewed the slump as temporary. In the middle of the slump, he said: ”We’ll improve everybody’s state of mind and body language. It will be good for our confidence to go out and play to the level we’re capable of.”

To restore your confidence in a slump, release yourself from the burden of trying to be happy and positive right away. Instead, just try to be optimistic. Find as many rational reasons as possible to believe your slump is temporary. Then, quietly channel your frustration into performing better.

Soon, you’ll light it up other there, and your confidence will return.

You can see now that there are many other mental toughness and sport psychology techniques than positive thinking— and the sooner you educate yourself in them, the better off you’ll be.

Your friend, Lisa Lane Brown http://www.thecouragetowin.com/mtt_for_sport.htm

About the Author

Lisa Lane Brown is a professional speaker, author and coach who helps people win using mental toughness. A former world class athlete, Lisa is the author of the Courage to Win formula, which she has taught to thousands of achievers worldwide.