"Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that"
This quote was sent to me on a list of things that happened pre-1990's to us as kids and we survived.
Club sports have become such a money making scam these days, and I have long maintained that most detrimental things (READ: injuries) that happen to the youth of today are due to children training for their chosen sports more than they do at a collegiate or professional level.
Swimmers have been told as long as I have been around them, that their total yardage per session will drop when they get to college.....and funny enough they get faster and stronger and less injured. Soccer and basketball players that I deal with that play on 4 different "select" (READ: costs more money) only to end up with mysterious knee hip and ankle injuries, because they train for upwards of 25-30 hours a week.
This much training can turn a minimal biomechanical problem, such as internal rotated femurs or poor mechanics in the knees into meniscus tears and PCL/MCL sprains and tears, or ankle sprains and tears
For the love of all things holy, if your child is training with their sport (actual hands on training the specific sport) for more time than you are at work in a week.....maybe they are doing just a little too much?
Not every child is a super star prodigy, it isn't necessary for them to play on every team because the coach showed interest. Club coaches get paid according to the number of kids they field.
Take the time to prepare the child for the rigors of the sport, prehabilitation, strength/power conditioning, flexibility, the silly things that will allow them to walk at 30 years old!!!
