How to manage the training of busy kids and what to focus on

The first thing is, yes they exist. There are thousands of high achieving athletes who, because of their athletic abilities, also make touch football and swimming teams along with qualifying for states and nationals for track events and cross country. Not to mention they probably also have homework to complete and may even be learning a musical instrument. 

As a parent, it’s difficult to juggle activities as well as decide which ones your child should commit to and what they should focus on. How do you decide?

Basically, I believe it needs to come down to what their main goal is. It’s great they make lots of teams and let’s face it, it’s really fun, addictive and a healthy activity.  But deciding which ones to focus on involves looking at the long game and the goal. The cross country for example is amazing but if it’s not your child’s main goal to succeed at that event, by committing to the team they could come unstuck from over committing to this extra training. 

Working on the long game and the goal

We train our athletes with the long game and their goal in mind. 

Firstly, the long game involves setting up our athletes with efficiency to get them ready for future success in any sport they do. Secondly, the goal involves identifying what it is the child wants most to achieve. Some kids and parents come to me and say, ‘we’re aiming for nationals!’, or ‘we want a win at states!’, or ‘we want to make lots of teams!’

Looking at the long game and efficiency and no matter the goal, it’s important to set kids’ running form up first. Technique is key. Our priority for running is good form then volume as being an efficient runner is vital for any sport you choose. It prevents injuries, saves energy and builds self-esteem by putting in work for balance and range of motion.  

We recommend one technique and one running session a week with speed and some jumping and balance work. If you’re training specifically for sprints or long distance events, we recommend adding another session as a longer conditioning set for distance runners or an additional speed session for sprinters. 

In team sports, as you don’t really need long all-out sprints that reach top speed and hold that speed, it’s really distance people who need the longer run to have conditioning. 

Most importantly though for all athletes, be consistent!  Commit to your two run sessions each week, in addition to your other sport training and games. 

What to do in the lead up to events

If you are training for comps for districts and regionals as well as doing other sports, you should drop/reduce sessions for your other sports and add in your other running sessions when it’s four to six weeks out from your goal race. That way you can still make both happen. 

If you don’t do this reduction in sport, what I find ends up happening (I always get the call) is that the over committed athlete gets injured, de-motivated and loses interest. They can’t then compete at a high level because their heart muscle is actually tired and can’t perform. They also lose interest because they feel like they could have won but under-performed . 

For the families we coach through this we get them to manage their other activities, notice any early signs of overtraining and add in recovery weeks early.  We also make sure your athletes don’t peak too early and we make sure the kids’ running form is at a high level then add the volume, and offer a strength and conditioning class to add on an injury prevention exercise routine. 

What else to do

While getting the training balance right is key, it’s also important to look at the other areas of your child’s health and wellbeing. We are advocates for encouraging a reduction in sugar consumption and increasing protein consumption to grow muscle in addition to a higher healthy fat approach to help good health with their training. 

Getting lots of sleep is also important – we are all about getting to bed early especially when training for events. 

Juggling the commitments of athletes and getting the right balance of training sessions can be a challenge. We can help design a training schedule that works for your child, promoting fun and teamwork, and helping them to achieve their goals. 

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