I am frequently asked by parents; is
it safe for my young child to play Pop-Warner Football? How
young can a child start playing sports? Is there a
higher risk of injury with children playing sports? Is
there any sport better then the other for young children? What
injuries do you usually see in my child’s sport? I’ll
attempt to answer most of these questions in this discussion
of sport as it relates to the young child.
Sports Participation
There is no magic age to start sports. Organized
athletics is a healthy way for the young child to dissipate
some of that abounding energy in a positive, constructive and
supervised manner. The most important question I’ll
ask back to the parent is “what makes you feel your child
is ready?” It is important that the child and not
the parent are ready for them to start sport.
Sport must be kept in the proper perspective.
Being part of a team is an integral part of our life, both
on the field, at work and in the family. The child learns
discipline and the need to cooperate with others to accomplish
a common goal. The child’s participation in sport
should be regarded as an extended part of school time, playtime
and family time. It should not replace these critical
elements in childhood development.
Children less then 5 years old have little
understanding of organized sport. Their world revolves
around free play. Pushing a child to sports too early
may frustrate them and turn them against a sport. Certainly
it is okay to have a football, soccer ball or basketball around
the play gym, but let the child seek these toys out.
Once a child begins attending school, he
learns about interaction with peer groups. Organized
play with other children begins to take on an element of fun. Athletics
at this age is an exercise of providing fun and play. Often
the concept of the game, rules and scoring are lost on this
age group between 5 and 9. Short attention spans make
it difficult to execute coordinated plays. I had the
lucky opportunity to observe a 6-year-old get the football
at a Pop-Warner game. With everyone yelling “run…run” the
child took off in the wrong direction and ran the length of
the football field, then the adjoining football field and finally
stopped in the middle of a softball field!
He did what he was told. As long
as the sport, coaches etc keep the game fun with little emphasis
on rules & structure, these children do okay.
The ten-year-old to twelve-year-old group
begins to put the concept of sport together. Their pre-pubescent
bodies just aren’t ready to model their favorite player
on TV The mind is willing, the body just not able yet. This
age group in varying degrees grasps the organization and philosophy
of sport. “Making the team” is a major social
rite of passage. Kids will hangout with their teammates
as friends. The socialization of sport begins to be something
carried over to all aspects of their life. The posters
on the bedroom wall are changed, the thermos better have an
all-star on it. They ask for sport clothing at Christmas
or Birthdays. They accept increasing amounts of structure
and become goal oriented. Parent participation by attendance
at games is critical at this stage. They are still not
independent. A major caution is the 12-year-old that
has gone through puberty early and is now 5’11” and
210 pounds. This person presents a hazard to the playing
field. Organized athletics have increasingly gone to
weight restrictions for sports, as the science of growth is
still rather unpredictable.
The child going through the rapid growth
spurt between the ages of 12-16 is ready for all aspects of
athletics. The history of sport becomes well known to
them, Sport discipline is well accepted by these kids. They
are ready to perform at their best.
In summary, children have different responses
and approaches to organized sport. Any child is physically
capable of participating in sports as long as parents and coaches
understand the objectives for sport in that age group. There
is a benefit to children participating in organized sport at
an early age.
Workouts in the Young Child
The child prior to puberty lacks the physiologic
and hormonal controls to allow him to benefit from weight training,
wind sprints etc. Studies have shown that the prepubescent
child is slow to respond to training programs. Fast muscles
for sprinting or slow muscles for distance running ratios changed
little in children before puberty despite their activity level
or training regimen. Little change was measured in cardiovascular
parameters in young children despite their training. The
child’s bones are different then adult bones with soft
areas that are prone to overuse injuries if overstressed. A
balanced training program without overexertion should be the
goal. Included in this should be taught flexibility and
stretching exercises, so the child obtains these injury prevention
strategies early. Despite physiologic differences, child
before puberty do gain some measurable skills by being involved
in sport. Dexterity, balance, motor skills, fine motor
coordination, work ethic and prpper training habits are all
benefits that the pre-puberty athlete can gain.
Sport Types for Young Athletes
Young children should participate in a
variety of sport activities. There is no one sport better
for the young child then another. The best sport is the
one the child (and not the parent) is interested in. There
is no compelling data to suggest a non-contact sport over a
contact sport in the young age group. The acquisition
of basic individual skills should be the goal in this age group. The
child should not be pushed to what the parent or coach couldn’t
become in their youth. Children have the capability of
identifying sport activities that “fit” them both
physically and psychologically, and should be allowed to chose.
The Injured Young Athlete
There is no question that injuries occur
throughout the entire spectrum of sport participation. The
real question is whether sport in childhood exposes the child
to undue risk. Several studies have documented a low
incidence of injury in young children involved in organize
sport. In fact crossing the street has a much higher
likelihood of injury then participation in sport. Interestingly,
the occurrence of injury in sports is actually lower in the
organized sports for the younger child (pre-puberty) when compared
to the young adults (age 17-22). Because the child has
a lower body mass, lower acceleration and lower center of gravity,
they tend not to get hurt as bad as big kids do. The
most common injuries I see in the young athlete are sprains
and bruises. Rarely do I see a wrist fracture from a
fall. I see far more wrist fractures from falls off the
jungle gym, bicycles and skateboards.
Sport Specific Injuries
This is somewhat of a misnomer, as no sport
claims exclusive rights to any one injury. I’ve
seen the same injury caused by contact and non-contact sports. Thankfully
most injuries are minor sprains, scrapes and bruises. An
athlete with persistent complaints over 12-24 hours
should be evaluated further. Splinting the extremity
and applying ice should be the first step. It is important
that coaches and parents be responsive to athletes with complaints
of injury in all age groups.
Overuse injuries are seen in sports requiring
repetitive motion or high stresses during one part of the motion
such as pitching, track, tennis, golf and swimming. Pitchers
develop “little leaguers elbow, tennis elbow, shin splints
and shoulder tendonitis are more examples. Once recognized
these injuries should be managed by an athletic trainer and
referred for evaluation if symptoms don’t abate with
rest, or worsen. A sport specific//injury specific training
program should be developed for that athletes return to sport.
Summary
Youth Organized Sport is a worthwhile and
beneficial activity for young children. Carry-over value
from sport to school and family is very high. Sports
create a discipline for maintaining good nutrition & fitness
which can be incorporated into a healthy adult lifestyle. Organized
sport provides a worthwhile outlet for childhood’s excess
energy.
The risk-benefit ratio of injury is acceptably
low. Sport activity in an organized setting will benefit
most children.
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