late season burnout

[shpshter93]

IMO, the season is entirely too long. No matter how good of shape a player or team is in, the number of games and length of the season is too much. Especially, for the freshman. They come from middle schools that play 15 to 20 games at the most and then at the high school level they have already played 20 or more games at this point and 30 games before they get into the tournament. That is why some of the freshman don't play their best ball at this time of the year vs earlier in the season.

 

No one has to play that many games

It seems, to be a great player on a great team requires a lot of sacrifice. The kids on a team and in an area can set the tone for what is required in the way of AAU and additional coaching. If you expect to play on a good team you will have to work as hard as it takes to make that team. If you don't want to make the commitment, you simply don't have to. You probably won't be on a very good team. There is always the Y or Church league. But, on every team there are players that make this game worth paying a price for a ticket, and that did not come without hard work, practice and lots of games and their personal sacrifice of time. That is really why the runner up at the state tournament crys. Not because they are bad sports...because of the dream and the endless price they paid to get there, plus the possibility they wont get a chance again. Everyone wants to be a Star.....are you willing to pay the price?

[midtnbb]

This is something that has been talked about. Some teams just don't seem to play as well at the end of the season as they did at the first of the season. I have always believed that teams are up for the start of the season because it is a new season. Then, they have the Christmas tournaments that give teams something to shoot for, and between Christmas and the tournaments is a long haul and some teams lose some of their motivation during this time. Then as tournament time get near they pick back up.

 

The TSSAA has set Nov. 1 as the date that schools can start practice. In the past most school started at the beginning of school. The amount of work that a coach can do with his players in the spring and summer has been shorten, too.

 

I think it is crazy to want to shorten the season for AAU.

[ladyliondad14]

I think that a lot of the "burn out" for our team anyway comes from how the schedule is set up plus not having a very deep bench. Our season was 25 games long and 14 of those games were between Jan 3rd and Feb 7th. Not to mention that between Jan 10th and Jan 21st (12 days) they played seven games, that's averaging a little over a game every other day. The number of games in the season is fine but they really should be spread out a little better. The kids may not feel physically tired and are mentally ready to play but even being young their muscles can get over worked and become weak and that's when the injuries start. Also the biggest complaints about this comes from us old and decrepid parents that just have a hard time keeping up with all the games and still having to find time to take care of everything else, while doing so we become mentally, physically and financially exhausted. I know the kids probably do get tired but I know, speaking for myself anyway I get worn out much faster than they do. Good luck 12A in the tournys, I believe someone from our district will bring home the gold ball this year.

[PHargis]

I think that a lot of the "burn out" for our team anyway comes from how the schedule is set up plus not having a very deep bench. Our season was 25 games long and 14 of those games were between Jan 3rd and Feb 7th. Not to mention that between Jan 10th and Jan 21st (12 days) they played seven games, that's averaging a little over a game every other day. The number of games in the season is fine but they really should be spread out a little better. The kids may not feel physically tired and are mentally ready to play but even being young their muscles can get over worked and become weak and that's when the injuries start. Also the biggest complaints about this comes from us old and decrepid parents that just have a hard time keeping up with all the games and still having to find time to take care of everything else, while doing so we become mentally, physically and financially exhausted. I know the kids probably do get tired but I know, speaking for myself anyway I get worn out much faster than they do. Good luck 12A in the tournys, I believe someone from our district will bring home the gold ball this year.

You said this better than anybody ever could and you are right. Hope everything turns out all right.

[aj1133]

I was never a phenomenal athlete nor was I in great physical shape, but I never experienced anything anywhere close to burn-out. My belief is that if an athlete is serious about the sport they are playing and enjoy what they are doing then they do not experience burn out. If they are playing because thier parents are making them or some other wrong reason, then burn out could definetly be a factor. Like someone who posted previously, I remember summer camps when we played all day long, and individuals from other teams would gather n a gym at night to play more pick-up. Different strokes for different folks, but I played as much as I could whenever I could, two sports practically year round, and never wanted to do anything else. Now days I hear so much about "kids needing to have a life", "sports take up too much time", yada yada yada.....Sport is life, I can think of nothing aside from my parental upbringing that prepared me better for life and helped keep me out of all the societal troubles. Drugs, alcohol, smoking, teen pregnancy, and other things of this nature were never an option, I needed competition. Now I coach, and I guess I am one of the whacko coaches that others have posted about, but I don't feel like burn out should be an issue or anything that I should have to think about. Those that I want on the court and have a similar competetive spirit will not show any signs of burn out and those that do show these signs will more often than not be passing out water bottles to the others.

Edited February 7, 2006 by aj1133

[kwright]

I was never a phenomenal athlete nor was I in great physical shape, but I never experienced anything anywhere close to burn-out. My belief is that if an athlete is serious about the sport they are playing and enjoy what they are doing then they do not experience burn out. If they are playing because thier parents are making them or some other wrong reason, then burn out could definetly be a factor. Like someone who posted previously, I remember summer camps when we played all day long, and individuals from other teams would gather n a gym at night to play more pick-up. Different strokes for different folks, but I played as much as I could whenever I could, two sports practically year round, and never wanted to do anything else. Now days I hear so much about "kids needing to have a life", "sports take up too much time", yada yada yada.....Sport is life, I can think of nothing aside from my parental upbringing that prepared me better for life and helped keep me out of all the societal troubles. Drugs, alcohol, smoking, teen pregnancy, and other things of this nature were never an option, I needed competition. Now I coach, and I guess I am one of the whacko coaches that others have posted about, but I don't feel like burn out should be an issue or anything that I should have to think about. Those that I want on the court and have a similar competetive spirit will not show any signs of burn out and those that do show these signs will more often than not be passing out water bottles to the others.

 

Put me in coach!!!!! I'm 51, fat and never was a good player, but I would bust my butt for you. You stated life as I remember it. Great Post!!!!

 

HOOPS TO YA!!!!!!!!

 

kw

[PHargis]

I was never a phenomenal athlete nor was I in great physical shape, but I never experienced anything anywhere close to burn-out. My belief is that if an athlete is serious about the sport they are playing and enjoy what they are doing then they do not experience burn out. If they are playing because thier parents are making them or some other wrong reason, then burn out could definetly be a factor. Like someone who posted previously, I remember summer camps when we played all day long, and individuals from other teams would gather n a gym at night to play more pick-up. Different strokes for different folks, but I played as much as I could whenever I could, two sports practically year round, and never wanted to do anything else. Now days I hear so much about "kids needing to have a life", "sports take up too much time", yada yada yada.....Sport is life, I can think of nothing aside from my parental upbringing that prepared me better for life and helped keep me out of all the societal troubles. Drugs, alcohol, smoking, teen pregnancy, and other things of this nature were never an option, I needed competition. Now I coach, and I guess I am one of the whacko coaches that others have posted about, but I don't feel like burn out should be an issue or anything that I should have to think about. Those that I want on the court and have a similar competetive spirit will not show any signs of burn out and those that do show these signs will more often than not be passing out water bottles to the others.

This was a great post and since I wasn't there with you but I can relate as somewhere I did the same thing except it was on my terms, not someone else. Let me give you a yearly schedule and i will admit and I think you will also, times and things are not the same. Athletics are not the same today as when we played.

To play at a level kids want to play today, it is somewhat a year round program if you want to excel and excel never meant at the level we played and I wound up playing two sports in college.

Lets look at a year's program, if a young lady wants to do that today in two sports and why should that not be normal since if someone has a fire in their belly for athletics, that might be a norm. Lets use as a model the two sports being Basketball and Volleyball since the two seasons don't conflict much it may seem.

Basketball, played with skills, require almost a year round participation somewhat. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE MAIN FOCUS DURING THOSE YEARS AND THAT IS TO PREPARE THEM SELVES FOR LIFE BY GOING TO SCHOOL, MAKING GOOD GRADES AND ENTERING IN TO STUDENT LIFE SOCIALLY SO THEY MIGHT NOT BE ILLPREPARED TO DEAL WITH OTHERS.

Basketball starts with preseason, conditioning, weightlifting drills concentrating on parts of the body that might be suseptable to injury suvh as legs and upper body. It also requires cardivasicular such as extra running maybe as much as 2 miles a day and this occurs to some degree, offseason. Then when season starts, practice 3 days a week for about 2 hours and games twice a week taking up about three hours. Then there are away games which can take an extra two hours on those days and maybe a little more. Add as many as 3 or 4 three day tournaments at Thanksgiving and Christmas and then District and Regional and State tournaments if one is lucky and in high school, one could play as many as 28 to 32 games in addition to the main focus of going to high school. Add up the hours. If someone is serious and loves it, They then in addition to off season conditioning, they start the AAU process which again requires two nights a week and weekend tournaments usually requiring playing 5 or 6 games a weekend and travel to the tournament sites and back. Also at that time going preseason in to a second sport with practices and preseason scrimmages and going in state and out of state for team camps along with going to team camps in the summer with the high school team for basketball.

This brings you up to regular season in volleyball in which 45 matches are played, win 3 out of 5 games and do the same traveling and touraments as in basketball and the same practice schedule. This goes to the start of the official basket practice start.

All of these things are structured. During your and my time, i have a feeling that everything was not as structured. I respect, with great pride, what athletes have to go thru and the endurance that it takes to just get thru a high school year and prepare themselves ofr one sport, much less two. I respect the parents which keep up with them and support them. Some athletes do not want to pay the price and it is work, more work than being in a structured situation. More pressure than being in an unstructured situation. Many have trouble with the time or other factors. The 51 year old, with due respect and in jest, lives in the past and thru their kids just like the rest of us. Yes, I walked to school 5 miles many times in the snow.

Athletics are not the same today as they once were and it looks to me that while the advantages were outlined which are definitely agreed with, sometimes acessments need to be made especially if a young athlete goes thru the process for two or three years in a row and the signs of something, burnout or whatever you want to call it, and the start of injuries showing up and it will be minor to start with, and it is time for the young athlete to start taking some breaks. My opinion, probably not worth much, been there seen that.

Edited February 9, 2006 by Bighurt

[kwright]

PHargis

 

Trust me, no respect is due . I don't live my life through my kid, I live it for my family!!! I remember my Dad talking about those long walks to school, but I got by without having to go through that You are right about one thing, this is a different time and athletes (I was never one) are not what they once were. I think kids are bigger and quicker and better now than they were when I was young. The bigger part is just evolution, but the better part is from more work (like year round). Also, I must admit, that when I was young, there was no AAU that I knew anything about so Summer was pretty much off time from Basketball. I know from our previous conversations we just don't agree on much about this subject, but I do respect your opinion because as you said, you have been there and done that, and while I played at a couple of sports, I really never was heart and soul into any of them as a player. I really don't live in the past, I did not have this opinion five years ago until I had a daughter that wanted to play ball and we found out at age 11 we were two years behind the ones that started on time. If you want to compete at a high level in this day and time, you have got to get after it year round. Like yours, just my opinion.

 

HOOPS TO YA!!!!!

kw

[Dark Man]

 

 

If you want to compete at a high level in this day and time, you have got to get after it year round.

 

HOOPS TO YA!!!!!

kw

Some of being able to play at a high level is just raw talent or athletic ability. Some kids with limited ability might need to start when they are very young to concentrate on one sport, but other kids can do just as well while playing several sports. Many times the best players on basketball teams are also stars in other sports as well. Brittany Ezell that played at Franklin and led them to the State in basketball and got a scholarship to Alabama to play basketball was also a great softball player. David Price from Blackman was the best player on his basketball team and will be pitching in the major leagues someday barring some strange mishap. The Jennings kid at Ravenwood is another example of this. The best players are normally great athletes and if they choose to play other sports rather than just concentrating on one they usually will be pretty good at whatever they choose to do. I think the idea that everybody has to just concentrate on one sport year round if they want to excel is a myth. It didn't seem to hurt Alysha Clark when she decided to play volleyball her senior year in high school.

[PHargis]

Some of being able to play at a high level is just raw talent or athletic ability. Some kids with limited ability might need to start when they are very young to concentrate on one sport, but other kids can do just as well while playing several sports. Many times the best players on basketball teams are also stars in other sports as well. Brittany Ezell that played at Franklin and led them to the State in basketball and got a scholarship to Alabama to play basketball was also a great softball player. David Price from Blackman was the best player on his basketball team and will be pitching in the major leagues someday barring some strange mishap. The Jennings kid at Ravenwood is another example of this. The best players are normally great athletes and if they choose to play other sports rather than just concentrating on one they usually will be pretty good at whatever they choose to do. I think the idea that everybody has to just concentrate on one sport year round if they want to excel is a myth. It didn't seem to hurt Alysha Clark when she decided to play volleyball her senior year in high school.

Of course that is not exactly what Clark did and I think you meant to say what she did. She played basketball and volleyball somewhere out of state, I believe in Kansas. She loved volleyball and had to make the choice between the two and she chose Basketball when she moved to MJ. It was a good move and I am afraid most young ladies will have to make that choice if you read the senario that kids may have to face. That is all right. Choices are what life is all about. A young lady with a lot of stamina can do it. Taylor Parrish played both until her senior year at Harpeth hall and now has a full grant at Wake Forrest. A great player in both.

[PHargis]

PHargis

 

Trust me, no respect is due . I don't live my life through my kid, I live it for my family!!! I remember my Dad talking about those long walks to school, but I got by without having to go through that You are right about one thing, this is a different time and athletes (I was never one) are not what they once were. I think kids are bigger and quicker and better now than they were when I was young. The bigger part is just evolution, but the better part is from more work (like year round). Also, I must admit, that when I was young, there was no AAU that I knew anything about so Summer was pretty much off time from Basketball. I know from our previous conversations we just don't agree on much about this subject, but I do respect your opinion because as you said, you have been there and done that, and while I played at a couple of sports, I really never was heart and soul into any of them as a player. I really don't live in the past, I did not have this opinion five years ago until I had a daughter that wanted to play ball and we found out at age 11 we were two years behind the ones that started on time. If you want to compete at a high level in this day and time, you have got to get after it year round. Like yours, just my opinion.

KW, don't remember tangling with you on posts. Good post. Appreciate your coments.

HOOPS TO YA!!!!!

kw

[aj1133]

I had the opportunity to work for one of the most outstanding women's basketball programs in the country for six years with the Lady Vol Basketball team and was around some outstanding athletes. College and high school are much different when it comes to playing two sports due in large part to paying the student athlete's tuition and the possibility of injury from off sport, however, I know first hand that an athlete that plays multiple sports (especially if she excels at more han one) is usually a sign of a well rounded athlete and is often times highly sought after. Remember Tamika Catchings, she was so good at volleyball that Coach Summitt actually considered allowing her to play for about one and a half seconds. But the idea that they were recruiting an exceptional basketball player that was also outstanding at other sports made her a real catch. There were other athletes like that while I was there, before transferring to Baylor, Kim Smallwood played basketball and ran track for the university (she was sort of an exception to the rule). I guess what I am trying to say is that for a young person with real drive for competition, playing multiple sports year round or whatever the case may be, is not a bother but rather a challenge and one that most true competitors are adept to deal with. Toughen your children up and let them decide how important basketball or whatever sport is to them. If they find competing for boyfriends or friends is more important than sport, then they don't belong anyway, they are probably playing for the wrong reasons. If they can find away to balance so-called "life" with sport then they have accomplished what many cannot.