Getting Burned Out

[WH05]

What do you do when a very talented player gets really burned out, and is not for sure they want to continue playing?

[ERA]

I believe first you have to find out what caused it. Example...too much practice, too many games, maybe not liking the position currently playing. Burnout is easily ascertained with over exuberant parents or maybe they didn't want to play as much as everyone thought they did.

 

The problem amounts to one or many contributing factors. This is not something that has an immediate fix usually. I suggest to be careful the way you handle it. Take your time and not push it.

[scfan]

Our daughter had been playing since she was six, both league ball and travel ball. She had just finished her freshman season, which had been very stressful, as the only pitcher and all district games scheduled as double headers. We were beginning to talk about travel ball for that summer and she was not interested at all. In fact, she ask if she had to play. After getting over the shock, we told her that she didn't have to. She contined to work and take pitching lessons but didn't play that summer. She came back and played high school, travel and now is playing college ball. I really believe if we had forced her to play that summer, she would have never been able to accomplish the things she has. She was tired and needed the summer off. Sometimes as parents, it is best if we listen to what they are saying instead of continuing with our agenda.

[ELA]

I have seen this happen a lot with football and baseball! If you take a player in any sport who has been playing year round for many years, by the time they reach high school, get a car, and a part time job, and a boy/girl friend, they reach an age where their "social schedule" comes into conflict with their desire to play sports and earn some money. Young people reach the breaking point when their non-athletic peers start to pressure them to drop a sport to hang out and party with them. I have seen some of my best athletes go through this and it can be a very tough decision for them. There are no easy answers or solutions. What I have tried to do is to sit down with the athlete and their parents to try to establish a set of priorities for the student to craft to meet their individual needs and desires. Sometimes you just have to help them discover why they feel the way they do! GOOD LUCK!