Never Outgrow Free Play
Following a Saturday morning of 5-year-old soccer, I watched my two young sons (5 and 3) work together to create a game on the playground nearby. From my vantage point it looked like a game of tag within an obstacle course, although I did hear sound effects of explosions so it is hard to say.
The dad in me witnessed his kids working together, sweating, laughing, fighting at times, but ultimately having a blast. The strength coach in me observed two young boys jumping, crawling, sprinting, shuffling, skipping, climbing, spinning, balancing, and sliding to avoid being tagged. Their movements were natural and reactive. They flowed together and were all created simply by free play.
Fast forward two weeks and I am working with a Developmental program for 6th — 8th grade boys and girls. Now I am programming these same movements and see many unable to perform a simple skip or shuffle.
Movements begin to seem more robotic at this age, unlike the fluidity of kids freely playing. On one hand, at this age many of the athletes bodies are rapidly growing and changing so some coordination is going to suffer for a short period.
On the other hand, it seems like free play has disappeared and in its place became air pods, cell phones, and sport specialization. This only becomes exacerbated as athletes reach the high school age. They become high level, high school athletes in their specific sport, but lack the ability to perform the same simple movements they did daily in their youth.
Growing up I played baseball, basketball, and football. In middle school, I made it a point to participate in every school sport that I could — football, basketball, track, and even ran a couple of cross country meets. In high school, sports began to narrowly focus to football, baseball, and track. Finally leading to an opportunity to play college baseball.
As a collegiate pitcher, I focused on performing the same repetitive task over and over and over again. It was very important to maintain consistent mechanics in your delivery. On the mound, I could place the ball wherever I wanted, but fielding a bunt from the mound I would sail that thing so far down the right field line it didn’t seem possible. My job was to throw the ball, but the moment I was off the mound I became that robotic pitcher instead of the athlete. Pitchers are athletes too!
So what did I do to fix this? I began taking ground balls at shortstop and fly balls in the outfield. I got back to moving in all planes of motions. I got into the weight room and mixed in some free play into my speed and agility training.
I got away from being a pitcher and back to being an athlete.
Do I think young athletes should play multiple sports? Absolutely! The exposure to different movements, skills, and team dynamics can contribute to a more well rounded athlete. It also keeps sports interesting for a young athlete to compete differently from season-to-season.
BUT, if an athlete only enjoys playing one sport (or extremely excels in one sport) then there is nothing wrong with playing that one sport — as long as there is time scheduled as a break from participating in the sport and it is in conjunction with a well rounded, consistent strength and conditioning program.
The point being that young athletes must have variety in their movement capabilities to combat the repetitive movements and tasks that can lead to overuse injuries.
Sports are a game! Sports are meant to be fun! Do not be afraid to mix in a little tag or free play into your training regimen.
