Too much too soon

Next week I will start my 2010 Regional Warm-Up program at Victory School of Wrestling. This program has a grades 3-4 division and I've had a lot of questions by both concerned parents and, unfortunately, over-zealous parents.

Typically, the parents who choose to have their son/daughter participate in opportunities at Victory understand the "big picture." Those that have unhealthy perspectives usually choose not to participate because they're looking for something different than what I offer. It's nice working with athletes and parents who are on the same page as me. Still, I need to remind myself, and the parents, that sometime too much too soon does more harm than good.

There's no magical formula or a certain age that an individual can begin training and taking sports seriously. However, I recommend being very cautious and leaning towards "less" than what you might think (in terms of training).

If a child becomes overwhelmed with expectations or is acting out of character, they may be experiencing "burn out" and it's probably time to cut back. Of course, the fine line comes down to a child being uncommitted and lacking the respect for authority and being over trained. It's great to persuade your child to remain committed, but that's different than pushing him/her to more than they're capable of handling at a young age.

When I was in third grade, I decided I didn't want to wrestle at a Saturday morning tournament in nearby Hudson. I was more concerned about playing with my toy tractors than I was wrestling that day. When we got to the high school, I told my dad that I had no interest in wrestling (that day) and would rather play with tractors. He didn't know what to do, but decided not to force me to wrestle if, in fact, I didn't want to.

My brother did wrestled that day and by 10:00am I wished I had made a different decision, but with 20+ years of hindsight, it may have been one of the best decisions that I made in regards to my wrestling career because of the way my dad handled the situation. If he would have forced me to compete, I may have lost my love for the sport and been cynical from that point forward. It could have crossed that fine line where the only reason I would have competed was because my dad was making me. That moment gave me the freedom to choose to compete in the sport that I loved. Some children are not given that opportunity.

Too much too soon is never good. Not only does it take the fun and love of the sport out of wrestling, it prohibits the advancement of their careers in the years to come. Make sure you allow your children to take a break before they need one. Keep them hungry and striving for more.