Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
My kid is 12-13 and I let her live a normal life.

If your kid has aspirations and goals to play at the next level, then putting in daily work is "normal life ". Read any sports illustrated article, or talk to talk to most any collegiate athlete, and you will hear the same stories about there there drive to get better. Whether it it was out shooting 200 baskets A-day for basketball, Hours of wall ball,or Pitching against against the backstop, they all had work Ethic and lots of practice in common. That doesn't mean Every kid is doing that, but You also don't need to shame shame people for working hard.

No one can say what is right for the next kid. If this is what your kid REALLY wants to be doing during their summer and it's not only what YOU want them to be doing, then more power to them. I'm not PP but I do think some of the routines above sound a little intense for many 12 years olds. Many of whom only have August off of school and other sports, and maybe want a little time to have friends, focus on other interests, and relax a bit. I'm not saying don't pick up a stick, but I also think there's benefit in letting them take a lighter approach during the off season.

August is actually the perfect time to put in some work and make some improvements to your individual game. Not being in school, kids are looking for things to do. Plenty of time to relax, have fun, and get some exercise in. There is nothing wrong with 30 minutes of work each day to keep growing your skills. I don't think the over kill comes in the off season it is when kids are practicing multiple days a week in-season and parents are still scheduling all of the extras.

If they play on a top team, they bust their [Censored] playing lacrosse from March until mid-July. So IMO it is borderline overkill not to give them a mental or physical break...in the dead heat of August...when they are 12.

If this is kid driven and they are the ones wanting to get up and get out, great. But if you having to force it or make it a required chore, that means they don't want to be doing it and it may be overkill.