What Are The Long-Term Effects Of Young Athletes

Sport is as old as the ages. For years people of all ages have devoted their time and hard work, put their body through pain forcing blood, sweat and tears, all to further their abilities and succeed in a sport they are passionate about. As time goes on, there appears to be an increasing number of children who start to specialise in a sport at an early age, train year-round, and compete at an elite level. In today’s society, there is a rising number of very talented, but very young competitors. These athletes earn a huge sense of achievement and accomplishment, but in addition, face the physical, psychological, and emotional demands from intense training and competition.

This report will be discussing the concern of young athletes being put

Training so often at a high-level forces young athletes to put themselves through a lot of pressure that affects their developing body and mind. What these individuals do when they are developing shapes the person they will come to be. In the long-term these effects can lead to both advantages and problems in their later lives. (Istvan Balyi, Ann Hamilton, 2008)

POSITIVE

Athletes that start training extensively from a young age develop strong body and bones that will prepare their body for good health as well as the rigors of elite and professional sport as they develop. As these athletes grow up they will have a large skillset that will benefit them throughout all aspects of their lives, physically and mentally. They develop goal setting, motivation, determination, commitment, resilience, and social skills, and earn a strong sense of discipline from growing up as an athlete. Young athletes also develop great lifestyle habits in terms of being active, making good nutrition choices and maintaining a stable social life, which all lead to a longer and more sustained lifespan. Studies also show that when children begin to exercise at an early age, they tend to academically perform better, have fewer behavioral and disciplinary problems, and can pay attention in class longer than their peers. (Tomorrow Youth Organisation, 2011). Then eventually, they can become successful and professional athletes, even earning

This is why the training programs have to be thought out and studied before implemented on a young person, then monitored and well balanced between these three categories.

Ultimately though, with risk comes great reward. In most cases, athletes would say that if they could go back and choose to go through this process again, they couldn’t stay away. The passion athletes have for the sport and being successful in something they love more than anything outweighs the risks and what they’ve sacrificed to get to where they want to be.

How can the risks of injuries and other problems be reduced?

Treatment and reducing risks of injuries and other psychological problems are vital in keeping an athlete healthy and physically and mentally able to continue performing at their best. For the safety of young athletes, it is crucial that the training schedule and workload is managed and monitored by coaching staff and the athletes themselves to reduce incidence of injuries now and in the