Sports Conditioning Camps “A Building Block for Our Young Athletes Future”
Over the past 20 years our nation has become a computer driven sit on the couch type of society. The urge to text a friend write on a facebook page or play violent video games has become a habit of our children. Most of our schools across the country have either fully stopped physical education classes past 10 the grade or have not made it mandatory. It is no wonder why nearly 70% of middle school children in California fail the Presidents Physical Fitness test. It has been said that because of the statistical rise of obesity in our country that this generation of children may not outlive their parents. It is scary to look into the future when the present is looking so bleak! Diabetes ,high blood pressure, cancer and heart disease are all at an all time high! Children are hooked on energy drinks, soft drinks and anything that contains sugar and caffeine. They frequent fast food places that contain empty calories or “non food Items”. They stay up late watching TV or playing video games, so they are not getting the sleep that they need. Our children are basically deteriorating! They have no idea about what they are doing to themselves. I believe that it all starts at home, we must educate and reinforce good nutrition and lifestyle habits!
A popular summer idea to get kids off the couch and get physically fit is having them attend a sports conditioning camps. Whether they are an athlete or have never exercised before this could kick start their interest into a healthier lifestyle. It has been my experience in the past watching shy-low self esteem kids blossom into fitness enthusiasts after exposing them to fun-energy driven activities. One they are associating themselves with other kids , they are part of a group that wants to succeed and at the end they have accomplished something so great that they become proud of themselves. I have witnessed depressed children not needing medication anymore because they are now active everyday. I have heard about kids with asthma not needing their inhalers anymore, and have heard from parents over and over again that they can’t believe that their child doesn’t have a problem with waking up early and that they look forward to attending each session. These are your typical middle schoolers that have not been exposed to fun-fitness!
When looking for a conditioning camp you want to check out the location and time to insure that it will work for both of you. In places where heat is a factor the earlier the better is important to avoid heat exhaustion and dehydration. Also you want to know how experienced the trainers are and what credentials they hold! This is very important in knowing that your young athlete is safe. A trainer that has a degree and holds national level credentials is highly advised. Also knowing What the ratio of trainers to participants will be. Ideally there should be a 1-15 trainer to athlete ratio to ensure safety and proper supervision. You also want ask questions regarding the types of activities and events that are planned for them. To inspire kids these days it has to be fun and creative. Obstacle courses, running skipping and strength training activities should all be available. Dynamic warm ups and cool downs should be covered to avoid musculoskeletal injuries. Another important item that they should offer regards nutrition. In the past I have given many lectures and seminars to the local middle schools, high schools and sports organizations. Topics that would be informative would be the types of energy foods that help with recovery after workouts to good food choices for breakfast lunch and dinner. Also hydration should be covered… how much water to drink each day weather active or non active. The effects on the types of foods and drinks that you are consuming now and what they do to the body. How much sleep you should get for optimal mental and physical recovery. Sports conditioning camps should also offer pre and post testing in order to give the athlete feedback about their progress. Typical tests that should be covered are number of push ups in a minute, situps in a minute, a shuttle run to determine cardiovascular fitness to the more athletic tests like the 40-30-20 yard dash, vertical jump test, 5-10-5 agility test and long jump test. Look for a camp that lasts over a month not a week. This gives them ample time to show performance gains. A week is not long enough as there is usually long days with a lot of standing around and not ideal supervision. What really makes a camp successful is the impact the trainers have on the kids. The trainers should show passion and interact with the participants as often as possible. It is easy to get lost when the camp has attendance marks of over 100 kids. Having your sibling participate in one of these camps can have a positive or negative impact on their life for a very long time, so choose wisely!