The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
Thats awesome that he really wants to be dedicated. Im not a parent, or a coach(help out some if they need it), but to have a kid WANT to work hard and better themselves is really one of the biggest keys to them getting better as a player and also advancing in leagues. My younger brother plays but sometimes he just doesn't seem to be that interested so I just gotta go with the flow, thats all you can do in my opinion.
Sounds like it's not even a matter of you and your wife pushing him. Sounds like he loves the game and wants to get better. As long as money and time aren't an issue for you and your wife, give your son all the encouragement and support you can.
Like others have said it doesn't sound like you are having to do much pushing in his case.
Is the hockey school all summer? How may hours a week? Or do you mean just a camp of a week or two?
Personally I like my kids to play another sport (soccer in our case) in the summer just to give them a change of scene from hockey and to help with overall fitness. After the regular season ends and tryouts are done we do spring 3-on-3 and maybe just one week long hockey camp through the summer. I think that way they get a bit of time away from the rink to enjoy the summer and come back hungry in September. Every kid is different though.
His minor hockey season had two practices a week as well as dryland training one night a week in addition to games. I think in the end. his team ended up playing just under 60 games (exhibition,reg season,playoffs and tournaments)
Spring hockey is two games and one practice a week for a total of 12 games and 10 practices.
While we are very proud and admire his dedication, we just don't want him to burn himself out and not like hockey anymore. We want it to still be fun for him.
So maybe the word "push" was the wrong one to use...we're just wondering I guess how much is too much (assuming we can afford it too ) Should we be saying no to more hockey and suggest/make him choose to be involved in something else..like soccer?
It's great your kid wants to keep playing. If your kid wants to play hockey this summer then let him. I'm glad your not a parent that forces his kid right after hockey season to play 3 on 3 and go to tons of hockey schools and ultimately make the kid hate hockey.
If he wants to play let him play, but don't let him burn himself out. Between June and September you should try to limit him to 1-2 sessions per week on the ice. For all you know, by time the spring season and hockey camp are done, he might not want to play for a while.
See if you can get him to play other sports, if only at a casual level. Soccer, lacrosee (all you really need to buy him is a stick) and swimming are all good ideas IMO. Again... don't push him into it if he doesn't want to. Introduce him to the sport and see if he wants to try it. If he enjoys hockey, he might almost certainly enjoy lacrosse.
Keep him active either way, another sport is good to develop different muscles and motor skills. My son did spring hockey for quite a few years, we noticed that spring hockey was for players that wanted more out of hockey than winter, the commitment level was much higher. We never had to push either, it was his choice but he usually did some other sport, usually football and then golf. Fortunately for you your spring season ends in May and the winter season doesn't start until late Sept. We started late Aug and spring hockey ended in late June and sometimes into July. This did not go well with 4 football practices and school.
Anyways, don't push as he needs to want to do it, which appears to be the case here. And ultimately you have to make a family decision taking into siblings commitments and parents time as well.
I'm a Kinesiology student and you NEED to have some sort of an off season.
It's called periodization, a process used to reduce practice time/training during the more intense parts of the season to avoid overworking the muscles. with overuse injuries on the rise many sports doctors are seeing injuries in young children previously found only in aging professional athletes. the cause is a mix of misinformation and the pressure to push yourself/child to perform in an increasingly more competitive world such as youth sports.
Get him into a casual sport such as Soccer or Ultimate Frisbee where costs are minimal but there is still a decent workout involved. These sports use different muscles in different capacities which allows your child to rest for the upcoming hockey season.
EDIT: Reading the upcoming posts I can see that the hockey school is only 1 - 2 weeks which would still leave a fair sized (3 month) off season. If your child is up for it everything should be okay as long as he remembers to STRETCH PROPERLY, an often forgotten part of youth sports. Just because young children are so flexible and resilient doesn't make them immune to muscle pulls and strains.
Last edited by Professor Dangles: 05-19-2010 at 06:12 PM.
While it is good to stretch, make sure they aren't just static stretches. Look up some good, dynamic stretches because the good 'ol static stretches can actually do some harm.
While it is good to stretch, make sure they aren't just static stretches. Look up some good, dynamic stretches because the good 'ol static stretches can actually do some harm.
This is true! Also static stretching is argued to reduce performance as well.
So maybe the word "push" was the wrong one to use...we're just wondering I guess how much is too much (assuming we can afford it too ) Should we be saying no to more hockey and suggest/make him choose to be involved in something else..like soccer?
Thanks again
If he wants it and keeps putting in the effort than go for it!
Just make sure you spend time with him doing other activities for fun, as well, so he doesn't get bored and burned out. Soccer, baseball, swimming, hiking, biking, camping, lacrosse, etc. Doesn't even need to be organized, just as long as it's fun and he isn't all hockey all the time.
At the end of the day, just make sure your kid is still a kid.
A big thank you to everyone who bothered to answer. I think my wife and I are on the same page as most of you but we just wanted other opinions of people in the same type of situation.
On aside note....our son is trying out for a baseball team.
) Should we be saying no to more hockey and suggest/make him choose to be involved in something else..like soccer?
