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School. Homework. Practice. Family. Friends. With all the commitments a student athlete has, some might find it hard to fit sleep into the equation. But without proper sleep, an athlete won't be giving his or her best in any of their activities.

It's a vicious cycle. A student will stay up late studying for a test. They won't get the sleep they need, which makes them foggy for the next day's activities. Practice may not go well, so they could get frustrated. They may start falling behind in homework. They'll feel worse, so they may grab an unhealthy snack to feel better. Lack of sleep combined with poor nutrition can increase stress and send the student into a truly unhealthy cycle.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that teens get 9 ¼ hours of sleep per night. But most teens don't get that much sleep, "One study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 ½ hours on school nights." (Teens and Sleep, 2013) Without proper sleep, teens will have a harder time concentrating on their studies and their athletic performance will suffer.

Risks of Insufficient Sleep

Adequate sleep for student athletes is key in preventing negative outcomes. According to Kevin Costello in Why It Does Pay to Fall Asleep, "Sleep is often the forgotten component of high performance. It's important because it is the time when actual physical growth occurs and tissues recover from daily activity. Sleep-deprivation leads to fatigue, which can cause a decrease in both academic and athletic performances." (Costello, 2006)

A decrease in sleep can also lead to other side effects, such as depression. This is easy to see especially when added with the stress factor. When students are worried about test scores, practice, and their social life, that anxiety can lead to poor sleep, which can lead to depression. (Teens and Sleep, 2013)

Not only does sleep affect a student's academic and athletic performance, but a lack of sleep may lead to a greater risk for injury. In a study conducted with student athletes at Harvard-Westlake School outside of Los Angeles, over 75% of participants reported getting less than 8 hours of sleep per night. During the 21-month period of the study, 57% of athletes reported injuries; 38% reported multiple injuries. Researchers noted that in this study, sleep was the greatest predictor in injury. (Neale, 2012)

Benefits of Good Sleep

In a study performed at Stanford University, student athletes were asked to increase their sleep to 10 hours a day for six to seven weeks. Overwhelmingly, the study showed that athletic performance, including sprint and reaction time, increased with more sleep. Lead author Cheri Mah of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory says, "It is interesting to note that many of the athletes in the various sports I have worked with, including the swimmers in this study, have set multiple new personal records and season best times, as well as broken long-standing Stanford and American records while participating in this study." (Extra Sleep Improves Athletic Performance, 2008)

Sleep is critical to good athletic and academic performance. Good sleep can help an athlete manage stress and can lead to better eating habits. (Teens and Sleep, 2013)

Prioritizing Restful Sleep

With such strong research to support sleep, why isn't it a top priority for students and coaches?

Students should aim for a balanced day. This means that the student would need eight hours for sleep, eight hours for 'work' (academics and athletics), and eight hours for recreation. The eight hours of work includes classes, studying, homework, practices, and playing in games. Recreation includes activities with their family and friends, reading, exercising, music, or general hobbies. (Carpentier, 2004)

But this is the real world, where studying and practice can overwhelm a student's schedule. In that scenario, both sleep and recreation will suffer, which can lead to a life filled with work activities.

So what can students do to improve their performance, both academically and athletically? Here are a few tips to prioritize rest and help your athletic and academic performance.

Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Wake up at the same time on the weekends as you do weekdays.

Eat a large meal at night, about three hours before bedtime.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol, as both can lead to less restful sleep.

Develop healthy ways to manage stress.

Exercise should take place earlier in the day, no later than four hours before bedtime.

Nap if feeling drowsy, but for no longer than 30 minutes.

(Carpentier, 2004) (Costello, 2006) (Extra Sleep Improves Athletic Performance, 2008)

If a coach notices the student's performance suffering, they should meet with the athlete and the athlete's parents to discuss possible solutions. (Carpentier, 2004) A lack of sleep may very well be the culprit. So rest up for a better performance on and off the field!

Works Cited:Carpentier, J. (2004, August). Lackluster Athletic Performance? Coach & Athletic Director, pp. 66-70.

Costello, K. (2006, March). Why It Does Pay to Fall Asleep! Coach & Athletic Director, p. 77. Extra Sleep Improves Athletic Performance.

(2008, June 10). Retrieved from Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609071106.htm

Neale, T. (2012, October 21). Sleepy Athletes More Likely to be Injured. Retrieved from Medpage Today: http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AAP/35466 Teens and Sleep.

(2013). Retrieved from National Sleep Foundation: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep
Photo Credit: Vladimir Jovanovic/iStockphoto

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A Good Night's Sleep for Student Athletes - Global Sports Development

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School. Homework. Practice. Family. Friends. With all the commitments a student athlete has, some might find it hard to fit sleep into the equation. But without proper sleep, an athlete won't be giving his or her best in any of their activities. It's a vicious cycle.

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On breakthrough basketball it says an 11-14 year old basketball player should be playing around 1 hour and a half a day which is about right in my opinion. Another websit says serious college basketball players train about 5  and a half hours a day which is quite a lot. I'm  amazed at how much college basketball players train.

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What Is Strength Training?

Strength training is the practice of using free weights, weight machines, and rubber resistance bands, or body weight to build muscles. With resistance the muscles have to work harder to move. When the muscles work harder, they grow stronger and more efficient.

What Are the Benefits of Strength Training?

Strength training can help kids and teens build healthy muscles, joints, and bones. With a properly designed and supervised program, they can improve endurance, total fitness level, and sports performance. Strength training can even help prevent injuries and speed up recovery.

Strength training can also help fortify the ligaments and tendons that support the muscles and bones and improve bone density, which is the amount of calcium and minerals in the bone. And the benefits may go beyond physical health. Young athletes may feel better about themselves as they get stronger.

Who Can Do Strength Training?

Kids and teens who are ready to participate in organized sports or activities such as baseball, soccer, or gymnastics usually can safely to start strength training.

A child's strength-training program shouldn't just be a scaled-down version of an adult's weight training regimen. A trainer who has experience in working with kids should design a program for your child and show your child the proper techniques, safety precautions, and how to properly use the equipment.

Kids as young as 7 or 8 years old can usually do strength-training activities (such as pushups and sit-ups) as long as they show some interest, can perform the exercises safely, and follow instructions. These exercises can help kids build a sense of balance, control, and awareness of their bodies.

Specific exercises should be learned without resistance. When proper technique is mastered, small amounts of resistance (body weight, band, or weight) can be added. In general as kids get older and stronger, they can gradually increase the amount of resistance they use. A trained professional can help your child determine what the appropriate weight may be.

Is Strength Training Safe?

As with any sport, it's a good idea to have your child visit a doctor before beginning a strength-training regimen. Then, make sure that your child is properly supervised, uses safe equipment, and follows an age-appropriate routine.

Muscle strains are the most common form of injury, and the lower back is the most commonly injured area. But these injuries usually happen because the child has not used the proper lifting technique or is trying to lift too much weight.

As long as your child is using the proper techniques and lifting an appropriate amount of weight, strength training shouldn't have any effect on growth plates, the layer of cartilage near the end of the bone where most of the bone growth occurs.

Strength training should not involve the use of anabolic steroids. Some young and professional athletes have abused these drugs to build muscles and improve athletic performance and appearance. But these drugs, some of which are illegal, can pose severe risks to physical and psychological health.

A Healthy Routine

In general, kids and teens should tone their muscles using a low amount of weight and a high number of repetitions, instead of trying to lift a heavy load one or two times.

The amount of weight will depend on a child's current size and strength level. But in general, kids should be able to lift a weight with proper technique at least 8 to 15 times. If they can't lift the weight at least 8 times, the weight is too heavy.

Preteens shouldn't be concerned about adding muscle bulk, which won't occur until after they have passed through puberty. Even then, it's important to focus on technique so that they can strengthen their muscles safely.

The focus of each training session should be on proper form and technique, with qualified instruction and supervision.

Strength Training Program Guidelines

Here are some guidelines when considering strength-training programs:

An instructor-to-child ratio of no more than 1 to 10.

The instructor should have an approved strength-training certification and experience with kids and strength training.

When teaching a new exercise, the trainer should have kids perform the exercise under his or her supervision in a hazard-free, well-lit, and adequately ventilated environment.

Warm up with at least 5-10 minutes of aerobic activity and dynamic stretching. Cool down with less intense activity and static stretching.

Calisthenics and stretching exercises should be performed before and after strength training.

Kids should begin with one set of 8-15 repetitions of 6-8 exercises that focus on the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body and core.

Kids should start with no load (resistance). When proper technique is mastered, a relatively light weight can be used with a high number of repetitions. Increase the weight as strength improves. Progression also can be achieved by increasing the number of sets (up to three) or types of exercises.

Two to three training sessions per week on nonconsecutive days is sufficient.

It's important to remember that strength training is one part of a total fitness program. It can play a vital role in keeping your child healthy and fit, along with aerobic exercise such as biking and running, adequate hydration, and healthy nutrition.

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Strength training is the practice of using free weights, weight machines, and rubber resistance bands, or body weight to build muscles. With resistance the muscles have to work harder to move. When the muscles work harder, they grow stronger and more efficient. Strength training can help kids and teens build healthy muscles, joints, and bones.

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this website says how long should you stretch for

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this website says how long should you stretch for

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In reality you can stretch any time you want to, to gentle tension, not pain! To increase flexibility, however, that is the ROM about a particular joint or joints, the most productive opportunity is following a vigorous cardiovascular or strength workout. The reason is that the connective tissues that influence joint ROM are in a sense like plastic....increase the temp nearby, they become more pliable. Vigorous rhythmic or strength exercise increases core temp, so the tissues are more likely to respond to stretching exercises to help improve joint ROM.

Take care.

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How long should I stretch before and after my workout?

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In reality you can stretch any time you want to, to gentle tension, not pain! To increase flexibility, however, that is the ROM about a particular joint or joints, the most productive opportunity is following a vigorous cardiovascular or strength workout.

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With the exception of people named Bruce Banner, muscles need a certain amount of rest in order to strengthen and grow. But while some sources suggest muscles need 48 hours or more to recover from exercise, there might not be a one-size-fits-all timeline.

All Pain, No Gain: Why It Matters

Whether they're in it for health, happiness, or an upcoming vacation, many gym-goers want to look and feel a certain way-and fast. But in the process of strengthening the legs, chest, or any other muscle group, rest is just as important as reps. And for many individuals, not taking an occasional rest day could lead to overtraining, which can mean decreased performance, elevated blood pressure, decreased immunity, disturbed sleep, and more.

Physical exercise, from lifting weights to running intervals, damages muscle fibers, and can create a feeling of soreness (and dread at the sight of stairs). But during rest periods, muscles have time to reconstruct (or recover) in stronger formations and increase in size. Yep, turns out that strength and muscle gains actually occur outside the gym, during periods of rest, not inside the weight room.

Some research suggests that because muscle soreness can peak two days post-exercise, a minimum of 48 hours of rest is optimal to allow recovery and prevent injury-at least among the competitive athletes who were studied.The effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on cycling time-trial performance. Burt DG, Twist C. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research / National Strength & Conditioning Association, 2011, Dec.;25(8):1533-4287. Other experts suggest resting up to 72 hours between workouts if you're an exercise newbie, while some say eight hours of good sleep is enough for your body to recover.

Finally, one meta-analysis determined that for optimal strength development, one to two rest days between sessions is ideal for beginners training three days per week and experienced exercisers training two days per week.A meta-analysis to determine the dose response for strength development. Rhea MR, Alvar BA, Burkett LN. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2003, Jul.;35(3):0195-9131.

Still, there are other factors to consider when it comes to determining adequate rest. Those who are older, for instance, may experience slowed muscle recovery and growth. Other factors include how intensely you work out, how often you work out, what you eat, and the duration of exercise. With so many mixed messages out there, one thing's for sure: Some amount of rest in your exercise routine is crucial to enhance muscle growth, and to keep symptoms of overtraining at bay.

Keep on Pushin'?

Still, your muscles may not need to take a total break from movement in order to fully recover. One study found low-intensity post-workout exercise-such as swimming laps or taking a walk-can increase muscle relaxation, which benefits recovery.Effect of incorporating low intensity exercise into the recovery period after a rugby match. Suzuki M, Umeda T, Nakaji S. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2005, Feb.;38(4):1473-0480. Other research suggests muscles can work to full capacity even while in the recovery stage.Muscle damage and muscle remodeling: no pain, no gain? Flann KL, LaStayo PC, McClain DA. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2011, Jun.;214(Pt 4):1477-9145. Plyometric exercise increases serum indices of muscle damage and collagen breakdown. Tofas T, Jamurtas AZ, Fatouros I. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research / National Strength & Conditioning Association, 2008, Sep.;22(2):1533-4287. And keep in mind that "recovery" doesn't necessarily mean sitting on your couch all day either: Yoga, Pilates, light jogging, or swimming can be considered "rest day" activities, depending on your fitness level.

You can also look to more mellow treatments to speed recovery, including icing, heating, static stretching, and massage therapy.Manual therapy ameliorates delayed-onset muscle soreness and alters muscle metabolites in rats. Urakawa S, Takamoto K, Nakamura T. Physiological Reports, 2015, Feb.;3(2):2051-817X. (Don't forget about the trusty foam roller!) Another way to speed recovery: Pay attention to proper post-workout nutrition, including adequate amounts of protein.Postexercise muscle glycogen recovery enhanced with a carbohydrate-protein supplement. Berardi JM, Price TB, Noreen EE. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2006, Oct.;38(6):0195-9131.

The bottom line: There's no magic formula for optimal days of rest. Take your fitness level, intensity, frequency, and duration of activity into account, and look for signs that the body needs a break, like chronic muscle or joint soreness and impaired physical performance. Be sure to recognize the difference between pain and soreness, and most of all, don't be afraid to take some time off.
Originally published November 2011. Updated June 2015.

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With the exception of people named Bruce Banner, muscles need a certain amount of rest in order to strengthen and grow. But while some sources suggest muscles need 48 hours or more to recover from exercise, there might not be a one-size-fits-all timeline.

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Here's a way to prepare for a big event.

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You have done all the training, eaten all the right things, and are feeling ready for the big competition tomorrow. How do you make sure all your confidence isn't derailed by one bad night of sleep? Here are some tips for athletes to get a good nights sleep before a big competition:

1. First, make sure sleep is part of your regular training schedule. Sufficient sleep is important to athletic performance - have a routine and make regular sleep a priority. For professional teams and athletes, sleep monitoring and management is just as important as managing training exercises and nutrition.

2. Leading up to the big game or competition, try to bank some extra sleep. A study conducted at Stanford University demonstrated that increasing sleep to 10 hours per night for a period of time improved athletic performance for tennis and basketball players. Additionally, banking extra sleep ahead of time, will reduce the impact of restricted sleep the night before the big game or competition.

3. The day before the big event, plan to wind down early and do some relaxing activities. Make sure you keep with your sleep routine and take extra care not to do anything that might disturb sleep later - like eating a heavy meal too late or consuming caffeine after noon. To help promote sleep in the evening, shut off TV 's, computers and smart phones, take a shower or bath, and do some stretching or reading to focus your mind and reduce pre-game anxiety. Make sure you have everything you need for the competition set out and ready so there is nothing to worry about.

4. Pre-game nerves are hard to control - if you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, don't panic. Remind yourself that you have made sleep part of your regular routine and banked extra sleep ahead time. Don't get up and turn on lights or check your phone. Breathe deeply and do things to slow down your mind - like counting backwards or listening to quiet relaxing music.

5. If the day of the game arrives and you are worried that you haven't slept enough the night before to perform at your best - you can plan a carefully timed nap. A 20 minute nap about two hours before your event should provide extra alertness just in time for you to hit the field.

Battling nerves to get a solid eight hours of sleep the night before a big competition is not always easy. The best strategy to ensuring you have sufficient rest to perform your best is to manage sleep as part of your regular training program.

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Tips for athletes to get their rest before a big game - Fatigue Science Public Website

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You have done all the training, eaten all the right things, and are feeling ready for the big competition tomorrow. How do you make sure all your confidence isn't derailed by one bad night of sleep? Here are some tips for athletes to get a good nights sleep before a big competition: 1.

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By Craig Pickering

During my athletics career, I had a love-hate relationship with sleep. I was aware that sleep was an area that was to be prioritized, so I did. I spent many hours asleep, even though I would have much liked to do other things, such as read or play computer games. From time to time, something would go wrong with my sleep cycle, and I would end up with some mild grade of insomnia. Not being able to sleep is miserable; I have taken sleeping tablets a few times in my life as I had no other option. As per my personality, sleep became something I obsessed over early in my career, and I had to get as much as possible. A poor night's sleep would leave me worried for days that it would affect my performance. As I got older, I found this wasn't the case. I competed in the Olympic Games off two hours sleep and won major championship medals in sleep deprived states. As my career wore on, I also got more knowledgeable in the area of sleep. I found that I could improve the quality of my sleep, as well as remove some of the anxiety around it. In this article, I will examine the need for sleep, and how athletes can get the most out of the third of your life spent sleeping.

What is sleep?

Sleep is odd in as much as there isn't really a scientific consensus as to why we need it. The Restorative Theory states that sleep helps replenish bodily resources that have been depleted in the time prior to sleeping. The evidence for this is that if we are more active in the day, we tend to need more sleep in the evening. Failure to get this sleep leads to decreased energy levels the next day. A competing theory is the Energy Conservation Theory, which states that sleep helps to conserve energy. It points to the fact that highly active mammals need more sleep, and if they didn't get this sleep, they would use up too much energy. Regardless of the cause of needing to sleep, one thing is clear; without sufficient sleep, we are less healthy, and eventually lack of sufficient sleep will lead to death.

Once we fall asleep, there are multiple stages within sleep itself. We start off awake, and then as we drift off we enter stage 1 sleep. Here, the muscles are active, and the eyes open and close moderately. This stage lasts between two and five minutes before we enter stage 2 sleep. Our heart rate and body temperature both drop in this stage and full muscular relaxation occurs (including our throat, which is what causes snoring). Moving into a deeper sleep, we enter stages 3 and 4, which is where slow wave sleep (SWS) occurs. Here, we have very slow brain waves, and we are incredibly hard to wake up. This stage of sleep is vital to health; the hormones that enable us to grow and repair are released during this stage, and it is generally a highly anabolic environment. Important information from the day is also consolidated into memory during SWS.

After about 30 minutes of SWS, we quickly shift back to stage 2 sleep and then into REM sleep. REM stands for rapid eye movement, and it is in this stage that dreams occur. Our muscles are paralyzed (to stop us acting out our dreams), but our brain is highly active. REM sleep plays a large role in the creation of memories and problem solving. After a period of REM sleep, we will then have a brief micro awakening, of which we will have no memory of when we wake up for real. We then move back into stage 2, then into SWS. This cycle is repeated over the night; deep sleep tends to occur in a greater proportion earlier in the night, and REM sleep occurs in a greater proportion later in the night. In a typical night, 50 percent of the time is spent in a light sleep, 20 per cent in a deep sleep, 25 percent in REM, and 5 per cent awake. Each sleep cycle takes roughly 90 minutes.

The need to sleep is governed by a number of things, including circadian rhythm and homeostatic sleep propensity (the need for sleep increases the more time elapses from our previous sleep). Circadian rhythm refers to our internal body clock, which helps to determine when we want to sleep, wake up, eat, go to the toilet, etc. This internal clock can be thrown into disarray by travel across numerous time zones (jet lag), irregular bed and waking times, and disrupted daytime rhythms. Age also appears to have an effect of circadian rhythm, with teenagers suffering the most. Teenagers suffer a circadian shift of around three hours - generally they aren't sleepy until late and night, and struggle with early mornings. This is at odds with the typical school day, and can lead to academic underperformance.

With regards to circadian rhythm, humans fall into one of two different chronotypes; "larks" and "owls". Larks tend to fall asleep and wake up earlier than owls. Larks don't like napping (owls do), do their best work between 9am and 4pm (compared to owls, which work best between 1pm and 10pm). In general, larks tend to be introverts, logical, and reliable. They tend to do better academically, although this is probably because their best working hours match up with the school day. By contrast, owls tend to be extroverted, and generally have four times as many partners in their lifetime. I am a lark, although I think that most sprinters are owls, especially if you consider their stereotypes and reputations!

What happens if we don't get enough sleep?

The general recommendations are that adults should aim to sleep for between 7 and 9 hours per night. The lack of sleep is associated with a wide range of health and performance issues. From a health point of view, sleep deprivation is associated with an increased risk of all cause mortality. Lack of sleep can more than double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Short sleep is a risk factor for weight gain (it causes an increase is ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and a decrease in leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full), hypertension, and type II diabetes (sleep deficiency reduces insulin sensitivity). Disrupted circadian rhythms are also bad for your health; shift work is categorized as a carcinogen by the World Health Organisation. The mechanism for this is that melatonin, which causes you to feel sleepy, limits the production of hormones that associated with causing cancer.

From a performance perspective, long-term sleep deprivation is not ideal. Student athletes with an average sleep duration of less than eight hours are 1.7 times more likely to suffer a sporting injury over the course of a month than those sleeping for more than 8 hours (Milewski et al., 2014). Sargent et al. (2014) found that shorter sleep durations were significantly associated with higher levels of pre-training fatigue. Halson (2014) reports that long-term partial sleep deprivation (i.e. not sleeping enough per night over a long time period) increases the perception of pain, decreases the immune response (making us more likely to get ill), increases feelings of depression, tension, confusion, fatigue, anger, and reduces feelings of vigour. Overall, it should be obvious that these are not positive aspects.

Do athletes get enough sleep?

This is a tough question to answer, as there isn't any real hard and fast rules available for the amount of sleep humans require, outside of the general 7-9 hour rule. It follows logical senses that if athletes are expending more energy and causing more muscular damage on a daily basis, then they would require more sleep. Trinder et al. (1988) reported that for trained athletes, aerobic training caused an increase in the need for SWS sleep, as well as a decrease in time to get to sleep. Faigenbaum et al. (2002) discovered that 94% of US student athletes believed they required more sleep than they were getting and that their median time asleep was 7.5 hours.

Other studies have examined the time athletes spend sleeping. Sargent et al. (2014) found that athletes obtained an average of 6.5 hours sleep per night, ranging from 5 hours to 8 hours. Lastella et al. mirrored these results. (2014), finding that average sleep duration for an elite athlete was 6.8 hours, ranging from 5.5 hours to 8 hours. It would appear from these results that athletes probably aren't getting sufficient sleep.

Halson (2014) explored some of the reasons why athletes might not be getting sufficient sleep. These included:

Early morning training sessions,

Poor sleep habits and hygiene,

Nocturnal waking to use the bathroom (athletes tend to be better hydrated than lay people, and as such going 8+hours without urination is tough!),

Caffeine use, and

Excessive thinking/worrying/planning.

From my experience, I am notoriously bad at waking up in the night to use the bathroom. As my career progressed, I worked hard at this aspect of my sleep hygiene, reducing my overnight toilet visits from 3-4 per night to a maximum of 1, with the target being zero. After competitions, which usually take place in the evenings, I would often struggle to sleep until 3-4am due to the high amount of caffeine I had taken pre-competition. One particularly memorable experience saw me racing at 9.30pm, not sleeping, leaving the hotel at 3.30am, and having three successive flights to catch in order to get to my next race.

The good news for athletes is that short-term sleep deprivation does not appear to affect performance. This is incredibly good news because athletes typically sleep very badly before competition; a mixture of nerves, excitement, and early starts contribute to this. I've already mentioned that I only got two hours sleep before racing in the 100m at the Beijing Olympics - the 4.45am wake up for my race certainly played a role here. Souissi et al. found that 24h without sleep had no effect on anaerobic power variables. Similarly, Blumert et al. found that 24h sleep deprivation had no effect on US Collegiate weightlifters in the weight they could lift for snatch, clean and jerk, and total training session weight. 2.5 hours sleep deprivation over a period of four nights had no effect on swimming performance in a group of elite swimmers. Knowing these facts, and becoming more experienced myself, lead to me feeling much less anxious about sleep the night before a competition, which in turn lead to me sleeping much better.

Is more sleep better?

So, we've examined whether sleep deprivation affects sporting performance. But can more sleep improve performance? Mah et al. looked at this. They asked a group of basketballers to sleep as much as they could over a two-week period. The results showed an improvement in both sprint and free-throw ability. Similarly, high-level swimmers sleeping for 10 hours per night for seven weeks see an increase in their 15m-sprint time, reaction time, turn time, and mood. Mah also reported the sleep times of some well-known sports people; Roger Federer sleeps for 11-12h per night; Usain Bolt for 8-10h, LeBron James for 12h, and Maria Sharapova for 8-10h.

Another factor to consider is that sleep is linked with skill learning; when we sleep, our brain consolidates the information it has picked up during the day. Ensuring optimal sleep should help improve skill acquisition, and hence is another factor as to why athletes should attempt to maximise their sleep.

So, what can we do?

Daily

It is important to practice good sleep hygiene on a daily basis:

Blue light exposure from electrical screens reduces melatonin release, which can cause a decrease in sleep quality and increase the time to fall asleep. Try to avoid electrical screens for an hour before bed. If you have to use a computer screen, then try orange tinted glasses that filter out the blue light.

We need to ensure we are comfortable in our rooms, which requires them to be quiet and dark. If you are consistently disturbed by noise, then earplugs are a good option. If you are woken up by outside light, consider an eye mask or black out curtains.

Keep a to-do list to reduce anxiety. I have a to-do app on my phone; if anything pops into my head as I am trying to sleep I can just type it in there, and I no longer have to worry about it.

It's also a good idea to avoid stimulating activity immediately before bed. I used to have a three hour pre-bed routine that involved me progressively dimming the lights as the evening progressed (to simulate the natural darkening cycle) and then reading for 60-90 minutes pre-bed to limit my exposure to blue light from TV.

Limit liquid intake in the few hours before you sleep, in order to prevent waking up in the night to go to the toilet. If you do have to get up, try to turn on as few lights as possible.

Consider the use of a tryptophan supplement / food source to help melatonin production. 300g of turkey provides around 1g of tryptophan, which is a good dose. Don't just add your tryptophan to a pre-bed protein shake, as I used to do, as the presence of other amino acids in the blood in high concentrations reduces the amount of tryptophan that can enter the brain. I wasted my money on that one.

Consider tart cherry juice, which may increase melatonin production.

Try to avoid caffeine after 2pm, as it may affect how long it takes you to get to sleep.

Alcohol reduces sleep quality, and so should be avoided where possible.

Have a regular sleep and wake time to ensure a strong circadian rhythm.

Consider napping during the day, especially if you have early morning training sessions.

If possible, try to sleep for 9 hours or more on a regular basis.

Competitions

66% of athletes report worse sleep than normal pre-competition (Halson 2014). This can be down to excitement/nerves, unusual sleep surroundings, and sharing with a roommate. To overcome these issues, here are my tips:

Understand that one poor nights sleep will not affect your performance the next day.

If you consistently struggle to sleep pre-competition, consider increasing your sleep in the days leading up to the competition. I used to do this; I knew it would make me less tired on the night before a big race, but it would offset the anxiety of not getting enough sleep.

Try to pick a roommate that you have shared with before, and that you know won't disturb you overnight. The amount of athletes that I have roomed with that either snore or stay up late watching TV (or both!) is ridiculous, which is why I settled on a regular roommate during my career. Having a consistent roommate also removes some of the anxiety about whether or not you will get a good nights sleep.

Pack earplugs and an eye mask - if the hotel or your roommate is noisy, you can take care of this!

When travelling across time zones, allow approximately one day per time zone for acclimatization.

Coaches

Understand that early morning training sessions are probably affecting the sleep quality and duration of your athletes. You can offset these affects by allowing athletes to nap during the day. Early morning training sessions are especially hard on teenagers.

Understand that individuals perform best at different times of day, and where possible schedule training to account for this.

Promote good sleep hygiene habits.

Try to schedule travel around competitions so that it does not affect your athlete's sleep. An early morning return travel after a competition will severely hamper an athlete's recovery, especially if the competition was late at night. Similarly, traveling to a competition and arriving late at night will have a knock on effect onto the athletes sleep.

Since you're here...
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References

Bulbulian, R; Heaney, J & Leake, C. (1996) The effect of sleep deprivation and exercise load on isokinetic leg strength and endurance. Eur J Appl Physiol 73: 272-7

Faigenbaum, A; Mediate, P & Rota, D. (2002) Sleep need in high school athletes. Strength and Conditioning Journal 24(4): 18-19

Halson, S. (2014) Sleep in elite athletes and nutritional interventions to enhance sleep. Sports Med 44(S1): S13-23.

Lastella, M; Roach, G; Halson, S & Sargent, C. (2014) Sleep / wake behaviours of elite athletes from individual and team sports. Eur J Sport Sci 4: 1-7.

Mah, C; Mah, K & Kezirian, E. (2011) The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players. Sleep 34(7): 943-50.

Mah, C. (2008) Extended sleep and the effects on mood and athletic performance in collegiate swimmers. Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

Milewski, M; Skaggs, D; Bishop, G; Pace, J; Ibrahim, D; Wren, T & Barzdukas, A. (2014) Chronic lack of sleep is associated with increased sports injuries in adolescent athlete. J Pediatric Orthop 34(2): 129-33

Sargent, G; Lastella, M; Halson, S & Roach, G. (2014) The impact of training schedules on the sleep and fatigue of elite athletes. Chronobiol Int 15: 1-9

Souissi, N; Sesboue, B & Gauthier, A. (2003) Effects of one night's sleep deprivation on anaerobic performance the following day. Eur J Appl Physiol 89 (3-4): 358-66

Trinder, J; Paxton, S; Montgomery, J & Fraser, G. (1988) Endurance as opposed to power training: Their effect on sleep. Psychophysiology 22(6): 668-73

Wiseman, R (2014). Night School: Wake up to the power of sleep. Macmillan.

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Sleep and the Athlete: Time to Wake Up to the Need for Sleep - SimpliFaster

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By Craig Pickering During my athletics career, I had a love-hate relationship with sleep. I was aware that sleep was an area that was to be prioritized, so I did. I spent many hours asleep, even though I would have much liked to do other things, such as read or play computer games.

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According to breakthrough basketball kids our age should be training 1 hour and a half a day.

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Brandon C. Williams, Have covered the NBA since 2005 for a variety of media outlets.

Written 6 Aug 2016

On average, an NBA player is working 60–90 hours a week when you add it all up. On game day, the players usually arrive early for a shootaround, get treatment from aches and pains, then play a game which takes about 2.5–3 hours, which is followed up by about 60–90 minutes of postgame interviews and the like.

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According to a website it says 11-14 year olds should train for an hour and a half a day maximum.

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One site says I should get about the 8-10 hours of sleep normally on basketball days. I also saw that I should get about a 9-11 hours of sleep. So if I wake up at 5:30 am the latest I can go to sleep is 7:30 pm is the best time to go to sleep. So on average I should get about 10 hours sleep a night. So if I have a lot of sports on the week I should go to bed early

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Most teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Getting the right amount of sleep is essential for anyone who wants to do well on a test or play sports without stumbling. Unfortunately, many teens don't get enough sleep.

Why Don't Teens Get Enough Sleep?

Until recently, teens often got a bad rap for staying up late, oversleeping for school, and falling asleep in class. But recent studies show that adolescent sleep patterns actually differ from those of adults or kids.

Experts say that during the teen years, the body's

circadian rhythm (sort of like an internal biological clock) is temporarily reset, telling a person to fall asleep later and wake up later. This change might be due to the fact that the brain hormone melatonin is produced later at night for teens than it is for kids and adults. This can make it harder for teens to fall asleep early.

These changes in the body's circadian rhythm coincide with a busy time in life. For most teens, the pressure to do well in school is more intense than when they were kids, and it's harder to get by without studying hard. And teens also have other time demands - everything from sports and other extracurricular activities to working a part-time job to save money for college.

Early start times in some schools also might play a role in lost sleep. Teens who fall asleep after midnight may still have to get up early for school, meaning that they might squeeze in only 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night. A few hours of missed sleep a night may not seem like a big deal, but it can create a noticeable sleep deficit over time.

Why Is Sleep Important?

A sleep deficit affects everything from someone's ability to pay attention in class to his or her mood. According to a National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America poll, more than 25% of high school students fall asleep in class, and experts have tied lost sleep to poorer grades. Lack of sleep also damages teens' ability to do their best in athletics.

Slowed responses and dulled concentration from lack of sleep don't just affect school or sports performance, though. More than half of teens surveyed reported that they have driven a car while drowsy over the past year and 15% said they drove drowsy at least once a week. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration estimates that more than 100,000 accidents, 40,000 injuries, and 1,500 people are killed in the U.S. every year in crashes caused by drivers who are simply tired. Young people under the age of 25 are far more likely to be involved in drowsy driving crashes.

Lack of sleep also is linked to emotional troubles, such as feelings of sadness and depression. Sleep helps keep us physically healthy, too, by slowing the body's systems to re-energize us for everyday activities.

Am I Getting Enough Sleep?

Even if you think you're getting enough sleep, you might not be. Here are some of the signs that you may need more sleep:

difficulty waking up in the morning

inability to concentrate

falling asleep during classes

feelings of moodiness and even depression

How Can I Get More Sleep?

Some researchers, parents, and teachers have suggested that middle- and high-school classes begin later in the morning to accommodate teens' need for more sleep. Some schools have implemented later start times. You and your friends, parents, and teachers can lobby for later start times at your school, but in the meantime you'll have to make your own adjustments.

Here are some things that may help you to sleep better:

Set a regular bedtime. Going to bed at the same time each night signals to your body that it's time to sleep. Waking up at the same time every day also can help establish sleep patterns. So try to stick as closely as you can to your sleep schedule, even on weekends. Try not to go to sleep more than an hour later or wake up more than 2 to 3 hours later than you do during the week.

Exercise regularly. Try not to exercise right before bed, though, as it can rev you up and make it harder to fall asleep. Finish exercising at least 3 hours before bedtime. Many sleep experts believe that exercising in late afternoon may actually help a person sleep.

Avoid stimulants. Don't drink beverages with caffeine, such as soda and coffee, after 4 p.m. Nicotine is also a stimulant, so quitting smoking may help you sleep better. And drinking alcohol in the evening can make a person restless and interrupt sleep.

Relax your mind. Avoid violent, scary, or action movies or television shows right before bed - anything that might set your mind and heart racing. Reading books with involved or active plots may also keep you from falling or staying asleep.

Unwind by keeping the lights low. Light signals the brain that it's time to wake up. Staying away from bright lights (including computer screens!), as well as meditating or listening to soothing music, can help your body relax. Try to avoid TV, computers and other electronics, and using your phone (including texting) at least 1 hour before you go to bed.

Don't nap too much. Naps of more than 30 minutes during the day and naps too close to bedtime may keep you from falling asleep later.

Avoid all-nighters. Don't wait until the night before a big test to study. Cutting back on sleep the night before a test may mean you perform worse than you would if you'd studied less but got more sleep.

Create the right sleeping environment. Studies show that people sleep best in a dark room that is slightly on the cool side. Close your blinds or curtains (and make sure they're heavy enough to block out light) and turn down the thermostat (pile on extra blankets or wear PJs if you're cold). Lots of noise can be a sleep turnoff, too. Use a nature sounds or white-noise machine (or app!) if you need to block out a noisy environment.

Wake up with bright light. Bright light in the morning signals your body that it's time to get going. If it's dark in your room, it can help to turn on a light as soon as your alarm goes off.

If you're drowsy, it's hard to look and feel your best. Schedule "sleep" as an item on your agenda to help you stay creative and healthy.

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Most teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Getting the right amount of sleep is essential for anyone who wants to do well on a test or play sports without stumbling. Unfortunately, many teens don't get enough sleep.

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How many trainings should we do at our age? Zeke

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How many trainings should we do at our age? Zeke

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Sample Youth Practice Schedule (Ages 11 to 14)

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Hi Mike, This is just a sample practice. Not something I use everyday. Sometimes, I'll run a scrimmage with minimal stoppage. However, if you look closer at the sample schedule, the last 35 minutes of the practice is basically a semi-controlled scrimmage to help teach the players.

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This is some 2011 USA Olympic team players schedule. ZEKE

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This is some 2011 USA Olympic team players schedule. ZEKE

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3 NBA Players Share Their Offseason Schedule

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Amar'e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks, Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets are NBA All-Stars and three of the top players in the league. Each is committed to working extremely hard in the offseason. Alan Stein of StrongerTeam.com posed the...

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How much sleep should we get at night if we play a lot of sport?

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How many hours of sleep should we have after training? Zeke

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How many hours of sleep should we have after training? Zeke

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Most people know sleep is important for your health. Bodybuilders understand rest-time is grow-time and there is no better rest than sleeping.

Granted, your muscles begin repairing themselves as soon as you stop battering them in the weight room but just how important is sleeping to muscle recovery. This article will discuss this issue in more basic terms and target more basic weight lifters. Most of my articles are targeted towards this group as I believe they need the most help.

To truly understand sleep's importance I experimented with it and documented my findings. Let me point out this was not a professional study, which would have been confined to a laboratory setting thereby eliminating external factors.

Instead this was done with what I had available and there may have been factors that influenced my results.

The Experiment

The "experiment" was conducted during my regular life with my unpredictable work schedule. This is, however, how most people weight lift; there are many factors influencing their schedule, energy levels, etc, so maybe an experiment conducted in the realms of real life will be more beneficial than one in a lab setting with unrealistic conditions. Hold my findings to whatever value you will but I believe the results should be shared.

Background Info

First, some important background information before I begin. My current schedule is setup to give me maximum resting time between workouts and to allow me to lift as heavy as possible for each body part.
I do not workout if I am overly sore. I believe it takes away from my workouts if I do. I merely take another rest day and push everything back a day.

My Schedule Is As Follows:

I work chest with biceps instead of triceps because it allows me to lift much more weight with great form when I do not pre-fatigue the arm muscles.

Eleven Hours A Night

I began the experiment by sleeping roughly 11 hours a night. This went on for about 2 months, possible the only 2 months of my life I will get the opportunity to sleep that long every night.
During this time I would experience no muscle soreness except from my quad muscles. Those muscles would get sore the day after working them out and last about 4 days on average. My chest would also get sore about 2 days after the workout and stay sore for an average of 2 days.

Five Hours A Night

After those 2 months a work schedule forced me into 5 hours of sleep a night most nights. I waited a week to adjust to my new sleeping habits and slept for only 5 hours every night so I would have a regular sleeping pattern.
During this time I experienced muscle soreness for almost every muscle. Biceps were usually the exception.

The day after my workouts every muscle I worked out ached and support muscles I did not workout directly the day before also hurt. For example, the day after doing my back, my traps and neck would hurt. I had never experienced this before.

Eight Hours A Night

Within a few months I got a better work schedule and began sleeping 8 hours every night.
This is the way I currently work and muscle soreness is somewhere in between the previous 2 situations I described (real surprise right?).

My major muscles like my chest, back, and quads ached a day or two after working out. Smaller muscles hardly ever ached and supporting muscles never hurt anymore.

A Few Side Notes

The Results

I attempted to keep as many variables constant as I could, (workout time, reps, and diet) so my results would not be altered to a point of being useless. The results seem to state (for me at least) that the ideal sleep time per night is between 8-11 hours.

Seems like a lot of sleep, but health professionals have always mentioned getting at least 8 hours of sleep.

Sleep: Myths And Facts!
Lots of people have strong views and misconceptions about sleep or lack of it. A lot of these are shaped by living in an essentially sleep deprived post-industrial society...
[ Click here to learn more. ]

From my own experience this is a good idea. 8 hours seems to keep my supporting muscles in great condition all the time. But that amount of sleep still leaves me sore.

I am an advocate of resting and healing so I try to avoid being sore, which I believe is actually possible if the proper rest is acquired. As I stated before, this experiment is only true for me but I have a feeling if you add a few more hours of sleep to your night you will end up with similar results.

Working out while sore has several negative consequences which include increased gym time due to a need to stretch and warm up longer, the burden of working out sore, which could force you to lift lighter than your best, and also the possibility of hindering the growth of a recovering muscle by not allowing it to heal adequately before stressing it again.

I did not go into biology due to the fact there are other articles here that already go into that detail. However, I believe some of them were lacking a simple breakdown of why you should take the time to rest and just how long it takes for an average bodybuilder to recover.

For myself I discovered that lacking sleep quickly leads to an overall breakdown of my body's ability to recover. If I were to try sleeping for less than 5 hours a night I wonder if muscles I had not even worked out at all would start getting sore, but I believe that is an experiment for another time.

The information I have provided will make me seriously contemplate pulling an "all-nighter". If I know I am going to workout the next day, I know somewhere along the line a sleep deficit will catch up with me.

Related Articles:

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Most people know sleep is important for your health. Bodybuilders understand rest-time is grow-time and there is no better rest than sleeping. Granted, your muscles begin repairing themselves as soon as you stop battering them in the weight room but just how important is sleeping to muscle recovery.

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How long should we stretch for before and after sport?

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Is their a specific amount of training for a big tournament? Zeke

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Is their a specific amount of training for a big tournament? Zeke

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How hours of sport should we be doing a week ? Zeke

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How hours of sport should we be doing a week ? Zeke

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How much physical activity do children need? | Physical Activity | CDC

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Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity each day. Learn more...

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How many days a week should we be training for rugby ? Zeke

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How many days a week should we be training for rugby ? Zeke

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For anyone who is hoping to become a successful rugby player, proper training is incredibly important. This can include completing special exercise routines that work your core muscles, undergoing fitness training, and building stamina, so that you can keep competing for the entire length of a match.

Team training exercises will include practice scrums, practice kicking, tackle practice, and full training matches. As well as training as part of your team, you will probably be expected to maintain individual training so that you can reach peak levels of fitness and keep these levels, even during the off season.

Weight Training

Weight training should be limited to two sessions per week during the season, so as to not put excessive strain on the muscles and to give the muscles chance to recover properly between workouts. Sessions may be more frequent during the off-season.

Try to maintain a weights schedule which helps you to build the muscles that you need for the game. If you do not know how to do these weight exercises safely, always consult with an expert, or you may end up doing more harm than good. Make sure that you never use a weight that is too heavy for you.

Barbell Squats - Squats are a great choice for any player. 4 sets of three reps per session should be enough to promote muscle strength in the quads.

Deadlifts - Another great choice for all rugby players, these lifts are good for back and hamstring strength, as well as for maintaining core stability. Do the same schedule of reps as you do for Barbell Squats.

Power Cleans - This weight exercise is great for boosting raw power. Frequency of repetitions is more important than the weight lifted. It is also a good idea to practice with lighter weights until you have mastered the technique. Doing 4 sets of 10-12 reps can help to build muscle endurance.

Bench Presses - Bench presses are ideal for those who are hoping to build upper body strength. Pyramid style sets will help to build up strength over time.

Seated Military Presses - These presses help to build strong, muscular shoulders which are conducive to powerful scrummage, rucks, mauls and lifts. Use either a dumbbell or a barbell and do 4 reps, pyramid style.

Aerobic/ Cardiac Fitness

The best way to bring up your base fitness level is to do exercises which increase your heart rate, ideally bringing it up to a rate of 150 - 160 bpm. Raising your heart rate much higher than this can be counterproductive and should therefore be avoided.

Bringing up your base fitness level will allow you to play to your maximum capacity for much longer, and help to prevent you from flagging later on in the game.

Jogging - Jogging is great for building up endurance, as well as helping to strengthen core muscles. Short periods of running interspersed with short periods of jogging are a great way to build fitness safely. Invest in good running shoes to protect your feet and reduce stress on your legs.

Rowing/Rowing-Machine - When rowing is done properly, it is a great whole body workout. If you have never used a rowing machine before, talk to your trainer at the gym, so that they can show you the best technique. Alternating your rowing speed is great for cardio.

Swimming - Swimming is a good exercise to try if you are recovering from injury. Whilst it helps to work many of the different muscles used in rugby, you will not have to worry about things like impact injuries which can occur in running or jogging. Every time you train at the pool, try to increase your distance by 2 lengths, until you can do 50 lengths whenever you go.

Interval Training

Interval training can help you to build fitness, as well as helping you to build up basic speed and power. The ability to change speeds quickly and without negative consequence is very important in rugby.

The basis of interval training is that you need to complete short burst of intense exercise, followed by longer bursts of less intense exercise. This can be done with a variety of different disciples. Training your body to work like this will help you when you are on the rugby field.

A more detailed article on training for rugby players can be found here.

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For anyone who is hoping to become a successful rugby player, proper training is incredibly important. This can include completing special exercise routines that work your core muscles, undergoing fitness training, and building stamina, so that you can keep competing for the entire length of a match.

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How intense should our sports trainings be as a kid?

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Should we have a certain amount of 'rest days'?

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How many hours as a kid should we do basketball training at our age? Zeke

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How many hours as a kid should we do basketball training at our age? Zeke

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How many hours of basketball should a kid practice to make it to the nba?

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Answer (1 of 10): The beginning of mastery starts at 10,000 hours. So to even consider The NBA as a goal - 10,000 hours is a good place to start. However , using a bit of extrapolation , we can also figure: In order to obtain mastery we will assume the 10,000 hours have already been committed....

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How many trainings should we do if we do multiple sports ? Zeke

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How many trainings should we do if we do multiple sports ? Zeke

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Kids are starting sports earlier and training harder. Incentives to win are growing, sometimes literally - I've seen trophies almost bigger than the little athletes who've won them! With higher stakes have come pressures to perform better by being fitter and more skilled. Usually, this is achieved through repetition, repetition, repetition - whether it is serving a tennis ball, pitching a baseball, or performing a figure-skating double axel.

In kids' sports programs, fitness and skill development have to be balanced with the need to avoid overtraining. Overtraining is when the athlete is required to do too much - either physically or mentally, or both.

Parents need to be sensitive to changes in performance and attitude that suggest their kids are being pushed too hard. Such changes may be precursors of physical injury.

- Slower times in distance sports such as running, cycling, and swimming
- Deterioration in execution of sports plays or routines such as those performed in figure skating and gymnastics
- Decreased ability to achieve training goals
- Lack of motivation to practice
- Getting tired easily
- Irritability and unwillingness to cooperate with teammates

Unfortunately, the tendency when a parent or coach is confronted with signs of overtraining is to push the child harder. But if overtraining is the culprit, any increase in training will only worsen the situation.

And as I have suggested, training too much may eventually lead to overuse injuries in which actual damage to the bones and soft tissues occurs because the body can't recover from the repetitive physical demands placed on it by sport activity.

This raises an important question: How much is too much? Not a great deal of hard data is available on this subject. That's because to find out exactly how much training is safe, we'd have to take large groups of kids and put them through grueling sports drills and wait there with our clipboards for them to collapse in pain. I don't think we could find too many parents who'd be willing to turn over their kids for such tests! In the absence of data obtained from clinical studies, we need to formulate our guidelines based on observations made over the years by coaches and sports scientists.

How long can kids train?
As a general rule, children shouldn't train for more than 18-20 hours a week. If a child is engaged in elite competition there may be pressures to train for longer - especially in the lead-up to a major event. Anytime a child trains for longer than this recommended length of time she must be monitored by a qualified sports doctor with expertise in young athletes. This is to make sure abnormalities in growth or maturation do not occur. Any joint pain lasting more than two weeks is justification for a visit to the sports doctor.

It's also important to ensure restrictions against excessive sports activity are not exceeded. For instance, young baseball pitchers in America are not allowed to pitch more than seven innings a week. While this restriction is mostly adhered to in the game setting, it is pointless if kids are pressured by their coaches to throw excessively during practices (parents, too, need to remember that going to the park with their kid to "throw a few" needs to be counted as part of the number of pitches he makes).

In general, young baseball players shouldn't perform more than 300 "skilled throws" a week; any more than this and the risk of injury dramatically increases.

How much of an increase in training is safe?
Increasing the frequency, duration, or intensity of training too quickly is one of the main causes of injury. To prevent injuries caused by too-rapid increases in training, I am a strong believer in athletes following the "ten-percent rule." The rule refers to the amount a young athlete's training can be increased every week without risking injury. In other words, a child running 20 minutes at a time four times a week can probably safely run 22 minutes four times a week the week after, an increase of ten percent.

Most of the injuries I see in my clinic are the product of violations of the ten percent rule, when young athletes have their training regimen increased "too much, too soon."
"Too much too soon" scenarios
The football player, who, after a summer of inactivity, goes straight into a fall pre-season training camp.
The swimmer who normally trains at 5000 yards per day but then is asked to swim 8000 yards a day for three consecutive days.
The dancer who does 12 hours of classes per week and then suddenly is training six hours per day, six days a week at a summer dance program.
The gymnast, who, in the weeks before a major event, doubles her training time.

How hard should kids train?
When young athletes are growing the emphasis should be on developing athletic technique. Although power or speed are important qualities in sports, stressing them to children at the expense of technique can lead to injuries. Once good technique is mastered, power and speed can be introduced.

It is important for you to safeguard your children against being overtrained. The danger of this happening is especially acute if your child is an elite athlete or one engaged in a very competitive sports environment. Perhaps the most effective measure any parent can take is to make sure his child's coach is certified. Another is to look out for the signs of overtraining, as described above, as well as the early signs of injuries themselves. A strength training program is an important component of any injury prevention program for athletes - kids included.

In many cases, I believe, kids drop out of sports because of low-grade pain that is actually the early stage of an overuse injury. The pain is never diagnosed as an early-stage overuse injury because the child simply quits the program. What this may do is prejudice a child against physical activity and exercise for life. The same is true for mental stress in sports.

Given the state of fitness in this country, overtraining children has the opposite effect of what we want, which is to instill in our young people a love of exercise that will stay with them through life, and inspire them to stay fit and healthy long after their youth sports days are done.

Dr. Micheli co-founded and is director of the world's first sports medicine clinic for children, located at Boston Children's Hospital. He is also the chairperson of the Massachusetts Governor's Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports, and a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine.

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Kids are starting sports earlier and training harder. Incentives to win are growing, sometimes literally - I've seen trophies almost bigger than the little athletes who've won them! With higher stakes have come pressures to perform better by being fitter and more skilled.

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How many hours a week should we train for basketball?