It all starts off as a mode of keeping your minions active. Let them be involved in some kind of sports early on to help them grow wiser, stronger, healthier, keep them away from gadgets and most importantly to keep them human!
It all begins one day when the minions turn 4 . The basic eligibility criteria for any kind of activity. I do not know much about how things shape for other sports but for tennis; Yes ! I can say I have some clear picture of how things shape up eventually!
Things were different before. There was patience, there was honesty ; there was stability with coaches. Kids grew at the same club till they went to college. Coaches took personal interest in the well being and growth of every kid. It became like an extended family for all. But the root of all clubs was based on growth and well being of the young athletes.
Fast forward to the current day , year 2018. Every club claims to have means and methods to groom and grow your precious lil minion into a pro. There's fitness , There's extensive training that begins at age 6. Parents who have been an athlete themselves or have been associated with sports while growing up have a good idea of the age appropriate techniques but for the rest naive parents and their kids its a disaster.
Every corner of the street there is a club who have claims beyond every kids desires. There are enticing schedules of as much as 5 hours of training after school hours. For example if the kid is in school from 9-3; they have schedules for training 3-8PM. They have intense strengthening and agility workouts every single day. So imagine a kid going through this every single day!! I am not against pushing your limits and becoming better every day. But what the clubs extort from parents and what everyone expects from kids is very close to impossible.
I am not here to say what is right and what is wrong. I am here to ask questions.
What makes any coach think that its physically and mentally feasible for a child to focus straight from 9 AM to 8 PM every single day?
What kind of expectations will the child and parent harness with that kind of commitment and what happens when most of the time dreams shatter?
I can foresee frustrated teenagers scrambling to understand whats happening with them and why the day is over even before it starts! I can see parents pouring their hard earned money into clubs who show them dreams beyond recognition! The training plans are supplemented with international travel and tournaments enticing parents to go above and beyond their limits of expenses. The ultimate pressure directs to the kids to an extent that they would probably stop loving the sport in the first place.
The clubs inviting celebrities to give speeches and motivate kids forget that the kids need a good coach and mentor who need not necessarily be a celebrity. Couple of visits of famous people serves no purpose other than the greed of attracting more money from the naive parents of the young athletes. Cheap advertisement gimmicks have actively disowned conscience and common sense.
No doubt I am pro sports, I believe in everyday physical activity for healthy growth of kids in this generation. But a humble request to all parents and adults running clubs everywhere. Keep the interest of kids health and growth as the one and only purpose and priority ! Let us all leave our greed behind and for a change use our common sense to keep this sport alive.
It all begins one day when the minions turn 4 . The basic eligibility criteria for any kind of activity. I do not know much about how things shape for other sports but for tennis; Yes ! I can say I have some clear picture of how things shape up eventually!
Things were different before. There was patience, there was honesty ; there was stability with coaches. Kids grew at the same club till they went to college. Coaches took personal interest in the well being and growth of every kid. It became like an extended family for all. But the root of all clubs was based on growth and well being of the young athletes.
Fast forward to the current day , year 2018. Every club claims to have means and methods to groom and grow your precious lil minion into a pro. There's fitness , There's extensive training that begins at age 6. Parents who have been an athlete themselves or have been associated with sports while growing up have a good idea of the age appropriate techniques but for the rest naive parents and their kids its a disaster.
Every corner of the street there is a club who have claims beyond every kids desires. There are enticing schedules of as much as 5 hours of training after school hours. For example if the kid is in school from 9-3; they have schedules for training 3-8PM. They have intense strengthening and agility workouts every single day. So imagine a kid going through this every single day!! I am not against pushing your limits and becoming better every day. But what the clubs extort from parents and what everyone expects from kids is very close to impossible.
I am not here to say what is right and what is wrong. I am here to ask questions.
What makes any coach think that its physically and mentally feasible for a child to focus straight from 9 AM to 8 PM every single day?
What kind of expectations will the child and parent harness with that kind of commitment and what happens when most of the time dreams shatter?
I can foresee frustrated teenagers scrambling to understand whats happening with them and why the day is over even before it starts! I can see parents pouring their hard earned money into clubs who show them dreams beyond recognition! The training plans are supplemented with international travel and tournaments enticing parents to go above and beyond their limits of expenses. The ultimate pressure directs to the kids to an extent that they would probably stop loving the sport in the first place.
The clubs inviting celebrities to give speeches and motivate kids forget that the kids need a good coach and mentor who need not necessarily be a celebrity. Couple of visits of famous people serves no purpose other than the greed of attracting more money from the naive parents of the young athletes. Cheap advertisement gimmicks have actively disowned conscience and common sense.
No doubt I am pro sports, I believe in everyday physical activity for healthy growth of kids in this generation. But a humble request to all parents and adults running clubs everywhere. Keep the interest of kids health and growth as the one and only purpose and priority ! Let us all leave our greed behind and for a change use our common sense to keep this sport alive.
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