10/23/2025
If the pros take time off, why shouldn’t your child?
After listening and talking with and , I figured I’d weigh in on this one.
You know what happens every time pro athletes finish their season?
They don’t practice their sport to start off their offseasons.
Not for weeks — sometimes months.
When I tell parents of 10–13-year-olds that, the look says it all.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
Because somewhere along the way, “more” became “better.”
But it’s not.
If the best athletes in the world take time away from their sport — why wouldn’t your 12-year-old?
Different level, yes.
Different workload, sure.
Same principle:
Let the body recover. Let the mind breathe. Let the athlete grow.
Our job as coaches isn’t to fill calendars.
It’s to build humans.
Humans who can move well, play freely, and love their sport.
One of my D1 softball players — a senior — came to me this fall:
“Coach, I kinda want to play flag football.”
My answer?
Do it.
Go run.
Go jump.
Go compete.
Now she’s having fun again.
Thriving.
Ready to attack her senior season with energy — not burnout.
Meanwhile, youth sports have turned into 52-week seasons.
Same movements. Same stress. Same injuries.
We’re seeing kids carrying the demands of pros — without the strength, structure, or recovery that pros have.
And here’s the straight forward truth — most won’t make it to the pros.
But that’s not failure.
If they learn discipline, teamwork, accountability, and passion — and maybe even use sport to earn a college education — that’s a win.
If you want to build great athletes later…
Stop trying to perfect them too early.
Let them rest.
Let them play.
Let them build the foundation.
That’s what lasts.
