By Tom Kuyper

January 23rd, 2008

Coshocton Tribune

"Come on, Trey! Only 15 more push-ups to go! After that, we still have 10 more suicides (wind sprints) to do. We have to get ready for Saturday's game against that Monster Truck Transformer team. They're a good team, but we will be in better shape!"

Trey's coach yells this out, even after the team spent a good portion of practice doing stretches.  Trey is 7 years old. His coach's methods are pretty common in youth sports. Hey, coaches, listen to me: these young kids don't need conditioning drills. They need skill building, strategy instruction, and lots of playing experience.

Too many coaches spend too much time on stretching and conditioning. Here is the problem with that high school/college style of coaching: Stretching at the beginning of practice takes up too much time. Haven't you noticed? Seven-year-old kids push open the door and at a full sprint run to the court. They are ready to go.

Read on...