Winter training

Question
My just turned 13 year old son is a travel baseball player in the suburban Chicago area. He is done with football at the end of October. He not I, has driven the off season training for three years now with hitting instruction every week. He recently said he wants to do performance training, continue hitting and get advanced instruction on his primary position which is as a catcher. He wants to train seriously from November through the winter. Trying to combine all three looks like a real challenge. Should I consider a winter league instead or find one instructor to do all three things? Thank you.

Answer
Hi Jeff,

interesting question.  Depends.

IF you don't mind your son training hard all winter long with no 'down time', then the best step is to join a winter league.  There is no better instructor than actual game experience - that is if he is the sole catcher.

I agree that trying to combine all three is a major effort and I would be concerned about his schooling and social life.  My own son was so into his training that I could see he was having some difficulties with a few school projects between competitions.  We had to intervene and cut back on some of his training so he could relax a bit during the off season.

If you do search for an fitness instructor, ask him or her how they work with teens.  If they are professional, they'll know how much training a teen needs in the off season and will tell you right out.   Our son's cross-country ski coach had a strict routine for teens in the off season and was well aware of the effects it had on school, socializing, and a growing teen.  

I hope this helps,

JohnMc

NB:  my concern with over-training in the off season is injury and the bodies need for rest.  It's good to be active but the year-long competitive pressures on a young teen will come back to haunt him later.  So many times I've seen players who over-train and they either become injury prone or they burn out.