Catching breath at games/practices

[Anonymous]

I find my kid often catching heavy breath during game/practice, is there exercise help for this? He is exhausted at every game/exercise while other kids of his age 9 still have a lot of energy. I wonder if he should do some jogging exercise or what.....

[Anonymous]

Talk to your kid about breathing - though I get most of kids aren’t interested.
But learning how to inhale through your nose the exhale through your mouth slowly can help a kid who finds himself getting winded/panting.
Btdt with my kid.

[Anonymous]

My nephew was like this and it turned out he has exercise induced asthma. He’s a big soccer player and doesn’t get out of breath, but there’s something about the indoor gyms. If your son is fine in other sports, I’d get him checked out. If he doesn’t do other sports or is winded in them, I’d push some more exercise bc rec/9 year old bb has a lot of down time w/ fouls, time outs, short quarters, little court. He should be able to easily play a whole game

[Anonymous]

My kid is like this and we are going to get her checked out for asthma.

[Anonymous]

Overweight or asthma.

[Anonymous]

Under hydrated or not eating enough carbs.

[Anonymous]

Low iron?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My nephew was like this and it turned out he has exercise induced asthma. He’s a big soccer player and doesn’t get out of breath, but there’s something about the indoor gyms. If your son is fine in other sports, I’d get him checked out. If he doesn’t do other sports or is winded in them, I’d push some more exercise bc rec/9 year old bb has a lot of down time w/ fouls, time outs, short quarters, little court. He should be able to easily play a whole game

People say soccer is a cardio sport but from what I've seen basketball is an order of magnitude more intense. Every player is basically sprinting, jumping and leaping on every play. There are breaks as opposed to soccer, but that is what makes soccer more like a cross-country event. I wouldn't say basketball is a sprint more like fifty sprints with recovery. It's the recovery part that is important in basketball, being able to recover and sprint again. So, it sounds like it is probably the intensity of the exercise that induces the asthma. I've tried a couple other sports myself and with my kids and nothing quite does it like basketball. Cycling, swimming, soccer, distance running, they just don't have the intensity. Cycling and swimming are aerobic and soccer is more endurance (but closer than the others.)

[Anonymous]

My son plays a lot of basketball and soccer. He practices running in our neighborhood after school to build up his stamina.

Son's teams often don't have time to practice running but coaches expect their players will put in the work on their own time, especially running which does not require a gym or any special equipment.

[Anonymous]

You might want to get him an ECG, just in case.

[Anonymous]

Very few basketball players are fit. It's a fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very few basketball players are fit. It's a fact.

Few kids are fit nowadays because they’re busy playing Fortnite after school and weekend days (or on devices) instead of sports, unless they’re travel athletes who practice 3-4+ times a week.

DS plays travel and AAU basketball. The players who aren’t fit enough to run up and down the court for much of the game, are either cut from the team or mostly ride the bench.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very few basketball players are fit. It's a fact.

Few kids are fit nowadays because they’re busy playing Fortnite after school and weekend days (or on devices) instead of sports, unless they’re travel athletes who practice 3-4+ times a week.

DS plays travel and AAU basketball. The players who aren’t fit enough to run up and down the court for much of the game, are either cut from the team or mostly ride the bench.

Not it they're tall. And also BIG.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very few basketball players are fit. It's a fact.

If this is your kid’s experience, they are on the wrong teams.

My kid’s conditioning workouts - both in high school and AAU - included things like 2 hours straight of alternating sprinting while dribbling, pounding two balls, weighted jump rope, bands, etc. off season they did weights (lots of squats) and track work.

Teams that want to win emphasize conditioning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very few basketball players are fit. It's a fact.

If this is your kid’s experience, they are on the wrong teams.

My kid’s conditioning workouts - both in high school and AAU - included things like 2 hours straight of alternating sprinting while dribbling, pounding two balls, weighted jump rope, bands, etc. off season they did weights (lots of squats) and track work.

Teams that want to win emphasize conditioning.

I agree, basketball is one of the best for all around fitness, though to some of it happens off the court. Soccer comes close, but no upper body. Swimming is also pretty good you always see old sick people rehabilitating with it. Though, I think there are some drawbacks to it as a sport. Since it's water based when you train intensively it's possible to end up with posture problems. You also don't tend to use muscle groups we're well adapted to use especially in the legs. Many of the motions are pretty limited. EG all pull no push, can lead to symmetry problems (see posture above).