How much practice is "too much"

[Anonymous]

I have an athletic son, who is not particularly tall, and who has become completely obsessed with basketball. He's got the kind of work ethic that you really dream about for a kid, doing things like practicing outdoors in the rain to get reps or spending hours in the gym. Essentially he wants to play basketball in his free time all the time. He has siblings who are stars in their sports who never practice, and I've often wished that they would put in even 1/10th of the effort this kid puts in. As a parent, do you draw the line? I'm happy that he has a healthy outlet and he really wants to hone his craft, but it seems a little over the top. I worry that he will burn out of basketball because he is so singularly focused.

Has anyone encountered something similar and if so, how did you work with your child to find a balance?

[Anonymous]

Eh, there's no harm in it. Far better than an xbox obsession. Let him do it.

[Anonymous]

Burnout is real. You also don’t want him to peak too soon. I think the only way to curb his desire for playing basketball is to introduce him to another sport or activity. Maybe something like Karate?

The best thing for his basketball development is to play another sport so he learns to move and strengthen his body in a multi-dimensional way. When he gets older is when he can start specializing in one sport.

I would encourage an athlete first-basketball player second mentality.

[Anonymous]

Does he have any interest in other sports? My DC's basketball and lacrosse coaches both recommended the other sport for keeping your skills honed and practicing plays in the off season.

[Anonymous]

I think there's a difference between playing for fun, because you get joy out of the sport or because it's a good way to hang out with friends, and dedicated, coach-led practice sessions.

Don't limit the first. But be aware of the burnout potential of the second.

[Anonymous]

No. I never stopped my son from going out to practice which he does in the heat, cold, rain, snow. sleet.

It's his passion, would you stop somebody from painting or playing an instrument?

[Anonymous]

dont think this counts 'practice' so its never too much unless of course he starts neglecting his other responsibilities.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much for the input. I guess I'll just count my blessings on this one and let him go for it. I do love watching the organized games but have no interest in upping the organized component when he seems so happy to be shooting around with friends, at our house, no less. Many worse things out there for sure...

[Anonymous]

Yes, I think letting him go for it is OK, based on what I see above. His interests, and his focus on each, will change with time I expect. Naturally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an athletic son, who is not particularly tall, and who has become completely obsessed with basketball. He's got the kind of work ethic that you really dream about for a kid, doing things like practicing outdoors in the rain to get reps or spending hours in the gym. Essentially he wants to play basketball in his free time all the time. He has siblings who are stars in their sports who never practice, and I've often wished that they would put in even 1/10th of the effort this kid puts in. As a parent, do you draw the line? I'm happy that he has a healthy outlet and he really wants to hone his craft, but it seems a little over the top. I worry that he will burn out of basketball because he is so singularly focused.

Has anyone encountered something similar and if so, how did you work with your child to find a balance?

A couple of quick thoughts:

1. There is a difference between practicing basketball and shooting around with friends. Shooting around with friends does surprisingly little to make a kid a better player beyond a very basic level. Also, most kids make themselves worse at shooting by shooting around with friends because they practice and solidify terrible mechanics.

2. Burnout IMHO has more to do with kids feeling pressure and an obligation to practice/play more than they want to than with the amount that they are choosing to play/practice on their own. My son was like yours from about age 10 through age 16, but he quit his highly competitive high school team this year rather abruptly. When explaining his decision to us, DS cited the expectation by coaches that he would be basically only eating, sleeping, doing schoolwork and practicing/playing basketball seven days a week 11 months a year. I can't really convey how intense this expectation is (at least at the high school level for highly competitive teams), but DS was told repeatedly by a whole range of adults that he needed to fully commit to basketball and have no other interests. We pushed back on this, but the reality is that when the kids they are competing with are training more hours a day than they are in school, it's tough to find balance.

3. Basketball changes a lot from early middle school to early high school. Kids who mature early and are aggressive are often stars in middle school, but unless they continue to develop skill plus some combination of height, strength, quickness and bounce, their progress stalls. There are certainly short, skilled kids who have a lot of success, but they often have outstanding athleticism (like DS's 5'10" teammate who averages 3 dunks a game). Likewise, there are lots of kids who are tall but clumsy and unable to jump and they end up being a liability to their team (thinking of a 6'8" kid who got cut from DS's school team). The point is that it's really hard to predict at 12 which kids will still be playing at 18, so I wouldn't read too much into where your DS is now, just be glad he found something he likes and encourage him.

[Anonymous]

The nice thing about basketball is that it's mostly dormant during fall and spring, right? So he'd really only be playing a winter league and a summer league, and then maybe he could do something else in the off season just to keep his conditioning up. (cross country would be good for this, or soccer.) My daughter has 4 soccer practices a week and it hasn't burned her out, though she is glad to be more chill during the off-season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
A couple of quick thoughts:

1. There is a difference between practicing basketball and shooting around with friends. Shooting around with friends does surprisingly little to make a kid a better player beyond a very basic level. Also, most kids make themselves worse at shooting by shooting around with friends because they practice and solidify terrible mechanics.

2. Burnout IMHO has more to do with kids feeling pressure and an obligation to practice/play more than they want to than with the amount that they are choosing to play/practice on their own. My son was like yours from about age 10 through age 16, but he quit his highly competitive high school team this year rather abruptly. When explaining his decision to us, DS cited the expectation by coaches that he would be basically only eating, sleeping, doing schoolwork and practicing/playing basketball seven days a week 11 months a year. I can't really convey how intense this expectation is (at least at the high school level for highly competitive teams), but DS was told repeatedly by a whole range of adults that he needed to fully commit to basketball and have no other interests. We pushed back on this, but the reality is that when the kids they are competing with are training more hours a day than they are in school, it's tough to find balance.

3. Basketball changes a lot from early middle school to early high school. Kids who mature early and are aggressive are often stars in middle school, but unless they continue to develop skill plus some combination of height, strength, quickness and bounce, their progress stalls. There are certainly short, skilled kids who have a lot of success, but they often have outstanding athleticism (like DS's 5'10" teammate who averages 3 dunks a game). Likewise, there are lots of kids who are tall but clumsy and unable to jump and they end up being a liability to their team (thinking of a 6'8" kid who got cut from DS's school team). The point is that it's really hard to predict at 12 which kids will still be playing at 18, so I wouldn't read too much into where your DS is now, just be glad he found something he likes and encourage him.

Well said. Thank you for sharing.

[Anonymous]

He needs to cross-train in other sports too. The best athletes are the ones that play multiple sports at a young age. Basketball is particularly challenging because as you age, your shot changes. The extra strength needed to heave a ball at the basket ball isn't needed when you get older and taller so all of your mechanics change.

However, footwork, court vision, defense and dribbling are the things to focus on at this age. Just going outside and shooting baskets with friends isn't always the best way to develop his skills. I see kids all the time outside playing and taking ridiculous shots that they'd never take in a game, thus developing poor mechanics and a false sense of achievement.

Conclusion: If he's practicing his dribbling and footwork, then he's actually practicing. If he's outside shooting with friends, then he's just having fun.

[Anonymous]

OP, it's always helpful to give us your kid's age range (like elem. middle, or highschool) so we can respond accordingly. The advice that I'd give for each age range is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The nice thing about basketball is that it's mostly dormant during fall and spring, right? So he'd really only be playing a winter league and a summer league, and then maybe he could do something else in the off season just to keep his conditioning up. (cross country would be good for this, or soccer.) My daughter has 4 soccer practices a week and it hasn't burned her out, though she is glad to be more chill during the off-season.

At the high school level AAU season is spring - tryouts in February/early march and tournaments starting beginning of April. First live period weekend is like mid-April. Goes through end of July. Most high school teams also do summer exposure team camps (e.g. weekend camp at Maryland).

High school teams play fall league from September - mid-October and some less competitive travel teams play in leagues in the fall (e.g. Force One).

Before high school, IIRC it's four seasons with August mostly off.