About

“A girl trying to get a scholarship for soccer is not different than a boy getting a scholarship for football, highly competitive and attracting the best athletes in the country”. This episode of The Thrivalist Manifesto talks about children in sports. In this day and age where being involved in sports is like an unsaid rule, Dr. G and Ben V talk about a professional sports career, the obstacles faced due to the competition in popular sports, their impact on young athletes, and much more.

Ben V. has an extensive career in athletic training and rehabilitation, he talks about how he has witnessed a drastic change in the way children are involved with sports these days-starting from a very early age. Children are pressured into sports specialization, putting them at risk. One has to ask, are you aiming to make their sport their profession?

This episode talks about the neurological advantages of being involved in multiple sports. Why limit your brain to information from a singular set of instructions.

Dr. G says very correctly “Just making your muscle bigger doesn’t contribute to your athletic abilities”. Thus, by discussing the importance of understanding and implementing the correct science, neuroscience, while training adolescents, this episode aids parents who are looking into finding the right approach to coaching/using a trainer/and scheduling sports into the lives of our children.

“Athletic preparation is primarily science sprinkled with art and experience” –Ben V

Bookmarked minutes

0:12- Introduction of the episode

7:10- Specialization in sports and its obstacles

8:30-Why specializing in just one sport could be a disadvantage for a young athlete.

15:20-Neurological implications on the brain when you focus on a single sport

18:05-Ben’s experience with training kids

20:04-Adolescents’ athletic preparation

21:24-Normative data for a specific age-group