by Steve Hammond
When will sports be back to normal? It’s an impossible question to answer in the midst of a situation that no one has dealt with before. There are far greater concerns than when organized sports will resume. But in honor of the #letthekidsplay movement, I thought I’d put together some thoughts on possibilities of how this will play out (on the field).
Sports play such an integral role in the family culture of so many people here in the East Bay Area. Kids are locked down and unallowed to play catch or kick the ball around with their best friend, let alone play in that Memorial weekend tournament that had been on the schedule. We are all chomping at the bit to ‘get back to normal’, but what does that even look like?
First, there is a big difference between pro sports teams playing in front of 50,000 fans and a pair of youth teams playing a game on a Sunday afternoon. There seems to be a realistic expectation that smaller groups of healthy individuals may be able to get back to action earlier than bigger populations.
There are 4 primary factors that I see coming into play as we get kids back on the field and into their sport.
Travel & Large Events
I see a strong likelihood that families will be hesitant to pack up and head to another state in order to play in a 32 team tournament this summer, fall or even winter. Not only the worry of gathering in a concentrated area with potentially thousands of people, but the financial demands of these trips when quite a few of us are feeling the burden of lost wages - or even worse. No doubt, some families (and many kids) would still love to play a full summer travel schedule, but there will be others that can’t or won’t.
Decreasing the amount of travel for sports once things settle down doesn’t mean there won’t still be a huge surge in demand. I see programs and clubs getting creative to put together better local options for kids to compete and play - something we hope to be a strong part of here at B.A.B.
Don’t Get In Shape - Stay in Shape
With the Shelter in Place orders lasting for a minimum of 7 weeks (3/17 - 5/3), and the potential for them to get extended, young athletes are not going to be able to pick up where they left off. Only the most dedicated few that are getting 6-9 workouts a week (I know a few) will be able to jump back into their sport with no ill effects. But the problem there is that all of their teammates won’t be at the same level and coaches will always have to spend time building up the lesser prepared players.
So my advice to all of the athletes that are still hopeful to play this summer, as I am, is to stay in shape, rather than hoping to get back into shape. That’s truly why I offered to loan out our gym equipment for free, written up dozens of at-home workouts, and offered live online fitness classes. I want everyone to know that there are plenty of options if they want to stay sharp, all they need is a little motivation!
Dip Your Toe First, Don’t Just Dive In
My hope is that sports teams and travel clubs take into consideration that their players haven’t competed in a game-like situation for potentially more than 2 months, and plan accordingly. There will certainly be plenty of desire to get back to full competition, but doing so without a build-up period is short sighted and potentially dangerous.
Rather than having a practice or two and jumping into a tournament, coaches (and Parents) should strongly consider finding a way to add extra training time in order to not only prepare an athlete’s body, but their mind as well. I think of it in terms of workload - you wouldn’t hop on the treadmill for 5 minutes one day and think you’re ready to hike Mt. Diablo the next, would you? Same goes for competitive sports, athletes won’t be physically or mentally ready for competition for at least 2-3 weeks from when they are allowed to get back on the field.
The Injury Bug
Related to the previous point, I see the potential for an influx of injuries as we rush to get back to ‘normal’. I don’t want to be a pessimist, but there just aren’t enough coaches with the knowledge or resources to properly prepare their players for battle (ie: 5 game weekend in Ripon in the 100 degree heat). We must be diligent in doing everything we can to keep our athletes healthy and on the field.
The most at-risk populations are female soccer and lacrosse players (knees & ankles), basketball players (lower body injuries) and baseball pitchers (elbows & shoulders). If you play these sports, it’s especially important to keep your fitness level up to reduce the risk or injury when you get back on the field.
That means continuing to do agility, balance and core strengthening drills, which can definitely be done at home and we’ve even created a full library here and do lots of them during our live workouts. And for baseball players, it means continuing to throw at least a few times a week, even if it’s at a lower intensity and into a net in the back yard. Heck, I even threw into my bed mattress up against the wall of my apartment during a particularly rainy period in college. If there’s a will, there’s a way.
The crew at B.A.B. will always be looking out for the best interest of athletes, so I hope that this information is helpful as we slowly tread back into the water and let the kids play. Keep moving, stay strong, be ready!