Avoid Youth Soccer Burnout- How much Training is too much?

Soccer is a competitive sport. It is why many youth soccer players always train too hard to be the best in the game. Training also becomes intense when soccer competitions are near or when parents put way too much pressure on their little ones to become the best version of themselves.

Sure, soccer sports training is fundamental to gain skills, but what happens when it exceeds a specific benchmark? In any sport, overtraining must be avoided by athletes. So, they can avoid negative consequences, both mental and physical ones, in the future.

Today, we will discuss how much training is too much for youth soccer.

Youth Soccer Burnout– How much should Players train?

There is not enough evidence or data that suggests how much youth soccer players should train. In general, kids can train for up to 10-20 hours per week that is considered ideal.

However, Dr. Lyle Micheli, a co-founder of the world’s first sports medicine clinic, specifies that kids should train only 18-20 hours each week, and these numbers should not exceed. 

Furthermore, ACE states that the sports training hours of youth soccer players per week should not exceed their age. For example, U6 youth soccer players should only train for 6 hours per week.

The reason for this is that kids, in the age range of 4-9 are still developing skills, and overtraining can cause them to take too much pressure which could hurt their game.

Training too much can cause abnormal growth, in some cases maturation, and other side effects. It is why the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that kids should not train every single day of the week, instead they should take a day off from their sports training and divert their minds.

Moreover, AAP also specifies that young players, including youth soccer players, should stay away from their respective sport for three months a year.

In addition, small-sided games and other fun soccer drills also count as youth soccer training. Hence, parents and coaches should keep this in mind and avoid these so young soccer players do not get exhausted.

How much Excessive Soccer training is safe?

Any soccer sports training that makes young soccer players exhausted and unmotivated comes under the label of Excessive Youth Soccer Training. The frequency and duration of soccer sports training can be increased depending on the level of interest of the soccer players, their age, and primarily, the environment.

The training environment plays a vital role. The training environment should not be a pressured one. Instead, it should solely be based on how kids can enjoy the game and develop their skills.

However, the general rule is that coaches should follow the ten percent rule when considering increasing the training duration for their kids.

According to the ten percent rule, athletes should gradually increase their training sessions (by 10%). The time that should be increased per week is determined by calculating 10% of the previous duration of a session.

For example, if a youth soccer player does a specific dribbling drill for 30 minutes a day per week, he or she can easily do 33 minutes a day per week. Following this rule is one of the most convenient things to do as it does not put too much pressure on the kids.

Moreover, it makes sure that they feel comfortable in their training. Following the ten percent rule also makes sure that youth soccer players get less injured.

Signs of overtraining

Sometimes parents and coaches are unable to identify if their kids are overtraining or not. In many cases, kids that are a victim of overtraining are that their coaches do not follow the ten percent rule.

Instead, they increase the duration of soccer sports training way too much in a short period.  All this leads to kids having acute injuries, which is very stressful for both parents and the kids themselves.

However, there are some specific signs of overtraining that coaches and parents should look out for to avoid any significant problems. These signs of overtraining include:

• Young soccer players look exhausted.
• Kids lack motivation. Because of this, many young soccer players do not want to go to soccer practice or youth soccer training.
• Decrease in performance. If you see that your kid is not performing well in his or her soccer matches, it can be one of the prominent signs of overtraining.
• Irritable and uncooperative with the coach and other teammates. Overtraining puts too much pressure on the minds of athletes, whether they are kids or adults. Therefore, this causes them to be frustrated and have mood swings. If you see this happening with your kids, it can be one of the signs of overtraining.

What should you do?

If, as a soccer parent, you came to find your soccer-playing kid suffering from the above-specified signs of overtraining, you should confront the coach and tell them to reduce the duration of training.

In some cases, the youth soccer training academies have uncertified coaches. These coaches do not have an idea about how long the kids under specific age group programs should train.

So, before getting your soccer-playing kids admitted to a youth soccer academy, make sure that the academy has a certified coach.

How hard should kids train?

In any sport, the technique is more crucial than any other factors involved in the game. For example, in MMA, fighters rely more on athletic techniques such as grappling and takedowns than strength.

Just like MMA, soccer also involves athletic techniques, which should be learned first by soccer players, youth soccer players, in particular. Once the young soccer players have developed the necessary skills to compete in the game, other factors can be introduced to them.

Some of them include power and strength. Learning core techniques help kids learn other elements of the game at a rapid pace and helps them avoid unnecessary injuries.

Conclusion

The above-specified is a comprehensive guide about how much youth soccer training is too much. Some of the signs of overtraining are also listed.