I'm heading to Valencia this weekend for a Spring Hockey tournament. I've also reconsidered my stance on the whole "time off" from a sport.
I have said, that when the Stanley Cup gets raised, or a Super Bowl won then the kid's season should come to an end as well.
I've taken my son off the ice (which he loves) and made him pursue other things.
Remembering the way I was as a kid, the "other" things were activities that would make me better at my chosen sport. Heck, that's the reason I got into the Strength and Conditioning field.
I got into thinking that Urban Meyer of Ohio State was onto something, and bought into the idea that 4% of his National Championship team were single sport and took no time off. The other 96% walked away? I don't think so.
They put their cleats away and thew out their old mouthpieces are more likely.
They healed up if they were injured, but began their OFF Season prep for the next upcoming season.
I did the same thing as a youth. Although, I used other sports to participate in, it was simply to get better at playing FOOTBALL.
I remember running sprints in the heat of the summer to get READY for the pre season two a days.
I remember pushing weights with the thought of how that would transfer into pushing bodies.
I ran patterns and defended against buddies running the patterns in shorts and t shirts.
But we PLAYED!
My wife was pursuing Olympic dreams as a figure skater just before I met her. I asked her if she ever took time away from skating as a kid? Her answer was the same as many other ice sportsman that I've asked this question..."I can't wait to skate!"
Her parents took her MORE often during the summer months to Joe Louis arena. She skated out of the famed Detroit Skating Club that demanded their athletes to train, not unlike the Bella Korolyi's of the gymnastics world.
Now that I've been around hockey for as many seasons as I have, there are elements of the game that need to be honed and sharpened.
Not only do the skills of SKATING need to be kept sharp, but the need to puck handle and SHOOTING need to be increased. Not because OTHER kids are doing it, and I want mine to stay competitive, But because EVERY NHLer playing today as did the legends of the sport did it when they are in their off season,
Yes, take the pads off, but in sweatpants and jersey and helmet does my son go out on the ice.
He will practice puck handling skills on a "whiteboard" and cones and he will set the net up in the backyard and shoot from that whiteboard into targets on the net.
But take time off? Step away from the game he loves??? Absolutely NOT! Those parents that say "walk away from the game", you guys go ahead. As long as my son has a passion for the game, he will play and sharpen his skills. When your kid comes back after his time off, my boy will SMOKE yours and leave you to explain why he isn't as good anymore.
That 10,000 hour rule becomes more and more apparent. You can disagree and that's fine, but unless the kid is injured, LET HIM/HER play the sport they have passion for.
It keeps him from watching too much TV and playing Minecraft, and maybe...JUST MAYBE, your child is the 1% who actually makes it to the PRO's.